Politics

Brexit LIVE: Green-Lib Dem secret backroom deal threat to any hope of Britain’s Brexit


Instead of pushing their own political beliefs, the Greens and Plaid Cymru have agreed to bow out of the forthcoming Brecon and Radnorshire by-election to allow the Lib Dems free rein to sweep up the Remainer support while hoping the Brexit Party splits the Tory vote. The August 1 vote for the Brecon and Radnorshire seat will take place just a week after the country’s new leader is announced and will be the first electoral test for either Boris Johnson or Jeremy Hunt and Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable warned victory would send a message to the incoming Prime Minister that “the Conservative Party is in desperate trouble”. The Brexit Party is also hoping to swoop on the seat to secure their first seat in the House of Commons.

Mr Johnson and Mr Hunt are entering the final straight in the race to become the UK’s next Prime Minister.

The victorious candidate will have just three months to deliver Brexit by the October 31 deadline set by the European Union.

Leadership frontrunner Mr Johnson has warned he will get the UK out of the bloc by then “do or die”.

Foreign Secretary Mr Hunt will decide at the end of September whether to continue Brexit talks with Brussels or resort to a no deal withdrawal option.

But the EU has insisted the withdrawal agreement struck with Theresa May will not be re-negotiated, providing the new Prime Minister with a huge headache.

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Brexit news: The Remainer by-election plot could cause a huge headache for Nigel Farage and new PM (Image: GETTY)

11.20am update: Johnson attacks Government “defeatism and negativity” on Brexit

He said: “My message is that we have to get ready, we have to prepare and we have to believe in ourselves,” he said.

“The reason I have set October 31 as a hard deadline and we have got to go for it is that we have had enough of defeatism and negativity from this Government.

“People have had enough of being told they can’t do X, Y or Z when we know perfectly well that we can.”

11am update: ‘Red herring’ Johnson dismisses threats Parliament will find way to block no deal Brexit

Chancellor Philip Hammond, Justice Secretary David Gauke and ex-minister Sam Gyimah have said MPs will not allow Britain rot leave the EU without an agreement with Brussels/

But speaking at the Tory leadership hustings in Darlington, Mr Johnson said: “I think this is all a bit of a red herring. We are facing an existential crisis as a party and indeed as a political class.

“It was a clear, clear majority for Leave. Now we are at a state where MPs seem still to be refusing to enact the mandate of the people. That is why our great party is languishing in the polls.

“If we get on and do Brexit we will spike the guns of both the Liberal Democrats and the Brexit Party who are prospering at our expense because of our failure to get this done.

“I hope that Philip and Sam and all the other friends that you mentioned can see that.”

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Brexit news: Boris Johnson condemned Government negativity (Image: PA)

10.02am update: Brexit Secretary’s WARNING to Tory leader hopefuls – No deal plans MUST be ‘turbo-charged’

Britain’s next Prime Minister must “turbo-charge” preparations for a no deal Brexit, the Cabinet minister in charge of planning the UK’s departure from the EU has told the Daily Express.

In an urgent plea to Tory leadership rivals Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt, Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay warned that the chances of the country quitting the bloc without a deal are far higher than expected by businesses.

He called on the contenders for Downing Street to be ready to “seize the opportunities” of a no deal Brexit this autumn to build new trade links with emerging markets around the world.

And taking a swipe at Chancellor Philip Hammond, the Brexiteer Cabinet dismissed Treasury forecasts that quitting the EU without a deal could cost the economy £90billion were neither “accurate” nor “neutral”.

Mr Barclay delivered his call to arms in an exclusive interview with the Daily Express in his office at the Department for Exiting the EU at Number Nine Downing Street.

9.54am update: ‘Kick the can and we kick the bucket’ Johnson in new warning over Brexit delay

Boris Johnson has released a new Tory leadership campaign video, issuing another warning over any delay to Brexit.

He said: “It’s only by getting Brexit done by October 31 that we can turn this thing around.

“Delay again and we have more uncertainty for businesses and of course, more political division.

