Tag: Pressure

No 10 is feeling the pressure to pull the plug on Brexit talks with Labour and move to an alternative plan, amid warnings that the opposition is in no hurry for a deal before the European elections. Ken Clarke: ‘Brexit is like a parody version of student politics’ Read more However, government sources acknowledge Theresa May is under much greater time pressure than Labour, which has little incentive to do a deal before the European and local elections that are likely to result in the Conservatives suffering heavy losses to Nigel Farage’s Brexit party. Ministers and their opposition counterparts are taking part in working groups on some issues this week, but there will be no discussion before Easter on the big issues of a customs union or a confirmatory referendum, making it easy for Labour to reject the prime minister’s overtures so far. The government’s alternative plan is for MPs to thrash out an acceptable version of May’s deal through a series of votes or by amending the withdrawal bill, but experts said there was barely enough time to do this in the five weeks before the European elections. Nikki da Costa, formerly the legislative affairs director in No 10, suggested getting the withdrawal bill passed by 22 May would “require a level of legislative aggression from government not seen in this parliament”. There is also concern in No 10 that Labour may not get behind the plan to let MPs amend the withdrawal bill to find a way forward. “We don’t know if they are going to work and it may be that we need to find a way to rebuild the Conservative-DUP coalition,” Hunt said. One Conservative MEP told the Guardian that it was “cloud cuckoo land” to think European elections can be avoided at this stage. Conservative party officials are privately acknowledging the party will lose around half of their MEPs. A Tory party source said: “As is usual, Conservative candidates are expected to represent the Conservative party.”

Theresa May is facing intense cabinet pressure to avoid the prospect of a long Brexit delay, amid increasing expectations that last ditch cross-party talks on a compromise departure plan will not produce anything concrete. Before a crucial EU summit later this week, the prime minister is facing a fast-diminishing range of options that could split the Conservative party and prompt a mass cabinet walkout, or could result in the UK crashing out of the EU without a deal on Friday. Under the terms of the previous brief extension agreed with the EU, if Brussels does not agree another delay, a no-deal Brexit will happen on Friday. Alexandre Holroyd, an MP from Macron’s En Marche party whose brief covers Brexit, told the BBC that this should come with conditions, for example, the UK should have no say on the next EU budget. They said: “A long, non-flexible extension would come with EU elections as well, which is another red line for lots of the Conservative party. The shadow business secretary, Rebecca Long-Bailey, who was among the Labour delegation, said on Sunday that while the mood of the talks had been positive, there was as yet no sign on where May might budge, particularly Labour’s key demand for a post-Brexit customs union with the EU. Adding to the sense of drift, Leadsom indicated that it was up to Labour to accept the customs arrangement already in May’s rejected deal, and that she and other Brexiter members of May’s ministerial team could not accept a full customs union. “There are various different types of arrangements, and those discussions are still ongoing,” Leadsom said, calling May’s existing customs plan “an excellent proposal”. “My expectation – and I’m not party to the discussions – is that the prime minister will only seek to agree those things that still constitute Brexit.” What does seem clear is that May’s options are closing in, with her deal conceded as lost, and a backbench bill led by the Labour MP Yvette Cooper mandating the PM to avoid a no-deal departure is expected to become law late on Monday, after finishing its progress through the Lords. Another source said the plot for the Brussels summit seemed clear: “I expect she’ll have a pretty bruising time and then walk away with a long extension.”

Aa Aa Brexit prerequisite European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker rejected Prime Minister Theresa May's request for a short Brexit delay on Wednesday. May had asked the European Union for an additional extension for her Brexit plan on Monday night. With the UK scheduled to leave the European Union on April 12, this dismissal from Juncker places additional pressure on the UK prime minister. 'Unwavering ally' Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and German Chancellor Angela Merkel met in Dublin on Thursday to discuss the potential of a no-deal Brexit. The two were scheduled to discuss the latest developments between the UK and the European Union. Varadkar has described Merkel as "a strong and unwavering ally of Ireland", and said he looks forward to continuing to maintain a strong relationship with the EU member in light of Brexit pressure. Uniting the right Marine Le Pen, leader of France's far-right Rassemblement National party, is attempting to establish an alliance between nationalist parties in the European Parliament. In an interview with Euronews, Le Pen said she hopes that nationalist parties will work to protect their nations, stop unfair international competition and eliminate free trade agreements. Election projects from the EU have predicted that far-right, populist parties will gain seats in May's European elections.

