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Minggu, 31 Maret 2019

Brexit in meltdown - Theresa May under pressure to forge softer divorce deal - Reuters

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s exit from the European Union was in disarray after the implosion of Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit strategy left her under pressure from rival factions to leave without a deal, go for an election or forge a much softer divorce.

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May speaks in the Parliament in London, Britain, March 29, 2019 in this screen grab taken from video. Reuters TV via REUTERS

After one of the most tumultuous weeks in British politics since the 2016 referendum, it was still uncertain how, when or even if the United Kingdom will ever leave the bloc it first joined 46 years ago.

A third defeat of May’s divorce deal, after her pledge to quit if it was passed, left one of the weakest leaders in a generation grappling with a perilous crisis over Brexit, the United Kingdom’s most significant move since World War Two.

Parliament will vote on different Brexit options on Monday and then May could try one last roll of the dice by bringing her deal back to a vote in parliament as soon as Tuesday.

“There are no ideal choices available and there are very good arguments against any possible outcome at the moment but we are going to have to do something,” said Justice Secretary David Gauke, who voted in the 2016 referendum to stay in the EU.

“The prime minister is reflecting on what the options are, and is considering what may happen but I don’t think any decisions have been made,” he told BBC TV.

Many in May’s party, though, have lost patience. The Sun newspaper reported that 170 of her 314 Conservative lawmakers had sent her a letter demanding that Brexit take place in the next few months - deal or no deal.

The United Kingdom was due to leave the EU on March 29 but the political deadlock in London forced May to ask the bloc for a delay. Currently, Brexit is due to take place at 2200 GMT on April 12 unless May comes up with another option.

“IT IS A MESS”

The labyrinthine Brexit crisis has left the United Kingdom divided: supporters of both Brexit and EU membership marched through London last week. Many on both sides feel betrayed by a political elite that has failed to show leadership.

Parliament is due to vote at around 1900 GMT on Monday on a range of alternative Brexit options selected by Speaker John Bercow from nine proposals put forward by lawmakers, including a no-deal exit, preventing a no-deal exit, a customs union, or a second referendum.

“We are clearly going to have to consider very carefully the will of parliament,” Gauke said.

With no majority yet in the House of Commons for any of the Brexit options, there was speculation that an election could be called, though such a vote would be unpredictable and it is unclear who would lead the Conservatives into it.

The Sunday Times said May’s media chief, Robbie Gibb, and her political aide Stephen Parkinson were pushing for an election against the will of her chief enforcer in parliament, Julian Smith.

The Conservative Party’s deputy chair, James Cleverly, said it was not planning for an election. But the deputy leader of the opposition Labour Party, Tom Watson, said his party was on election footing.

Labour’s foreign affairs spokeswoman, Emily Thornberry, said it could try to call a vote of no confidence in May’s government.

Slideshow (7 Images)

“We don’t know if she is going to remain prime minister, if we are going to get somebody else, who that other person is going to be - it is a mess,” Thornberry said.

Opponents of Brexit fear it will make Britain poorer and divide the West as it grapples with both the unconventional U.S. presidency of Donald Trump and growing assertiveness from Russia and China.

Supporters of Brexit say while the divorce might bring some short-term instability, in the longer term it will allow the United Kingdom to thrive if cut free from what they cast as a doomed attempt in European unity.

Reporting by Kylie MacLellan and Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-eu/brexit-in-meltdown-theresa-may-under-pressure-to-forge-softer-divorce-deal-idUSKCN1RC0EE

2019-03-31 11:38:00Z
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Dismay after Trump moves to cut aid to Central America - BBC News

US opposition politicians and aid agencies have questioned a decision by President Donald Trump to cut off aid to three Central American states.

Mr Trump ordered the suspension of aid payments to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras to push their governments to stop migration into the US.

Critics say the decision will hurt programmes that already aim to persuade people to stay at home.

Congress may seek to stop the aid being redirected elsewhere.

