No one thought a UK Prime Minister could be worse than Theresa May. Until now. - CNN

By the end of her inglorious three-year stint in Downing Street, even her most loyal supporters admitted that the robotic May would never be regarded as one of the greatest British leaders.

By comparison, Boris Johnson's off-the-cuff, sunny disposition made him a darling of Conservative Party members who chose him for the top job when May finally resigned, defeated by her inability to get a Brexit deal through Parliament.

On his first day as Prime Minister, Johnson promised a bold new Brexit deal, bashing the "doubters, doomsters, gloomsters" and the political class who he said had forgotten about the British people they serve. It was as if an upbeat attitude alone could be enough to overcome any adversity on the United Kingdom's path to exiting the European Union.

For a moment, it seemed he would breathe new life and, in his words, "positive energy," into the Brexit process. Some thought, just maybe, he could manage to do what May did not.

How quickly it all went wrong.

Johnson has lost every one of his first votes in parliament, an unprecedented record in the modern era. Undeterred, the Prime Minister purged 21 members of his parliamentary party who voted against him, blowing apart his majority.

Then, his efforts to secure a snap general election -- with the goal of replacing the sacked lawmakers with a new slate of candidates more aligned with his hard-Brexit views -- were scuppered when opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn refused to play along.

Now, he is effectively trapped in Downing Street, with Corbyn holding the keys. The government plans to propose new elections again on Monday, but the opposition leader says his party will only support the move when its efforts to prevent a no-deal Brexit are locked down.

"Certainly his biggest tactical mistake so far was not to realize that it was Corbyn, as leader of the opposition, who effectively had veto power over when a general election could be held," said Professor Tony Travers, director of the Institute of Public Affairs at the London School of Economics.

"It looks as if the Conservatives and their advisers thought that if they offered a general election to the Labour Party it would jump at the opportunity, but the way things have turned out -- the coming together of the no-deal bill and the possibility that the opposition can frustrate a general election -- creates the possibility of keeping the Prime Minister trapped in government, unable to fulfill his commitment to leave the EU come what may."

Now the newly minted PM finds himself in a position that May never was -- on his knees, begging the opposition for a general election.

How did it come to this?

The bad luck set in with Johnson's decision to prorogue, or suspend, Parliament from mid-September, effectively shortening the time available to lawmakers to block a no-deal Brexit. It will be the longest suspension of Parliament since World War II, and it jolted the fractured opposition parties. Divided on Brexit, they were united in their opposition to what they perceived as an all-out assault on British constitutional conventions.

Since then, the blows have kept on coming -- many of them self-inflicted. The conduct of Johnson's shadowy chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, has riled many senior Conservatives. First, there was a decision to fire an aide to the chancellor, Sajid Javid, who was reportedly marched out of Downing Street by an armed police officer after Cummings accused her of not being open about her contacts with more Remain-minded members of the party. All the more galling, for some, was the fact that the aide in question was an ardent Brexiteer.

Then, more explosively, was the decision to fire 21 rebellious MPs who voted with opposition lawmakers in favor of a bill to prevent a no-deal Brexit, widely seen as a plan hatched by Cummings. The list included eight former Cabinet ministers, two former finance secretaries, the longest-serving member of the House of Commons and the grandson of Winston Churchill.

Former Conservative Prime Minister John Major urged Johnson to ditch his aides. "Get rid of these advisers before they poison the political atmosphere beyond repair. And do it quickly," he said in a speech in Glasgow.

On Thursday, in the most potent of humiliations, Johnson's own brother quit his ministerial post and said he would stand down as an MP -- that rare breed of politician to leave his job in order to spend less time with his family.

"In recent weeks I've been torn between family loyalty and the national interest - it's an unresolvable tension & time for others to take on my roles as MP & Minister," Jo Johnson tweeted on Thursday.

That seemed to hang like a cloud over the Prime Minister when he made a speech that might have been the opening salvo of an election campaign, under other circumstances.

In front of a wall of police cadets in West Yorkshire, Johnson attempted to recite the caution that police deliver to suspects when they make an arrest, only to stumble over the words and abandon the joke halfway through. He then lurched into some lackluster remarks that had commentators cringing.

