UK's May hangs on after Brexit gambit backfires

[webfact]

UK's May hangs on after Brexit gambit backfires

By Guy Faulconbridge and Kate Holton

 

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May arrives for a news conference after an extraordinary EU leaders summit to finalise and formalise the Brexit agreement in Brussels, Belgium, November 25, 2018. REUTERS/Dylan Martinez/File Photo

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May was clinging to power on Thursday after her final Brexit gambit backfired, overshadowing a European election that has shown a United Kingdom still riven over its divorce from the EU.

 

May's departure will deepen the Brexit crisis as a new leader is likely to want a more decisive split, raising the chances of a confrontation with the European Union and an election that could usher in a socialist government.

 

In such a fluid situation, Britain faces an array of options including an orderly exit with a deal, a no-deal exit, an election or a second referendum that could ultimately reverse the 2016 decision to leave the EU.

 

May, who won the top job in the turmoil that followed the EU referendum, has repeatedly failed to get parliament's approval for her divorce deal, which she pitched as a way to heal Britain's Brexitdivisions.

 

Her last gambit, offering a possible second referendum and closer trading arrangements with the EU, triggered a revolt by some Brexit-supporting ministers and triggered the resignation of the minister in charge of her parliamentary business.

 

On Thursday, with Britons voting in a European election in which pre-poll surveys suggested May's Conservatives would be thrashed by Nigel Farage's Brexit Party, May was digging in.

 

The chairman of the powerful Conservative 1922 Committee, which can make or break prime ministers, has said May would meet him on Friday to discuss her leadership.

 

George Osborne, a former Conservative finance minister and now editor of the London Evening Standard newspaper, said on Twitter he had been told that May would then announce she would step down on June 10, after the state visit by U.S. President Donald Trump.

 

Other newspapers also suggested this was the probable timeline for her departure.

 

Amid dissent across her party at her latest Brexit proposal, the government delayed the planned publication of legislation to enact her divorce deal from Friday until June 3, in the hope that it could still be put to parliament on June 7.

 

LISTENING TO CONCERNS

May held separate meetings with her foreign and interior ministers. Amid suggestions that the proposed bill could be rewritten, her spokesman said she would listen to colleagues' concerns.

 

The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported that interior minister Sajid Javid had told May he could not vote for the bill because it went further than what senior ministers had agreed to in cabinet.

 

Earlier, foreign minister Jeremy Hunt said May would still be prime minister when Trump arrived for his trip on June 3.

 

But newspapers said her time was up. The mass-circulation Sun's front page was headlined "May set to go after Brexit fiasco", while the Times led with "May prepares to quit after cabinet mutiny".

 

EU supporters fear Brexit will undermine Britain's economy - the fifth-largest in the world - as well as London's position as one of the world's top two financial capitals. They also say it will weaken the West as it grapples with Trump’s unpredictable presidency and growing assertiveness from Russia and China.

 

May, who has been obdurate through one of the most tumultuous premierships of recent British history, had promised to leave office if lawmakers approved her Brexit deal, but is now under intense pressure to name a date.

 

Sterling, which tumbled on the 2016 Brexit vote to its biggest one-day fall since the early 1970s, dropped 0.4% on Thursday to a new 4-1/2 month low of $1.2605. The yield on Britain's 10-year bond fell to 0.991%, the lowest since March 29, the day Britain had been due to leave the EU.

 

SHALL WE STAY OR SHALL WE GO?

Nearly three years after Britain voted by 52% to 48% to leave the EU, it remains unclear how, when or even whether it will leave the European club it joined in 1973. The current deadline to leave is Oct. 31.

 

When May goes, her Conservative Party will elect a leader who is likely to want to renegotiate the deal she agreed with the EU in November, raising the chances of a confrontation with the bloc and a national election.

 

The bookmakers' favourite to succeed May is Boris Johnson, the face of the official campaign to leave the EU, who has said he wants a more decisive split. More than a dozen others are seen as potential candidates.

 

If there were an election and the Conservatives lost, the winner would be Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn, a veteran socialist who wants to nationalise swathes of the British economy but has not said what shareholders will get in return. Corbyn also says he wants to take Britain out of the EU.

 

The Investment bank BNP Paribas said it now saw a 40% probability of Britain leaving the EU without a transition agreement in place.

 

European election results are expected after 2100 GMT on Sunday.

 

(Additional reporting by Elizabeth Piper, Kylie MacLellan and William James; Editing by Jon Boyle and Phil Berlowitz)

 

 -- © Copyright Reuters 2019-05-24

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[CapraIbex]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

she would step down on June 10, after the state visit by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Behold, your salvation comes; behold, The Donald is the Messiah, the savior - we're all so blessed!

