Tag: Brexit

I’m seriously confused (Danni, US) Brexit is the process of the UK leaving the EU, which it narrowly voted in favour of in a referendum in June 2016. The process is governed by article 50 of the EU’s Treaty of Lisbon and is happening in two stages: first, the two sides negotiate their divorce deal (the “withdrawal agreement”), and after this they will sort out their future trading relationship. In theory, the post-Brexit trading arrangements between the EU and the UK will avoid a “hard” border, but they could take years to negotiate so the EU has insisted on a “backstop” guaranteeing the absence of a hard border until those arrangements are in place. The backstop leaves the whole of the UK in a customs union with the EU “unless and until” the EU agrees it can leave. Brexiters do not like this at all. This now looks quite likely, but it may only last for a few months because a new European parliament is sworn in in July and EU rules require all member states to be represented – a problem if the UK is still a member. Why does Jeremy Corbyn think he can negotiate a different or better deal with the EU than Theresa May? Other than that, hardly any of the 68 trade deals from which the UK benefits as an EU member, and which it said it would have replicated by the time of departure, are near, and none will be ready by 29 March, according to the FT. Brexiters talk about “trading on WTO terms” as if it is what the world does, but it does not: it may trade under WTO rules, but all 164 members of the WTO have also agreed bilateral or regional trade deals that allow them to trade on much better terms than the WTO baselines. No sensible nation would leave the world’s largest single market, the EU, to trade with it on WTO terms, as would happen in the event of no deal. (Remo Casale, New Zealand; Georg Beck, Germany) In order: By the British government softening its red lines to allow it to arrive at a form of Brexit that is acceptable to both the EU27 and the UK parliament – something it should have done a long time ago – or, possibly, by holding a second referendum.

British Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plan went down to an historic defeat in Parliament on Tuesday. Members of Parliament belonging to May's Conservative Party feared that if they voted down her government, it would trigger a general election and open the door to Jeremy Corbyn and his opposition Labour Party taking control of the government. If she can find consensus, she could go back to Brussels and ask for concessions, one of which would likely focus on resolution of a major sticking point in Brexit negotiations — the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. Although May insists she won't, she could try to let the clock wind down toward the March 29 deadline to leave the European Union and use the threat of a no-deal Brexit — a prospect most Britons dread because of the economic disruption it would likely cause — to force Parliament to pass a version of her plan. But that would enrage hard-line Brexiteers in her own party and would require support from other parties in Parliament. In short, the prime minister has no good options — only bad and worse. The EU is not happy that Britain's prime minister can't get the Brexit deal — on which both the EU and U.K. agreed — through her own Parliament. Still, Brussels does not want a no-deal Brexit because it would hurt EU economies. The EU and May's government have agreed to what they call temporary arrangements to avoid a "hard" border, at least until the two sides can reach a final agreement. What is the possibility of a second referendum?

Likely support in Commons: little more than the 202 seen on Tuesday if May secures no real changes. Quick guide Brexit and backstops: an explainer A backstop is required to ensure there is no hard border in Ireland if a comprehensive free trade deal cannot be signed before the end of 2020. As a result, the EU insists on having its own backstop - the backstop to the backstop - which would mean Northern Ireland would remain in the single market and customs union in the absence of a free trade deal, prompting fierce objections from Conservative hard Brexiters and the DUP, which props up her government. Under the plan the UK would have to join Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland in the European Free Trade Association (Efta), which would then allow it to participate in the European Economic Area (EEA). The ‘plus’ in this option refers to a temporary customs union with the EU, which would need to be negotiated to avoid a hard border ion the island of Ireland. The temporary arrangement would remain in place until the EU and UK agreed a specific trade deal. Labour, the main proponent of the idea, says it would help businesses with supply chains and solve the Irish border issue. May argues that it goes against the referendum result as it would preclude the UK signing its own trade deals. Likely support in Commons: most of Labour’s 256 MPs would back this in a whipped vote. What is a customs union and why does it matter?

More than 170 business leaders, including Terence Conran and Norman Foster, have thrown their weight behind the campaign for a second referendum on Brexit. In a step designed to indicate growing support for a “people’s vote” after Theresa May suffered the heaviest parliamentary defeat in the modern era over her Brexit plan, the letter due to be published in the Times on Thursday asks both main party leaders in Westminster to support a second referendum. The architect Sir David Chipperfield and the noble laureate and research scientist Paul Nurse were also among new names on the list of supporters. The figures from business, together representing more than £100bn in annual contributions to the UK economy, warned that a bad Brexit deal or Britain leaving without any deal at all could damage the economy. While admitting that many business leaders had initially backed May’s deal, even though they believed it was far from perfect, the group stated that the priority after the prime minister’s defeat in parliament was to stop a “chaotic crash-out from the EU”. With the clock now ticking rapidly before we are due to quit, politicians must not waste any more time on fantasies. The prime minister has said she will speak to senior MPs to find a compromise deal, while Corbyn is pushing for a general election. The warning comes after the CBI lobby group suggested that the UK resembles a “supertanker heading for the rocks” after the dismissal of May’s Brexit plan, saying the country would not be saved unless factions in the Conservative party drop their “red lines” for a deal. It also comes after Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of England, said the financial markets were indicating that a delay to Britain’s exit from the EU could be possible after the prime minister’s crushing defeat. The pound bounced back against the dollar on Tuesday night amid optimism that article 50 would be prolonged and that the prospect of a disorderly severance from Brussels had receded.