Finally, in the heat, one of the cadets behind him sat down, apparently to avoid fainting. Johnson turned to ask her if she was okay, promised to end the event, but carried on anyway.

Journalists' questions were brutal. "Aren't people entitled to ask, if your own brother can't back you, why should anyone else?" one asked.

It is indeed an open question. Certainly, an election is a gamble. But it is a risk that Johnson and his advisers have taken in the hopes that, by turning the broad church coalition of the Conservative Party into a group of Euroskeptics, that it will reconfigure the Brexit alliance and prove enough to win a general election.

If Johnson is able to pull it off, his decision to kick out moderate Conservative members will have effectively set him up to have a far more consolidated, hard-line pro-Brexit party -- saving his skin and redefining the Tories all at once.

But, if his bumbling and, at times, awkward speech Thursday was any indication, he may have lost some of the winning luster that had previously seemed so promising.

His predecessor was endlessly slammed for her poor performances in speeches -- from her robotic dancing to losing her voice -- but she never lined up dozens of bemused police officers as a backdrop to a political stunt.

Yet, unlike May, Johnson was able to ram home the core political message that he intends to take the UK out of the EU "no ifs or buts" by October 31 -- a stark contrast to her central failure to find consensus.

Asked if he could promise the British public that he would not go to Brussels and ask for another delay to Brexit, Johnson said: "Yes I can. I'd rather be dead in a ditch."

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2019-09-06 09:20:00Z
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Boris Johnson defeated again; no snap UK election - Al Jazeera English

London, UK - For the third time in two days, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has suffered a major parliamentary defeat as his bid to call an election next month was easily thwarted late on Wednesday.

Johnson's Conservative Party failed to win the two-thirds majority needed to call a snap election, mustering only 298 of the 434 votes required.

Given the size of the rebellion, and the subsequent lack of numbers on the government’s benches, most opponents abstained from voting, with just 56 opposition politicians actively opposing his bid to head to the polls in the coming weeks. 

After the vote went badly against him, he chided opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn before MPs. 

"I think [Corbyn] has become the first opposition leader in the history of our country to refuse the invitation to head to a general election," said Johnson. "I can only speculate as to the reasons behind his hesitation, the obvious conclusion is I'm afraid that he does not think he will win."

Downing Street insisted Johnson would not resign to force a general election after losing control of the House of Commons a day earlier, resulting in a defeat that allowed the opposition, led by Corbyn's Labour party, to attempt to legislate to block a "no-deal" withdrawal from the European Union by forcing Johnson to seek a delay if he fails to reach an agreement with Brussels.

His supporters ended a night-long filibuster in the upper House of Lords when the government gave up trying to block the proposed legislation.

The opposition said they should now be able to pass the bill before Johnson suspends parliament for over a month next week.

"Govt commits to allowing (the draft legislation) to complete all stages in course of Thurs & Friday - with the bill then going back to the Commons for any further consideration on Monday," the Labour party tweeted early on Thursday.

No-deal Brexit could cause UK food, fuel and medicine shortages

'Rebel alliance'

A "rebel alliance" of 21 Conservative MPs were kicked out of the party on Tuesday night after siding with the opposition. They had taken issue with Johnson's plan to suspend parliament for five weeks ahead of the Brexit deadline on October 31, allowing the clock to run down towards the legal default of leaving the bloc without a divorce deal in place.

Many economists, business leaders, health sector administrators and political analysts had said such a situation would hurt EU economies, but would be disastrous for the UK, leading to shortages of medicine and fresh food - among other consequences.

The Conservatives were subsequently seeking a general election to wrest back control ahead of a key European Council summit in mid-October.

If victorious, Johnson and his advisers believed he would have a mandate to fulfil his pledge to take Britain out of the EU on October 31, deal or no deal, and would be able to repeal any new law stemming from Wednesday's legislation attempting to delay Brexit.

But with no majority and a seemingly united opposition, it has become clear Johnson is now unable to govern with parliament in its current form, and an election seems inevitable, sooner or later.

For the past few years, the Labour party has also sought a general election. The Liberal Democrats, also enjoying a resurgence in fortunes after being nearly wiped out at the ballot box following a stint in a coalition government with the Conservatives, would also like an election. But neither party supported Johnson's call to bring the country to the polls at this time.