[terryw]

It is obvious why she has not gone yet. She wants to meet her hero Donald Trump before leaving 10 Downing Street.

Meanwhile, her successor will lead a Party whose supporters have defected to Farange. That will be her legacy.

[ballpoint]

But the Conservative Party elected Teresa May as its leader, and was then democratically elected by the people of the UK, with both these votes taking place after the Brexit referendum.  Now they have changed their minds and want to get rid of her.  So it's okay to discard the results of a previous vote and hold another when peoples views change, or they were given incorrect information regarding the first?  

[edwinchester]

Never before have I seen a British Govt so utterly clueless as to what to do and so appallingly oblivious of the calamity their ineptitude is inflicting on a once respected nation.

[welovesundaysatspace]

7 minutes ago, ballpoint said:

But the Conservative Party elected Teresa May as its leader, and was then democratically elected by the people of the UK, with both these votes taking place after the Brexit referendum.  Now they have changed their minds and want to get rid of her.  So it's okay to discard the results of a previous vote and hold another when peoples views change, or they were given incorrect information regarding the first?  

You should know by now that Brexiteers are hypocrites.

[vogie]

 

[Emdog]

I can understand why she would want to be PM when Trump visits. The contrast between her and Donald: "See, I don't look so awful, do I?"

Inmates running the asylum

[bristolboy]

1 minute ago, Emdog said:

I can understand why she would want to be PM when Trump visits. The contrast between her and Donald: "See, I don't look so awful, do I?"

Inmates running the asylum

Actually, I was wondering why she wanted to stick around for what's likely to be a fairly unpleasant experience. Thanks for clearing that up.

[Thingamabob]

I expect she'll make as much a mess of her departure as she has with everything she's done as home secretary and prime minister. 

[JonnyF]

2 hours ago, ballpoint said:

But the Conservative Party elected Teresa May as its leader, and was then democratically elected by the people of the UK, with both these votes taking place after the Brexit referendum.  Now they have changed their minds and want to get rid of her.  So it's okay to discard the results of a previous vote and hold another when peoples views change, or they were given incorrect information regarding the first?  

They didn't discard the vote. They made her the PM. If they had changed their minds about her before making her PM and held another vote to elect someone else then your analogy would make sense.

 

The key point here is that Remainers are trying to overturn the Referendum result before we've left. Understand the obvious difference? 

 

 

 

[Basil B]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

 

Amid dissent across her party at her latest Brexit proposal, the government delayed the planned publication of legislation to enact her divorce deal from Friday until June 3, in the hope that it could still be put to parliament on June 7.

Which year???

[welovesundaysatspace]

5 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

They didn't discard the vote. They made her the PM. If they had changed their minds about her before making her PM and held another vote to elect someone else then your analogy would make sense.

 

The key point here is that Remainers are trying to overturn the Referendum result before we've left. Understand the obvious difference? 

The only difference is that May’s premiership is endorsed by the constitution whereas Brexit is not. What both issues have in common is that people demand their vote to be not implemented because they have changed their mind. 

[Basil B]

2 hours ago, ballpoint said:

But the Conservative Party elected Teresa May as its leader, and was then democratically elected by the people of the UK, with both these votes taking place after the Brexit referendum.  Now they have changed their minds and want to get rid of her.  So it's okay to discard the results of a previous vote and hold another when peoples views change, or they were given incorrect information regarding the first?  

Come on Brexiteers... I am waiting for you to say they they voted for her and not allowed to change their minds.

[Basil B]

Sorry Donny we were not their to meet you when you arrived, we have a major crisis at this moment that is more important than you, make yourself at home, there are some sarnies in butlers pantry, help yourself.  

[JonnyF]

42 minutes ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

The only difference is that May’s premiership is endorsed by the constitution whereas Brexit is not. What both issues have in common is that people demand their vote to be not implemented because they have changed their mind. 

What on earth are you talking about?

 

1. Brexit is the default legal position since parliament enacted article 50. It is written into law.

 

2. The UK does not have a written constitution.

 

3. The vote for May as PM was implemented, she's been the PM since July 2016 in case you hadn't noticed.

[welovesundaysatspace]

18 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

2. The UK does not have a written constitution.

I never said it has a written constitution. It has a constitution though. 

 

18 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

3. The vote for May as PM was implemented, she's been the PM since July 2016 in case you hadn't noticed.

People didn’t vote to make her PM until June 2019. People voted to make her PM for the whole time a PM has in office. That vote hasn’t been implemented. 

[JonnyF]

44 minutes ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

I never said it has a written constitution. It has a constitution though. 

 

People didn’t vote to make her PM until June 2019. People voted to make her PM for the whole time a PM has in office. That vote hasn’t been implemented. 

