Evaluation of UK’s international obligations
Theresa May’s commitment to protecting press freedoms abroad has been thrown into doubt after it emerged the Government is continuing to sell spyware to repressive regimes.
UK’s post-Brexit relationship with the EU
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson is to say that Brexit gives Britain the chance to increase its military standing around the world and ‘enhance our lethality’.
Three former Tory Cabinet Ministers – Owen Paterson, Iain Duncan Smith and Nicky Morgan – have warned Theresa May that the Irish backstop needs more than “tweaks” if her Brexit deal is to get through Parliament.
Former Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O’Donnell has warned that Britain is ‘not ready to leave’ the EU and must seek an extension to the Article 50 process.
Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage has said he is ‘ready for battle’ on Brexit after his new political party got the green light from electoral watchdogs.
Labour is to launch a fresh bid to stop Theresa May ‘running down the clock’ on Brexit by forcing her to hold a second meaningful vote on her deal before the end of February. Meanwhile the Prime Minister has responded to Jeremy Corbyn’s letter offering Labour support for a Brexit deal if she agrees a string of changes. Rory Stewart has said the Mrs May has rejected Jeremy Corbyn’s Brexit plan of a customs union but insisted her letter to the Labour leader showed there was ‘a lot of common ground’ between the parties.
Michel Barnier has said ‘something has to give’ on the British side of the negotiations if the Brexit impasse is to be broken. Despite this insistence, Theresa May hopes to convince the House of Commons to give her another fortnight’s grace to keep pushing for changes to the Irish backstop, promising to return to update MPs on 26th February.
The Brexit secretary has played down a report that Theresa May could force MPs to choose between backing her deal or accepting a delay to EU withdrawal following an ITV reporter overhearing negotiator Olly Robbins warn MPs the choice is May’s deal or extension.
Tabling an amendment to the Prime Minister’s Brexit plan which would force the Government to hold a fresh meaningful vote on her deal by the end of February, Jeremy Corbyn has unveiled a fresh bid to stop Theresa May ‘running down the clock’. However, the Labour leader faces up to ten resignations from the Labour frontbench if he fails to throw his party’s weight behind a fresh attempt to force Theresa May to submit her Brexit deal to a referendum in a fortnight’s time.
Theresa May is braced for a fresh Commons defeat on her Brexit strategy. She was indeed defeated by 303 to 258 votes including 41 Labour votes in defiance of their whip. PoliticsHome reports that this leads to it being more likely that there will be a no deal Brexit and the Financial Times has reported that this defeat will cause more problems for Theresa May’s strategy.
According to the Huffington Post, Yvette Cooper is to table another amendment to avoid a no deal Brexit and enable art 50 to be extended.
Mark Sedwill, cabinet secretary and chief civil servant to Theresa May, has stated that his role is being permanently merged with that of national security advisor to help ‘make a success of Brexit’.
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