'Trust issues'

Under legislation brought in under Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron, who sparked the Brexit crisis by calling the in-out EU membership referendum in 2016 in a bid to unite the Conservative party, a bid to call an early election needs the support of two-thirds of the parliament.

Fundamentally, Boris Johnson's problem is that nobody on the opposition benches, and a lot of people within his own party, simply don't believe anything he says

Chris Wilkins, Theresa May speechwriter

"Boris Johnson is not trusted in parliament and we have to make sure he doesn't try to play any tricks," the Liberal Democrats' deputy leader Ed Davey told Al Jazeera.

"We want an election for our own partisan purposes," he added. "The reason we want to delay just a few weeks is we don't trust Boris Johnson, and we want to make sure 'no deal' cannot happen. This is not the time yet for a general election - maybe quite soon - but we want to make sure the crash out can't happen.

"We want to put the national interest ahead of our party interest."

Johnson's perceived problem with truthfulness persists beyond parliament.

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"Boris has been asked so many times 'What's your plan?' - and he refuses to publish it," said Al Jazeera's Laurence Lee, reporting from London.

"And so many on the European negotiating side have said there is no plan. So then when he stands up in parliament and says there is a plan, people just think he's a liar."

Chris Wilkins was a speechwriter for former prime minister Theresa May.

"The big issue at the heart of all of this is a lack of trust," he told Al Jazeera. "Fundamentally, Boris Johnson's problem is that nobody on the opposition benches, and a lot of people within his own party, simply don't believe anything he says - and that's a massive problem for a prime minister with no majority to play with."

The divisions in the Conservative Party over Europe have been long-held.

"These are unprecedented times, I've never known anything like it," said Wilkins. 

"There has been a civil war over Europe brewing in the Conservative Party for 30 to 40 years, and this week it has broken out, fully into the open. And the prime minister has picked a side - he's picked the side of the Brexiteers, the people who are anti-Europe, and that means he is kicking out of the party people who are traditional one-nation conservatives. And people are looking at that and saying 'look we're not going to stand for this'."

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2019-09-05 05:51:00Z
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$148 million worth of heroin found in UK's biggest drug bust - NBC2 News

News

Authorities in the UK seized almost 1.3 tons of heroin with a street value of $148 million from a container ship. 

Wednesday, September 4th 2019, 6:27 AM EDT

A man uses heroin under a bridge in January where he lives with other addicts in the Kensington section of Philadelphia, which has become a hub for heroin use. Spencer Platt / Getty Images file

(CNN) - Authorities in the UK seized almost 1.3 tons of heroin with a street value of $148 million from a container ship. 

The bust was the UK's biggest involving heroin, according to CNN. 

Officers from the National Crime Agency and the Border Force found the drug hidden in a cargo ship of towels and bathrobes on Aug. 30, according to the NCA.

"This is a record heroin seizure in the UK and one of the largest ever in Europe," said Matt Horne, NCA deputy director of investigations. "It will have denied organized crime tens of millions of pounds in profits."

The ship would have taken the heroin to the Belgian port of Antwerp. 

Removing the drugs took about six hours. Three people were later arrested. 

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2019-09-04 10:27:00Z
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Heroin worth $148 million seized in UK's biggest ever bust - CNN

Officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Border Force found the heroin hidden in a cargo of towels and bathrobes when the MV Gibraltar docked at Felixstowe on August 30, according to an NCA statement.

The 1,297 kilogram haul would sell for £27 million at wholesale prices, but its value would rocket to £120 million at street level, the NCA said.

"This is a record heroin seizure in the UK and one of the largest ever in Europe," said Matt Horne, NCA deputy director of investigations.

"It will have denied organised crime tens of millions of pounds in profits."

NCA intelligence indicated that the ship would be carrying heroin to the Belgian port of Antwerp, via Felixstowe.

Officers removed the drugs in an operation that lasted almost six hours, and replaced the container before it continued its voyage to Antwerp.

Upon arrival in Belgium on September 1, the container was unloaded and driven to Rotterdam, in the Netherlands.