US officials say the immigration system at the border with Mexico is already at breaking point yet the administration wants to increase the number of asylum seekers sent back over the border fivefold - from 60 a day to 300.

There has been a huge increase in asylum seekers fleeing violence in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. The three nations are where most of the migrants on the US southern border come from.

President Trump has also said he is likely to close the border if Mexico does not do more to stop migrants crossing.

How much money is being cut?

"We are carrying out the President's direction and ending FY [fiscal year] 2017 and FY 2018 foreign assistance programs for the Northern Triangle," a state department spokesperson was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency, declining to give further details.

According to the Washington Post, at stake is nearly $500m (£383m) in 2018 funds plus millions more left over from the previous fiscal year. A Reuters source put the overall figure at about $700m.

In 2017, Guatemala received over $248m while Honduras received $175m and El Salvador $115m.

"I've ended payments to Guatemala, to Honduras and El Salvador," Mr Trump told reporters on Friday.

"No money goes there anymore... We were paying them tremendous amounts of money and we're not paying them any more because they haven't done a thing for us."

What impact could the cuts have?

Aid advocates argue that the best way to stem migration from the region is to stimulate economic development and reduce violence there, and that it is too early to judge the impact of the aid, which was boosted in 2016 under President Barack Obama.

Cutting off aid is "shooting yourself in the foot", Adriana Beltrán, director of citizen security at the Washington Office on Latin America human rights research group, was quoted as saying by the New York Times.

"There are long-term challenges that are going to need a long-term sustainable solution," she added.

"You can have a discussion as to how we can ensure that the aid is effective, that assistance is not going to supporting corrupt governments."

A group of House Democrats visiting El Salvador condemned Mr Trump's move in a joint statement, saying that Mr Trump's approach was "entirely counterproductive".

Senator Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, condemned the "reckless announcement".

Can Congress stop the cuts?

The state department said it would "engage Congress in the process", suggesting that lawmakers would need to approve the cuts.

However, according to congressional staffers quoted by the Washington Post, the US president has "some wiggle room to reprogram funds".

Adam Isaacson, a senior official at the Washington Office on Latin America, said presidents had previously shied away from reprogramming money because it irritated lawmakers who could retaliate by declining to fund key administration projects.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47764237

2019-03-31 10:30:50Z
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Britain faces calls for unity govt amid Brexit impasse - ABC News

The U.K. may be forced to create a national unity government to end the impasse over Britain leaving the European Union, as Prime Minister Theresa May clings to the Brexit divorce agreement that Parliament has rejected three times, a senior Conservative suggested Saturday.

Former Education Secretary Nicky Morgan's comments came a day after the House of Commons rebuffed the prime minister's call for lawmakers to "put aside self and party," sending her Brexit deal to its latest defeat. The rejection leaves the U.K. facing the stark prospect of a chaotic departure from the EU in just two weeks — unless squabbling politicians can put aside their differences and engineer a long delay in the process of leaving the bloc.

The British Parliament will vote Monday on a variety of Brexit alternatives in an attempt to find an idea that can command a majority. But May's government is considering a fourth vote on her deal, bolstered by their success in narrowing her margin of defeat to 58 votes Friday from 230 votes in January.

"If the government refused and Theresa May felt she could not implement what Parliament had identified as a way of leaving the EU, then I think we would have to think very hard about whether a cross-party coalition ... could do that in order to make sure that the U.K. does leave the EU in an orderly fashion," Morgan told the BBC.

Britain has in the past had national unity governments in times of national crisis, such as World War II. But critics point out that such coalitions were forged when there was a single goal — such as defeating Nazi Germany. It is unclear now how Britain's political parties would agree to cooperate on an issue like Brexit, which has split the country and its two major political parties, May's ruling Conservatives and the opposition Labour Party.