“Kick the can and we kick the bucket.

“It comes down to a very simple choice between more of the same and change.

“What I’m offering at this election is a new changed, and more optimistic, more dynamic approach to those negotiations.

“I feel a deep sense of personal responsibility for Brexit and that is why I hope you will back me, Boris Johnson, to deliver Brexit, unite our party and our country and to get ready to beat Jeremy Corbyn.”

9.28am update: Hammond warns it would be ‘shocking’ to sideline Parliament for no deal Brexit

Chancellor Philip Hammond said he was confident MPs would find a way to block any attempt at a no deal exit from the EU.

He told the BBC’s Nick Robinson Political Thinking podcast: “It would be, frankly, rather shocking if the House of Commons – the elected representatives of the people – could be simply sidelined by a Government that was doing something that was the exact opposite of what the House of Commons clearly wanted done.”

Mr Hammond also insisted it was “clear” the House of Commons did not support a no deal Brexit.

Referring to a no-deal exit, the Chancellor said: “Our economy will suffer a short-term shock and then in the long term will be permanently smaller than it will otherwise have been.”

“No-deal means we will have to spend the money, but not in a discretionary way.

“We will be forced to spend it on protecting businesses and industry and households on what is likely to be a surge in inflation.”

9.20am update: Jaguar Land Rover in major Brexit boost to Britain 

Car manufacturing has received a major Brexit boost after Jaguar Land Rover said it is making a multi-million pound investment to build electric vehicles in its home market.

The firm will offer an electrified option to all its new models from next year as it looks to move away from its reliance on diesel vehicles that buyers are rejecting more.

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), which built 30 percent of Britain’s 1.5 million cars last year, will make a range of electrified vehicles at its Castle Bromwich plant in central England.

The company has continued to warn of the dangers of a no deal Brexit and the need to maintain frictionless trade with the European Union.

JLR said: “We are making this investment because the ongoing Brexit uncertainty has left us with no choice, we had to act, for our employees and our business.

“We are committed to the UK as our home and will fight to stay here but we need the right deal.”

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Brexit news: Philip Hammond has issued a warning over sidelining Parliament for a no deal (Image: GETTY)

9.12am update: Brexit uncertainty continuing to hurt business leader confidence

Business leaders have been shaken by the continued uncertainty around Brexit and the change at the top of politics.

The survey of 900 company leaders by the Institute of Directors (IoD) found half said economic conditions in the UK and the uncertain trading status with the EU were having a negative impact on their business.

Other issues included a shortage of skilled workers, business taxes, transport and energy costs.

IoD chief economist Tej Parikh said: “Dealing with political uncertainty is part and parcel of leading a business, but this has been taken to extremes over recent years.

“With the nature of Brexit still ambiguous and another shake-up of key Government personnel in motion, many businesses have been holding back on investing in their staff, operations and technology to the detriment of UK productivity growth.

“There is little doubt that the past couple of years have been a maelstrom for firms across the spectrum.

“There is no room for complacency with policy instability and a lack of continuity eating into our long-term competitiveness.

8.57am update: Education minister wants system to continue global approach after Brexit

A Government minister has said education in England must continue its international approach after Brexit.

Many of Westminster’s reforms introduced since 2010 have been based on world-leading successful practices identified in other countries, including technical and vocational education in Germany and maths teaching in high-performing Asian countries.

School Standards Minister Nick Gibb said: “Education transcends borders, nationalities and languages – and we are proud that our education system has taken in a wealth of influence from other countries around the world, not just our European neighbours.

“But it is not all one way – there are a host of countries that come to the UK to learn from what we do so well in our own schools and colleges and to learn about our reforms to the curriculum, to the teaching of reading and our academies and free schools programme.

“It is more important than ever that this approach continues in the coming months and years as we look to our international partners, in bringing forward even more vital improvements to our education system.”