Dutch and Belgian law enforcement officers tracked its progress and later arrested four people who were unloading in Rotterdam.

"This is a huge seizure -- there is no other word for it given the quantities involved -- which has kept dangerous drugs off the streets of the UK and mainland Europe," said Jenny Sharp, Border Force Assistant Director at Felixstowe.

On August 2, officers made another seizure of 398 kilograms of heroin from a container at Felixstowe, also hidden among towels and bathrobes.

That load, worth £40 million ($48 million) at street level, was removed and law enforcement tracked the container to Rotterdam via Antwerp.

Three arrests were made as a result of the operation.

Horne said the size of recent seizures shows the threat from drug trafficking is serious, fueling violence and exploitation.

"NCA officers on the front line lead the fight against the serious and organised criminals who chase profits while dominating and intimidating communities," he said.

"However, reducing UK demand for illegal commodities such as heroin requires a systematic response across multiple sectors, including health and social care, prisons and education."

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2019-09-04 09:09:00Z
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Brexit: All the latest updates - Al Jazeera English

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is in the midst of a major parliamentary showdown over his bid to take the United Kingdom out of the European Union by an October 31 deadline, with or without a divorce deal.

On their first day back after summer holidays, rebel and opposition MPs on Tuesday voted in favour of seizing control of the parliamentary agenda for the following day in order to introduce a bill forcing the prime minister to request a Brexit delay until January 31, 2020 - unless legislators approve a withdrawal agreement, or vote in favour of a so-called no-deal departure by October 19.

Johnson has threatened to push for a snap general election if the bill is passed, while his administration had previously warned MPs from his own ruling Conservative Party they would be expelled for defying the government in Tuesday's vote.

The rapidly unfolding Brexit drama comes in the run-up to a controversial weeks-long suspension of parliament from mid-September until mid-October.

Here are all the latest updates:

Wednesday, September 4

We do not trust PM Johnson - Labour Brexit spokesman

Britain's main opposition Labour Party does not trust Johnson's proposal to hold an election on October 15, before the country is due to leave the EU, its Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer said.

Labour wants a no-deal Brexit to be taken off the table before it backs a snap poll.

"When he (Johnson) says the 15th of October, I can tell you across all the opposition parties and some Tory MPs, they do not trust him," Starmer told BBC Radio.

Top adviser to UK PM denies he said EU talks were a sham 

Johnson's top adviser Dominic Cummings denied that he had described the government's attempts to renegotiate the Brexit deal with Brussels as a sham.

Cummings, the former head of the Vote Leave campaign, was said to have made the remarks after Johnson's visit to Paris and Berlin last month. 

When asked if the Brexit negotiations with the EU were a sham, Cummings said: "No. I never said that."

Hopes for Brexit delay rally pound

The British pound bounced in the wake of a parliamentary vote opening the door for another Brexit delay.

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The pound, which has lost nearly 20 percent of its value since the UK voted to leave the European Union in 2016, fell to as low as $1.1959 on Tuesday but then rebounded after Johnson lost his working majority in the British parliament following the defection of one of his Conservative Party MPs.

Traders in London said heightened uncertainty was making investors panic, as the battle over Brexit reaches a crescendo this week.

Read more here. 

Tuesday, September 3

Jacob Rees-Mogg severely criticised 

Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg was severely criticised by fellow MPs for showing "arrogance, and entitlement," for parliament as he reclined on the green benches during an emergency Brexit debate. 

The physical embodiment of arrogance, entitlement, disrespect and contempt for our parliament. pic.twitter.com/XdnFQmkfCS

— Anna Turley MP (@annaturley) September 3, 2019

Rebel Conservative Party MPs to be expelled from party: Report

Johnson's chief whip, or parliamentary enforcer, was speaking to Conservative Party legislators who voted in favour of a move to try to stop a no-deal Brexit to inform them they would be expelled from the party, Reuters news agency reported, citing a spokesman for the British leader.

"The chief whip is speaking to those Tory [Conservative] MPs who did not vote with the government this evening. They will have the Tory whip removed," Reuters quoted the spokesman from Johnson's office as saying.

Opposition defiant over election timing

Reacting to Johnson's threat to push for a general election, Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, said he wanted legislation preventing a no-deal Brexit in place before his party could agree to a new poll.