Citing “substantial progress” in talks between the United States and China, Mr. Trump on Sunday evening halted plans to raise tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods at the end of this week. Mr. Trump’s optimism has cheered Wall Street and business lobbyists, who have been pushing for a quick end to the trade war. Mr. Trump has positioned his monthslong trade fight with China as necessary to win “the biggest deal” in history. “The Chinese delegation said that substantial progress was made on such specific issues as technology transfer, protection of intellectual property rights, non-tariff barriers, service industry, agriculture and exchange rates,” the statement said. “At the heart of our economic challenges with China is its shirking of market economics, so it is troubling that Donald Trump may settle for a government commitment to buy U.S. agriculture as a means to let China off the hook,” said Senator Ron Wyden, Democrat of Oregon. Senior Republicans are also concerned that the president might soften on China. “That’s called politics.” An aide to Mr. Schumer said that no invitation has been offered. Mr. Brown was one of three top Democrats — along with Mr. Schumer and Mr. Wyden — who sent a letter to Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, this month urging the administration to “stay aggressive” and ensure that China commits to verifiable, enforceable reforms. In some cases, newly empowered Democrats have become an asset to the administration’s China hawks, Mr. Lighthizer and Peter Navarro, who have been pressing Mr. Trump not to cut a modest deal and roll back tariffs to please Wall Street. Mr. Schumer has long been critical of China’s trade practices that have been harmful to the rural parts of New York State and he has been a vocal critic of China’s history of currency manipulation.

As the third government shutdown of President Donald Trump’s tenure stretched into its 19th day, political pressures on Trump and the Democrats have left little room for compromise in the standoff over funding for a border wall. Each side appeared dug in even deeper after a White House meeting between Trump and Democratic leaders on Wednesday as the economic livelihoods of some 800,000 federal workers hang in the balance. Trump’s focus now is squarely on his conservative base and its support for the wall that came to symbolize Trump’s promise for a hard-line, unrelenting approach to immigration. Falwell said he has told Trump he’s doing the right thing. Officials maintain the issue is a political winner, though they have urged the president to be more aggressive in making his case to the public — and to any wavering Republican lawmakers. Trump on Wednesday acknowledged the political pressure from within his own party not to back down. The second ones would be the House. At the same time, 86 percent of Republicans backed the proposal. Both party leaders on the Hill and the handful of presidential hopefuls starting to compete for the Democratic nomination have called on Democrats to hold strong. Republican pollster Frank Luntz suggested there would be little political price to pay for those associated with the extended government shutdown, which is just days away from becoming the longest in U.S. history — even if most Americans blame Trump and his party.

The Conservative party is coming under intense pressure to decide whether to take disciplinary action against Boris Johnson following his continued refusal to apologise for his controversial descriptions of fully veiled Muslim women. A complaint about Johnson has been lodged with Tory party chairman Brandon Lewis, who is responsible for the party’s code of conduct which says that Tory MPs and other holders of public office should “foster respect and tolerance” in their work. Lewis has to decide whether to launch disciplinary proceedings following a day of intense criticism of Johnson, largely from the liberal wing of the party, after he used a column in the Telegraph to compare fully veiled women to “letterboxes” and “bank robbers”. MP Dominic Grieve said the former foreign secretary was “not a fit and proper person” to lead the party and said he would quit the Tories if Johnson was elected leader. Writing in the Guardian, Baroness Warsi said his language had made “hate crime more likely”. Lewis had personally asked him on Tuesday to apologise but Johnson, who is on holiday, has refused to do so. The prime minister urged him to apologise and said she agreed with Lewis that Johnson should say sorry for his remarks, which she acknowledged had caused offence in the Muslim community. Friends of Johnson claimed that the row was politically motivated, and that other MPs, including the former chancellor Ken Clarke, had made similar remarks comparing the burqa to a bag without similar reproach. Warsi accused Johnson of making “hate crime more likely” with indefensible “dog whistle” references to Muslim women. One cabinet minister, Jeremy Wright, said Johnson should have chosen his language more carefully and that he was “sure on reflection” that he would want to reconsider the language he had used.