As a result of Friday's vote, the U.K. is now scheduled to leave the EU on April 12, regardless of whether the two sides have reached an agreement to cushion the impact. That has led to concerns about crippling tariffs, border gridlock and shortages of food and medicines.

EU officials have suggested, however, they may agree to a lengthy delay to Britain's departure from the bloc if U.K. politicians agree on a plan.

The House of Commons on Wednesday began the process of debating alternatives to the prime minister's deal but rejected all eight proposals they considered. Two ideas, a customs union with the EU and a second referendum on any deal, achieved significant support. Lawmakers are expected to hold a second round of votes Monday on Brexit proposals.

Hilary Benn, a Labour Party lawmaker who chairs Parliament's Brexit committee, dismissed criticism that the parliamentary process was a failure because it didn't deliver a majority in the first round of voting. Benn said he hopes the latest defeat for May's deal will "concentrate minds" and help build a clear majority for one of the Brexit options.

"Since it took 2 3/4 years for the government to get what it had negotiated defeated three times, it's a little bit harsh on Parliament, when it started the process last Wednesday, for not having immediately solved the problem in 24 hours," Benn said. "So I think a little bit more time is a perfectly reasonable thing to provide as we try and find a way forward."

While Benn and Morgan are pushing for compromise, others are demanding that the Conservative-led government not cave in.

Some hard-line Conservative Party lawmakers have written to May insisting that she not agree to a Brexit extension beyond May 22, which would force the U.K. to take part in the May 23-26 European Parliament elections, The Sun newspaper reported. The letter, signed by 170 members of the prime minister's party, called on May to bring her deal back to Parliament for a fourth vote, with the threat of a general election if it is rejected again, the newspaper said.

Brandon Lewis, a Cabinet member and chairman of the Conservative Party, said he was aware of the letter, though he had not seen the final text or the signatures.

"We should be doing everything we can to leave the European Union in good order as quickly as we can, as we said in our manifesto and as we've said to Parliament," Lewis said. "I think the deal is the right way to do that."

———

Follow AP's full coverage of Brexit at: https://www.apnews.com/Brexit

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https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/britain-faces-calls-unity-govt-amid-brexit-impasse-62057802

2019-03-31 08:09:12Z
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Brexit: Theresa May considers next step to break deadlock - BBC News

The prime minister is continuing to consider her next move to break the Brexit deadlock following the latest defeat of her withdrawal plan.

Senior government sources say the "ambition" is still to get Theresa May's deal through the Commons.

But MPs will again vote on alternatives on Monday, with a customs union with the EU thought to be MPs' most likely preferred option.

Some senior Brexiteers have warned Mrs May against pursuing such a move.

The prime minister has until 12 April to seek a longer extension to avoid the UK leaving without a deal.

Mrs May said the UK would need "an alternative way forward" after her plan was defeated by 58 votes on Friday, following earlier defeats by 230 and 149 votes.

The government has so far failed to win over 34 Conservative rebels, including both Remainers and Brexiteers who say Mrs May's deal still leaves the UK too closely aligned to Europe.

Northern Ireland's DUP - which the government relies on for support in votes in the House of Commons - also continues to oppose the deal.

But a No 10 source indicated the prime minister would continue to seek support for her Brexit deal in the Commons and insisted efforts were "going in the right direction".

BBC political correspondent Alex Forsyth described the cabinet as "deeply divided" over what steps to take next.

Tory Brexiteer Steve Baker, who resigned as a Brexit minister over the PM's handling of negotiations, wrote in the Sunday Telegraph that Mrs May's deal "cannot be allowed to go through at any cost".

He also said the Conservative Party could split if the prime minister pursued a customs union with the EU as "it would amount to a reversal of the referendum result".

This is one of the options which could be considered by MPs from all parties during a second round of "indicative votes" on Monday.

The customs union allows businesses to move goods around the EU without checks or charges. Continued membership would bar the UK from striking independent trade deals after Brexit.