"As I have said before: if the prime minister has confidence in his Brexit policy - when he has one he can put forward - he should put it before the people in a public vote," Corbyn said in parliament.

"And so, he wants to table a motion for a general election, fine get the bill through first in order to take no-deal off the table," he added.

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The Labour leader's comments were echoed by other opposition politicians - including Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson, and the leader of the Scottish National Party in the House of Commons, Ian Blackford, who both said there should be no election while no-deal remained a possibility.

Johnson threatens election

Johnson said his government would table a motion on Wednesday asking legislators to allow a snap election after MPs voted to seize control of the parliamentary agenda, suggesting a poll would be the only way to resolve Britain's Brexit impasse if he is forced to seek another delay to the UK's departure from the EU.

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

Under UK law, two-thirds of parliamentarians must sign off on holding a general election for it to take place.

MPs vote to seize control of parliament

Legislators backed a motion allowing a cross-party alliance of opposition MPs and Conservative Party rebels to take control of the parliamentary agenda.

MPs voted by 328 to 301 in favour of the proposal, with 21 Conservative legislators rallying against Johnson's administration to inflict a first House of Commons defeat on the recently-installed prime minister.

Legislators are expected to table a bill on Wednesday that, if passed, would make it unlawful for Johnson to take the UK out of the EU on October 31 without a divorce deal - unless parliament signs off on a no-deal exit first.

MPs on Tuesday voted by 328 to 301 on in favour of a motion allowing a cross-party alliance of MPs to take control of the parliamentary agenda  [UK Parliament/Roger Harris/Handout via Reuters]

Ireland to ramp up Brexit preparations

Ireland will begin a new phase of no-deal Brexit preparations on Wednesday with a call to action encouraging businesses to increase their level of preparedness, the government said after its weekly Cabinet meeting.

"The government was this evening briefed on the latest position on Brexit negotiations between the EU and UK, and in that context, noted the increasing risk of a no-deal Brexit on October 31," a government statement said.

"The government also noted that a number of exercises are planned for the coming weeks to help further refine preparations and inform the approach to emergency crisis management in the event of a no deal Brexit," it added.

EU to help firms, workers in case of no-deal: Report

The European Commission will propose financial help for EU businesses, workers and farmers if Britain crashes out of the bloc without any agreement, Reuters news agency reported, citing a document seen by the news agency.

Boris Johnson loses parliamentary majority as Brexit crisis bites

On Wednesday, the EU executive arm will propose using the European Solidarity Fund, normally used to help victims of natural disasters in the EU, to cushion the financial blow for some EU countries most exposed to trade with Britain, Reuters reported.

The Commission also wants to use the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund, created to help EU workers who lose jobs due to globalisation, to be used for those dismissed after a "no-deal" crashing out, the document seen by Reuters said.

Labour Party want election, but after no-deal ruled out

Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, told Sky News the Labour Party was desperate to hold a general election but suggested the party might vote against any move tomorrow by the government to bring forward a ballot.

Thornberry said Labour wanted to see legislation ruling out a no-deal Brexit on October 31 passed first amid fears Johnson's government could win required parliamentary support for an election to be held before the deadline for leaving the bloc, only to subsequently postpone the vote and take Britain out of the EU by default.

Anti-Brexit protesters attend a demonstration outside the Houses of parliament, in London, on Tuesday [Hannah McKay/Reuters]

'The people are our masters'

Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Leader of the House of Commons, denounced proceedings in parliament as "unconstitutional" as he rallied against legislators bid to alter the government's Brexit plan.

"The use of emergency debates is unconstitutional. And the bill itself is yet more unconstitutional," Rees-Mogg told MPs in the Commons, adding that legislators should not "challenge the people" over their decision to exit the EU.

"We should recognise that the people are our masters and show us to be their lieges and servants, not to place ourselves in the position of their overlords," he added.

Speaker approves emergency debate on Brexit

Speaker John Bercow granted approval for an emergency debate on Brexit applied for by Conservative Party MP Oliver Letwin.