The ACT’s climate change minister, Shane Rattenbury, says the territory is under intense pressure to “succumb to the politics” of reaching agreement on the national energy guarantee, even though it doubts the change is in the national interest. Read more “I think this is the great dilemma for the ACT,” Rattenbury told a forum at the Australian National University. “We think there are significant policy issues still to be addressed but we have to survive the politics.” “There’s a strong argument being put that it’s in the national interest for us to deliver an outcome on this.” Rattenbury said the ACT’s decision about whether to support or torpedo the Neg would be a cabinet decision, not a decision he took unilaterally as the relevant portfolio minister. Rattenbury is in an unusual position because he is a Greens MP in a Labor government. Rattenbury said because “people have sought to make some degree of political mischief and legitimise the ACT government’s position” he had taken the decision the territory government needed to own the final position. “I’ll be perfectly blunt about that – I’ve taken the politically rational decision that this will be a cabinet decision, not my decision.” As the decision on the Neg moves to crunch point, Victoria and Queensland have both expressed concerns about having to make a final determination before all the Coalition party-room processes are exhausted in Canberra. Some Turnbull government MPs have flagged crossing the floor. The ACT, Victoria and Queensland all say the Neg’s emissions reduction target of 26% below 2005 levels by 2030 is too low, but internal opposition within the Turnbull government constrains the commonwealth’s ability to offer an alternative at Coag with higher ambition. In an effort to keep the states at the table, the energy minister, Josh Frydenberg, has offered state ministers a 2024 review of the Neg’s emissions reduction target, and a two-step process before sign-off. The process the commonwealth envisages is in-principle agreement at the first meeting, with final agreement conditional on the states having no concerns on 14 August.

US companies are distancing themselves from the National Rifle Association as the gun lobby comes under increasing pressure following the mass shooting in Florida last week. The car rental firm had offered discounts to NRA members. The move came after Best Western and Wyndham Hotels, which had offered discounts to NRA members, confirmed they had cut ties with the group after a social media campaign using the hashtag #BoycottNRA targeted them and others. Insurer Chubb has also dropped cover for NRA Carry Guard insurance, which insures gun owners for legal and other costs if they shoot someone and claim self-defense. Pressure group Everytown for Gun Safety, which has been pressing for Chubb to end the coverage for months, applauded the move. On Friday, one of the survivors of the shooting, 17-year-old David Hogg, who has become a powerful voice in the push for stricter gun laws, joined the debate and urged FedEx to stop its relationship with the NRA. Wyndham “is no longer affiliated with the NRA”, the hotel group said on Twitter. In an email to the Guardian, the chain said it ended its relationship “late last year”. Best Western, which has recently offered perks to NRA members, tweeted that it “does not have an affiliation with and is not a corporate partner of the National Rifle Association”. Other companies that have announced they have severed ties include Enterprise Rent–A–Car, which owns Enterprise, Alamo and National, and First National Bank of Omaha, which announced it would end a Visa credit card it offered with NRA branding.

Lawmakers say they are feeling more pressure than ever to act on gun control after the latest deadly mass shooting at a public high school. A large reason, aides and lawmakers alike say, is the emotional pleas from students who survived the shooting — and who have expressed horror at the idea that nothing will be done in response to the killings of their schoolmates. Still, the public outcry that followed last week’s shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., has fueled some hope among gun reformers that the political winds are shifting in their favor. Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) said the protests in recent days constitute “a new type of organic outcry,” one even more prominent than the demonstrations that followed a similar shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012. Further raising hopes that gun control has real momentum is a new Quinnipiac poll that shows 66 percent of Americans support stricter gun laws — the highest level of support ever measured by the university. “If you think Americans are largely unmoved by the mass shootings, you should think again. In December, the House passed legislation that paired allowing people to use permits for carrying concealed weapons across state lines with the bipartisan Fix NICS (National Instant Criminal Background Check System) Act. But House GOP leaders’ decision to attach the concealed-carry reciprocity measure — which Democrats oppose — tanked the bipartisan background checks bill’s chances in the Senate. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) last week laid out several proposals that are on the short list of Democratic priorities following the Florida shooting, such as expanding the federal background check system to include a broader swath of gun sales and empowering federal researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to treat gun violence as a public health issue. The next funding deadline is March 23 — one day before the gun reform rally scheduled in D.C.