Theresa May won the leadership contest in her party. As a result of that vote she was made PM. She then won the general election as leader of the conservatives. As a result of that vote the Tories had another term in power (with the help of the DUP). So please explain clearly which vote hasn't been implemented (except Brexit of course)?

 

PS it's 24th May 2019 today so I'm not sure what you're talking about when you say the people didn't vote to make her PM until June 2019 (next month)?!?!

[welovesundaysatspace]

7 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

Theresa May won the leadership contest in her party. As a result of that vote she was made PM. She then won the general election as leader of the conservatives. As a result of that vote the Tories had another term in power (with the help of the DUP). So please explain clearly which vote hasn't been implemented (except Brexit of course)?

Her full term hasn’t been implemented. She wasn’t vote to be a temporary PM until further notice. 

 

7 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

PS it's 24th May 2019 today so I'm not sure what you're talking about when you say the people didn't vote to make her PM until June 2019 (next month)?!?!

I thought we are discussing people demanding her to be replaced before her term ends. Whether that’s June 2019 or July or November (it probably won’t be this month). 

[Krataiboy]

4 hours ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

You should know by now that Brexiteers are hypocrites.

What, all 17.4 million of them? You sure get around.

[dunroaming]

Donald will have a field day if May is still in place, which she will almost certainly will be.  Some many "I told you so" comments from him and no doubt he will try to talk Johnson up in the process.

 

The real worry is that one of those moronic leave lunatics will take over and then just run the clock down, meaning that the UK leaves without a deal by default.  They will say they tried to get a new deal but it was too late and it wasn't their fault etc. etc.

 

As usual we will just be by-standers in all this while the egomaniacs continue on their suicide mission.  Of course the MP's can stop that happening but will only do so if it fits their individual agendas.

 

 

[AjarnMartin]

6 hours ago, edwinchester said:

Never before have I seen a British Govt so utterly clueless as to what to do and so appallingly oblivious of the calamity their ineptitude is inflicting on a once respected nation.

 Absolutely, Ed. The UK’s government (and the Opposition for that matter) could be described as a perfect kakistocracy...

[Loiner]

6 hours ago, welovesundaysatspace said:

You should know by now that Brexiteers are hypocrites.

Not at all. It might sound nice to you, but you still haven't learned the meaning of that word have you? Go look it up why don't you.
Brexiteers haven't changed their minds and still want to Leave as they voted for. No more hypocritical Remainer politicians and no more EU aiding and abetting the ongoing deception.

[dunroaming]

Expected that May will announce her departure date today.  Then all the runners and riders will appear jostling for their pitch.  Some will think that they can win but most will just be there to do deals and pledge their allegiances in return for positions in the next government. It will be messy and dirty tricks will doubtlessly abound. 

[dunroaming]

2 minutes ago, Loiner said:

Brexiteers haven't changed their minds and still want to Leave as they voted for.

I agree.  Unfortunately they would never get the Brexit they voted for because (yet again) what they voted for was just a pack of lies.  It's like me saying "Vote for me and I will give you free beer for life!"  Sounds good but it can't be delivered.

 

That is why we are in the pickle we are in now.  If Brexit could have been delivered as promised then it would have been.  Nobody wanted this mess.

[dunroaming]

9.50 am Downing Street  and they have just brought out the lectern and set it up ready for the announcement.  Should be within the next ten minutes I would think! 

[Patriot1066]

7 hours ago, CapraIbex said:

Behold, your salvation comes; behold, The Donald is the Messiah, the savior - we're all so blessed!

Indeed we are to be graced by the Great Political Leader and peace activist Donald Trump. Wish he was our leader instead of our cowardly political elite class who ignore democracy

[Patriot1066]

4 minutes ago, dunroaming said:

9.50 am Downing Street  and they have just brought out the lectern and set it up ready for the announcement.  Should be within the next ten minutes I would think! 

Welcome Boris !

[Loiner]

3 minutes ago, dunroaming said:

9.50 am Downing Street  and they have just brought out the lectern and set it up ready for the announcement.  Should be within the next ten minutes I would think! 

If Boris brings out a pile of suitcases next we'll have a good idea of what the announcement will be. Maybe Boris will be speaking to the press. 

[Patriot1066]

Just now, Loiner said:

If Boris brings out a pile of suitcases next we'll have a good idea of what the announcement will be. Maybe Boris will be speaking to the press. 

That is wishful thinking. But wish it was true.

 

Unfortunately before he can be voted by us the members the MPs will narrow the leadership down to two and Boris may be a victim of this and not get chance to be on the party members ballot. There will be trouble though if he’s not on the ballot as very popular generally and the most likely to beat Corbyn at an election.

 

leadson is a strong candidate so let’s see.