UK: Alliance of rebel, opposition MPs seek to prevent 'no-deal' Brexit

The debate will last for up to three hours, Bercow said, after a requisite more than 40 MPs assented to it going ahead.

It will conclude with a vote on whether MPs can seize control of the parliamentary agenda on Wednesday, when rebel Conservative and opposition legislators hope to introduce legislation which could ultimately lead to the blocking of a no-deal Brexit on October 31.

Churchill's grandson, former minister, to vote against PM

Conservative Party MP Nicholas Soames, the grandson of Britain's World War Two leader Winston Churchill, said he would rebel against the government over its Brexit plan.

Replying to a Twitter post by former Secretary of State for International Development Rory Stewart, in which the one-time Conservative leadership candidate announced he would vote against "no-deal", Soames commented "MeToo".

#MeToo

— Nicholas Soames (@NSoames) September 3, 2019

Several high-profile Conservative MPs, including a number of former ministers, earlier announced they would vote to oppose a no-deal Brexit on October 31. Among them were former finance minister Philip Hammond and former justice minister David Gauke.

'What a way to end summer holidays'

Al Jazeera's Jonah Hull, reporting from London, said Johnson had endured a "bruising" time in parliament as MPs keen to prevent a no-deal Brexit rallied against him on their first day back in the House of Commons after a summer recess.

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"It has been a pretty extraordinary day… what a way to end the summer holidays," Hull said, referencing Conservative MP Phillip Lee's dramatic defection from the party.

Commenting on rebel and opposition MPs upcoming attempt to bring forward fresh Brexit legislation, Hull said any vote on the proposed bill was likely to be "extremely close".

"It relies on a number of Conservative Party MPs to break ranks and vote against their own government if it is to succeed … but the rebel alliance, as they call themselves, believe they have the numbers to win," he added.

'No mandate, morals, majority'

Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn attacked Johnson for trying to take Britain out of the EU without a deal despite the costs of such a move.

Addressing parliament, Corbyn said the government had "no mandate, no morals, and, as of today, no majority".

"The attack on our democracy in order to force through a disastrous no-deal Brexit is unprecedented, anti-democratic and unconstitutional," he added.

Boris Johnson's government has no mandate, no morals and, as of today, no majority. pic.twitter.com/kjbh3b1T8b

— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) September 3, 2019

No-deal can be managed, minister says

Michael Gove, the government minister in charge of preparing Britain for a no-deal Brexit, acknowledged that departing the EU without a withdrawal agreement would present significant challenges but said the risks could be mitigated.

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Gove also told MPs that many of the steps required to ensure smooth trade after Brexit were the responsibility of businesses.

Johnson slams 'surrender bill'

Johnson denounced legislation prepared by opposition MPs which could, if passed, force the British leader to request a Brexit extension from the EU until January 31, 2020.

Addressing parliament, Johnson said the bill amounted to "surrender" and would leave Britain locked in to the EU for as "long as they [the bloc's members] want and on their terms".

"I will never surrender the control of the negotiations in the way the leader of the opposition is demanding," he said, referring to Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

"Enough is enough. This country wants this done. They want the referendum respected. We are negotiating a deal and though I am confident of getting a deal we will leave on 31 October in all circumstances. There will be no further pointless delay," he added.

Opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn accused Johnson of 'attacking' the UK's democracy in a bid to 'force through a disastrous no-deal Brexit' [File: Russell Cheyne/Reuters]

No-deal Brexit would cost UK billions, UN says

Leaving the EU without a trade deal would cost Britain at least $16bn in lost exports, and would probably cost far more after indirect effects are taken into account, a report by the UN trade agency UNCTAD said.

"UNCTAD's research indicates that a no-deal Brexit will result in UK export losses of at least $16 billion, representing an approximate 7% loss of overall UK exports to the EU," the agency said.

"These losses would be much greater because of non-tariff measures, border controls and consequent disruption of existing UK-EU production networks," it added.

A no-deal #BREXIT could cost the UK billions in lost export earnings.

READ our latest analysis: https://t.co/etmiiT3Gd8 pic.twitter.com/5GtU7oSlXI

— UNCTAD (@UNCTAD) September 3, 2019

The Office for Budget Responsibility, the UK government's independent forecasting body, warned in July that a no-deal departure from the EU would shrink the British economy by two percent and plunge it into a recession.