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Brexit news: The key milestones that have led to Britain’s exit from the EU (Image: EXPRESS)

8.50am update: Government warned to outline plan to replace council funding black hole

Council leaders have warned English local authorities risk losing out on more than £5billion at the end of 2020 if the Government does not replace EU funding arrangements after Brexit.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has urged ministers to outline how they will replicate the European Structural and Investment Fund (ESIF) 2014-2020 when it ends in December 2020.

The association said the ESIF funding provides a “lifeline” for local areas, but warned “uncertainty” over the UK Shared Prosperity Fund – a domestic replacement – was a “huge concern” for councils who could face a £5.3billion funding gap.

Kevin Bentley, chairman of the LGA’s Brexit taskforce, said: “The clock is ticking for the Government to set out a firm plan to replace this funding into the next decade and beyond.

“Brexit cannot leave local areas facing huge financial uncertainty as a result of lost regional aid funding. This funding has been used by local areas to create jobs, support small and medium enterprises, deliver skills training, and invest in critical transport and digital infrastructure and boost inclusive growth across the country.

“With 18 months until funding runs out, the Government needs to work urgently with councils to develop a fully-funded and locally-driven successor scheme.

“With national funding for regeneration increasingly being depleted, all local areas have become increasingly reliant on EU money and local areas are desperate to get on with creating jobs, building infrastructure and boosting growth.”

8.48am update: Johnson makes no deal Brexit spending vow

Boris Johnson has said he could maintain ambitious spending promised in the event of a no deal Brexit by instead using the £39billion divorce settlement with the EU.

The leadership frontrunner was questioned at a hustings event in York on Thursday evening about his near-£5billion annual pledge of extra money for schools, and if this extra cash would be delayed if the UK crashes out of the EU without an agreement.

Mr Johnson replied: “It may have escaped your notice, but in the event of a no-deal Brexit, we will have an additional £39bn to spend.”

The Foreign Secretary stressed he does not think no deal will happen, but if it did, he explained: “Then clearly, logically, there would be extra funds available from the £39bn, which is a very substantial sum, in the upper end of what the EU expected, that we’ll be able to spend looking after farmers, looking after a whole range of sectors.”

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Brexit news: Boris Johnson could maintain ambitious spending plans, even in a no deal scenario (Image: REUTERS)

8.43am update: ‘Practically impossible’ Johnson’s Brexit plan rubbished by Justice Secretary 

Boris Johnson’s plan for Britain to leave the EU with a new deal on October 31 has been branded “practically impossible” by Justice Secretary David Gauke.

The leadership frontrunner has been accused by Mr Gauke of giving no “clear explanation” on how he will secure a new withdrawal agreement with the EU as Brussels continue to insist this is not open for re-negotiation.

The Justice Secretary told The House magazine: “I see it as being very hard to find a way in which we can deliver a deal that has been agreed and legislated upon by the 31 October. When I say very hard, I mean practically impossible.”

Mr Gauke also warned if the former Foreign Secretary decides to press ahead with a no deal Brexit, he would likely suffer defeat at the hands of MPs.

He added: “If I was to speculate on it, given that we have an activist speaker, given that there is a parliamentary majority against no deal, a way will be found.”

8.40am update: Remainer by-election plot to derail Brexit Party and cause headache for new PM

Remain political parties will throw their weight being a single candidate for the first time at next month’s by-election in a plot to crush the Brexit Party and give the new Prime Minister an immediate headache.

Jane Dodds, the Liberal Democrat leader in Wales, will receive a huge boost in her bid to secure the seat in Brecon & Radnorshire as Plaid Cymru and the Green Party will not stand there.

Plaid Cymru, which advocates Welsh independence, will actively endorse Ms Dodds, who described the pact as a “historic and courageous decision” in the interests of opposing Brexit.

The vote will be held on August 1 – just a week after the country’s new leader is announced – and will be the first electoral test for either Boris Johnson or Jeremy Hunt.

Sir Vince Cable warned victory would send a message to the incoming Prime Minister that “the Conservative Party is in desperate trouble”.

The Liberal Democrat leader, who will soon step down from his role, is hopeful the pact would pave the way for cooperation at future elections and help create a “Remain alliance”.



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