None of MPs' eight proposed Brexit options secured a majority in the first set of indicative votes on 27 March, but those which received the most votes were a customs union with the EU and a referendum on any deal.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said his party would propose a deal that involved a customs union with the EU - to protect the issue of avoiding a hard border in Northern Ireland.

Leading Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg told the Sunday Telegraph that the party needs to be led by "someone who has always supported Brexit".

He wrote: "Now is the opportunity for the Tories to move from the current government's position of ameliorating a bad idea that, at its highest level, it never believed in, to one that embraces it."

Meanwhile, a number of senior MPs tipped as future Tory leaders have articles and interviews in the Sunday papers setting out their party policy aims.

Dominic Raab, who quit the cabinet in protest at Mrs May's handling of Brexit, has laid out how he would go about dealing with knife crime in the Sunday Telegraph.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Liz Truss, has called for the Tories to "modernise" in a wide-ranging interview in the Sunday Times.

She also picked out cutting stamp duty for young home buyers and taxes for businesses as key policies.

Former cabinet minister Justine Greening said she "might" run for the Tory leadership.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, the Remain campaigner said the party needed a leader for the "2020s, not the 1920s" that is able to "connect with people".

What happens next?

Monday, 1 April: MPs hold another set of votes on various Brexit options to see if they can agree on a way forward
Wednesday, 3 April: Potentially another round of so-called "indicative votes"
Wednesday, 10 April: Emergency summit of EU leaders to consider any UK request for further extension
Friday, 12 April: Brexit day, if UK does not seek/EU does not grant further delay
23-26 May: European Parliamentary elections

If Mrs May wants to hold another vote on her Brexit deal in Parliament, it has to comply with Commons Speaker John Bercow's ruling that it can only be brought back with "substantial" changes.

This is why the government separated the withdrawal agreement from the political declaration - on the future relationship with the EU - for Friday's vote.

The withdrawal agreement is the part of the Brexit deal Mrs May struck with Brussels which sets out how much money the UK must pay to the EU as a settlement, details of the transition period, and the Irish backstop arrangements.

Following Friday's vote, Mrs May said there would be "grave" implications of rejecting the deal and warned they were "reaching the limits of this process in this House".

Her comments led some to speculate the PM could try to call a general election.

However, Foreign Office minister Sir Alan Duncan told The Observer: "If we have a general election before Brexit is resolved, it will only make things worse."

Under the terms of the Fixed Term Parliaments Act, the prime minister needs a two-thirds majority in order to call an election.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47763494

2019-03-31 04:24:09Z
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Sabtu, 30 Maret 2019

Zuzana Caputova becomes Slovakia's first female president - BBC News

Anti-corruption candidate Zuzana Caputova has won Slovakia's presidential election, making her the country's first female head of state.

Ms Caputova, who has almost no political experience, defeated high-profile diplomat Maros Sefcovic from the governing party in a second round run-off vote.

She framed the election as a struggle between good and evil.

The election follows the murder of an investigative journalist last year.

Jan Kuciak was looking into links between politicians and organised crime when he was shot alongside his fiancée in February 2018.

Ms Caputova cited Mr Kuciak's death as one of the reasons she decided to run for president, which is a largely ceremonial role.

With almost all votes counted, she has won about 58% to Mr Sefcovic's 42%.

She gained prominence as a lawyer, when she led a case against an illegal landfill lasting 14 years.

Aged 45, a divorcee and mother of two, she is a member of the liberal Progressive Slovakia party, which has no seats in parliament.

In a country where same-sex marriage and adoption is not yet legal, her liberal views promote LGBTQ+ rights.

The opponent she defeated, Mr Sefcovic, is vice president of the European Commission.

He was nominated by the ruling Smer-SD party, which is led by Robert Fico, who was forced to resign as prime minister following the Kuciak murder.

In the first voting round, Ms Caputova won 40% of the vote, with Mr Sefcovic gaining less than 19%.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-47756368

2019-03-31 02:56:11Z
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