Conservative MP defects, gov't loses majority

MP Phillip Lee defected from the Conservative Party to join the opposition Liberal Democrats, leaving Johnson's government without a working majority.

"This Conservative Government is aggressively pursuing a damaging Brexit in unprincipled ways," Lee said in a statement.

"It is putting lives and livelihoods at risk unnecessarily and it is wantonly endangering the integrity of the United Kingdom. More widely, it is undermining our country's economy, democracy and role in the world," he added, before accusing Johnson's administration of "using manipulation, bullying and lies ... in a deliberate and considered way".

After a great deal of thought, I have reached the conclusion that it is no longer possible to serve my constituents' and country's best interests as a Conservative Member of parliament. My letter to the Prime Minister: pic.twitter.com/0QreSbSdwR

— Dr Phillip Lee MP (@DrPhillipLeeMP) September 3, 2019

Read more here.

Johnson to meet Irish PM

Johnson said he would meet Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar in Dublin on Monday as part of efforts to reach a deal to leave the EU.

Addressing parliament after it returned from a summer recess, Johnson said he was making progress in talks with the EU to change an agreement negotiated by his predecessor Theresa May.

Johnson has pledged to take the UK out of the EU by October 31, with or without a divorce deal [File: Simon Dawson/Reuters]

He argued there were other ways to avoid any return to a hard border between Northern Ireland, a constituent part of the UK, and EU member Ireland than the existing withdrawal agreement's so-called "backstop" provision.

European leaders have consistently rejected calls for the safety net to be axed, however, with the bloc's lead Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier saying over the weekend that the controversial clause was the "maximum flexibility" the EU could offer.

Opposition alliance bids to avert no-deal

Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said opposition parties were "united" in working together on ways to stop Johnson from using an early election to force through a no-deal Brexit.

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"We are confident that the legislative route we have adopted has every chance of being successful, and we are working on ways in which we can prevent Boris Johnson manipulating an election to force a no-deal Brexit," Corbyn said in a statement after meeting the leaders of other opposition parties.

"Labour wants to prevent a no-deal Brexit, and to have a general election, so we can end austerity and invest in our communities. I am confident we can have both, and we've been in discussions about a way to achieve this," he added.

Court hears suspension of parliament case

Johnson was looking to suspend parliament two weeks before this month's planned shutdown was officially announced, a court was told.

The prime minister attracted controversy when he announced on August 28 he would suspend parliament from mid-September to mid-October to allow the government to announce a new legislative programme.

Political opponents, who argue it was simply a tactic to prevent them from trying to stop a no-deal Brexit, had already turned to Scotland's highest civil court to ask it to rule that it would be illegal and unconstitutional for parliament to be suspended before the EU exit date.

Critics of Johnson have accused the British PM of attempting to stage a 'coup' by suspending parliament for up to five weeks in the run-up to October 31 [Henry Nicholls/Reuters]

At a hearing, the lawyer representing more than 70 legislators told Scotland's Court of Session that two weeks before Johnson's announcement, he was sent a note from an aide asking if he wanted to prorogue, or suspend, parliament from mid-September. A tick and the word "yes" was written on the document, lawyer Aidan O'Neill said.

Johnson declined to give a sworn statement to the court setting out his reasons for shutting down parliament.

Sterling tumbles

Sterling sunk to a three-year low below $1.20 as Johnson's implicit threat to legislator to back him on Brexit or face an election sent investors scrambling to dump British assets.

The pound, which has lost 20 percent of its value since Britain voted to leave the European Union in 2016, fell as low as $1.1959 before recovering.

Barring an October 2016 flash crash when sterling briefly reached $1.15, the British currency has not regularly traded at such levels since 1985, according to Refinitiv data cited by Reuters news agency.

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https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/09/brexit-latest-updates-190903131130125.html

2019-09-04 07:46:00Z
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All eyes on parliament as UK faces pivotal day on Brexit - Aljazeera.com

The United Kingdom's Parliament is set for a heated showdown, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson facing a rebellion by members of his own party and the chance of a snap election to resolve a three-year deadlock over Brexit appearing to increase.