U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May makes a statement after a victory confidence vote in parliament. The Brexit movement faced a devastating setback after May's deal failed to pass parliament by a historic 230 vote margin. FOX News Channel (FNC) is…

House of Commons expressed confidence in the government by 325 votes to 306; reaction and analysis from Dan Henninger, deputy editorial page editor for the Wall Street Journal, and Peter McMahon, CEO of Greensleeve Surgical. #TheDailyBriefing #DanaPerino #FoxNews FOX News…

Watch Live: The British Parliament debates no-confidence motion. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plan was rejected. May faces a no-confidence expected at 2 pm ET. Watch more here: https://youtu.be/6-dEBM0c9u8 FOX News Channel (FNC) is a 24-hour all-encompassing news…

Conservative MPs are concerned for the mental health of Prime Minister Theresa May after she was found obsessively typing ‘All work and no Brexit makes Theresa a dull girl.’ Theresa was found in her office, with hundreds of stacks of the same line hand-typed over and over. ‘And she had that thousand-yard stare too. Like she was about to go “Full Metal Jacket”. It was the scariest thing I’ve seen in my political career other than Boris Johnson’s nip slip last summer,’ said one anonymous Conservative MP. The mental breakdown comes on the back of May suffering the largest parliamentary defeat of any prime minister in modern time over her proposed Brexit deal. Despite the worrying behaviour, the PM is back in the House of Commons today. She has been overheard muttering to herself her intentions to ‘correct’ the MPs who voted against her. Theresa has been praised for her resilience, with one Conservative MP calling her a ‘shining example of a selfless leader.’

“Brextinct”, is its headline and they have pasted May’s face onto a dodo. Presumably the headline intends to speak to the prime minister’s tenure as much as her deal. The Sun (@TheSun) Tomorrow's front page: Theresa May's EU deal is dead after she suffered the largest Commons defeat in history https://t.co/v42ielZThE pic.twitter.com/T7o7VoQKgS January 15, 2019 The Guardian features a rare picture of the No lobby, which is packed with MPs walking through it to vote against May’s Brexit deal. The headline is “May suffers historic defeat as Tories turn against her” and the paper paints a picture of how the remarkable day unfolded, saying: “On a day of extraordinary drama at Westminster, the House of Commons delivered a devastating verdict on May’s deal, voting against it by 432 to 202. The scale of the defeat, by a majority of 230, was unprecedented in the modern parliamentary era and saw ardent Brexiters such as Jacob Rees-Mogg and Boris Johnson walk through a packed division lobby cheek-by-jowl with passionate remainers.” (@guardian) The Guardian front page, Wednesday 16 January 2019: May suffers historic defeat as Tories turn against her pic.twitter.com/CFcSyQeL4k January 15, 2019 The Daily Mirror focuses on the no-confidence motion launched by Jeremy Corbyn, with the splash: “No deal, no hope, no clue, no confidence.” Allie Hodgkins-Brown (@AllieHBNews) Wednesday’s Daily MIRROR: “No deal.. No hope.. No clue.. No confidence “ #bbcpapers #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/Lf5tUGh3jU January 15, 2019 “A complete humiliation,” says the Telegraph, which reports her Brexit deal has “turned to dust”. (@Telegraph) The front page of tomorrow's Daily Telegraph 'A complete humiliation' #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/KiMQDCy2Xa January 15, 2019 “May suffers historic defeat,” is the Times’ headline. But the paper, which is pro-Brexit, is not angry with May, whom the paper says “valiantly fought for her deal”. Now it’s time for the MPs to do their duty and work with Theresa May for a deal that satisfies the 17.4m who voted Brexit … Don’t fail us!” (@Daily_Express) After a day of Brexit chaos, here's tomorrow's Daily Express front page. pic.twitter.com/NknHcyHzYQ January 15, 2019 Even the Daily Mail, which is usually incredibly supportive of the prime minister, can only muster: “Fighting for her life”. Another defeat could trigger an election and put Jeremy Corbyn in Downing Street.” Allie Hodgkins-Brown (@AllieHBNews) Wednesday’s Daily MAIL: “Fighting For Her Life” #bbcpapers #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/1UNiCOj8dC January 15, 2019 The Financial Times’ headline is “May’s Brexit deal crushed by Commons” and its story tries to convey the scale of the defeat, saying “Theresa May’s Brexit deal, the product of two years of torturous negotiations in Brussels, was last night overwhelmingly rejected by the House of Commons.” (@FinancialTimes) Just published: front page of the Financial Times, UK edition, Wednesday 16 January https://t.co/UOUnhWap6i pic.twitter.com/xYLndUCO3H January 15, 2019 The i calls the day’s events a “historic humiliation”, pointing out that Tory backbenchers voted “six to one against her Brexit deal” and the Scotsman runs the simple headline “Crushed”.

NBC's Bill Neely breaks down Parliament's overwhelming rejection of Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plan. » Subscribe to MSNBC: http://on.msnbc.com/SubscribeTomsnbc About: MSNBC is the premier destination for in-depth analysis of daily headlines, insightful political commentary and informed perspectives. Reaching more…