As MPs return from summer recess on Tuesday, rebel and opposition legislators are aiming to seize control of the parliamentary agenda and introduce a bill to prevent the UK crashing out of the European Union on October 31 without a divorce agreement, or no-deal Brexit.

Phillip Hammond, a former finance minister and a member of Johnson's ruling Conservative party, told BBC Radio those opposed to a no-deal Brexit have the numbers to force the government's hand.

"I think there will be enough people to get this over the line," he said.

"I think there's a group of Conservatives who feel very strongly that now is a time where we have to put the national interest ahead of any threats to us personally or to our careers." 

Brexit crisis deepens as Tory rebellion mounts (3:10)

According to the BBC, the bill will force the prime minister to ask for Brexit to be delayed until January 31, 2020, unless legislators had approved a new deal, or voted in favour of a no-deal exit by October 19.

But if it passes, Johnson may call a snap election for October 14, according to media reports.

Al Jazeera'a Laurence Lee, reporting from London, said the vote "is going to be very, very close".

"Despite all the pressure the government has been putting on conservative MPs, including threats they will be kicked out of the party, it is still thought there are sufficient numbers who are so sure that a no-deal Brexit would be catastrophic for the country that they are prepared to vote against their own government."

'No ifs or buts'

About 20 Conservative legislators are preparing to rebel, according to British media, and party whips have told them they could be expelled from the party and banned from standing for the Conservatives at the next election. 

Legislators opposed to a no-deal Brexit do not have much time, as Johnson has controversially decided to suspend parliament next week for more than a month, in a move critics say is aimed at blunting opposition to a no-deal departure. 

Johnson won a race for the leadership of Conservative party in July, becoming by default the country's prime minister following the resignation of his predecessor, Theresa May. 

"I want everybody to know - there are no circumstances in which I will ask Brussels to delay. We are leaving on the 31st of October, no ifs or buts," Johnson said at a hastily arranged press conference on Monday. 

"I don't want an election. You don't want an election. Let's get on with the people's agenda," he added.

An election would thrust Brexit onto an uncertain path with three main options: a Brexit-supporting government under Johnson, a Labour government led by leader Jeremy Corbyn, or a hung parliament that could lead to another referendum - In the June 23, 2016 plebiscite, 17.4 million voters, or 51.9 percent, backed leaving the EU while 16.1 million, or 48.1 percent, supported staying.

Johnson was elected by members of the Conservative party campaigning on a "do-or-die" pledge to deliver Brexit, while also promising to renegotiate May's withdrawal deal with the  European Union.

The bloc, however, is adamant it will not renegotiate the agreement struck with his predecessor.

A no-deal Brexit is considered dangerous because it will sever decades of seamless trade with the single market of 500 million, with many experts predicting a no-deal Brexit could tip the UK's economy into a recession. But Johnson insists the potential for leaving without a deal must remain as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the EU.

Amid the uncertainty, the pound sterling fell as low as $1.1960 on Tuesday, down about a cent on the day before, stabilising around $1.1990.

That was its lowest level since a "flash crash" in October 2016, when uncertainty after the Brexit vote was particularly high.

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https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/09/eyes-parliament-uk-faces-pivotal-day-brexit-190903094506262.html

2019-09-03 10:33:00Z
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UK former minister Gauke says will vote to block no-deal Brexit:... - Reuters

FILE PHOTO: David Gauke, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, is seen outside Downing Street in London, Britain July 23, 2019. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls

(Reuters) - Britain’s former justice minister David Gauke said in a newspaper column that he intends to vote against his party on Tuesday, when lawmakers opposed to a no-deal Brexit are seeking to take control of parliamentary time to force a delay.

British conservative Members of Parliament have been warned that their party whip would be withdrawn if they attempt to block a no-deal Brexit, effectively meaning that they would be expelled from the party.

“The national interest must come first. Leaving the EU without a deal on October 31 would damage our prosperity, security and risk the integrity of the United Kingdom,” Gauke wrote in The Times.

“Today I will vote against my party’s whip for the first time in over 14 years as a member of parliament,” he wrote.

Reporting by Aishwarya Nair in Bengaluru, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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2019-09-02 23:37:00Z
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