Contest to replace May as British prime minister hots up

[rooster59]

Contest to replace May as British prime minister hots up

By Michael Holden

 

FILE PHOTO: Former British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson gives a speech at the JCB Headquarters in Rocester, Staffordshire, Britain, January 18, 2019. REUTERS/Andrew Yates/File Photo

 

LONDON (Reuters) - The contest to replace Theresa May as British prime minister hotted up on Saturday with five candidates now vying for a job whose central task will be to find a way to take a divided Britain out of the European Union.

 

May announced on Friday she was quitting over her failure to deliver Brexit, raising the prospect of a new leader who could seek a more divisive split with the EU which could lead to confrontation with the bloc or a possible parliamentary election.

 

British health minister Matt Hancock became the latest figure to join the contest to replace May, following former foreign minister Boris Johnson, current foreign minister Jeremy Hunt, International Development Secretary Rory Stewart and former work and pensions minister Esther McVey.

 

About a dozen contenders in total are thought to be considering a tilt at the leadership, with trade minister Liam Fox and former junior Brexit minister Steve Baker not ruling out a challenge when asked on Saturday.

 

May failed three times to get a divorce deal she agreed with the EU through parliament because of deep, long-term divisions in the Conservative Party over Europe. It meant the original exit date of March 29 has been extended until Oct. 31 to see if any compromise could be reached.

 

All those standing say they can succeed where she failed, although the EU has said it would not renegotiate the treaty it had agreed with May.

 

"Of course we have to deliver Brexit and I will," Hancock told BBC radio. "We have to propose a deal that will get through this parliament. We have to be brutally honest about the trade-offs."

 

The issue is set to dominate the contest which will begin in the week of June 10 when Conservative lawmakers begin to whittle down the field before party members choose the winner from the final two candidates.

 

JOHNSON THE FAVOURITE

 

Surveys have suggested that the members are overwhelmingly pro-Brexit and in favour of leaving the EU without a deal.

Boris Johnson is the clear favourite with bookmakers and he has said Britain should be prepared to exit the bloc without any deal if no acceptable agreement could be reached.

 

"We will leave the EU on October 31, deal or no deal," Johnson told an economic conference in Switzerland on Friday.

 

The party's divisions over the EU has led to the demise of its last four prime ministers - May, David Cameron, John Major and Margaret Thatcher - and there is little indication these schisms will be healed soon.

 

"There are huge tensions in this race which are that people will be encouraged to promise things they can't deliver, of those probably the most dramatic are people who are going to be encouraged to promise a no-deal Brexit," one of the contenders, Rory Stewart, told BBC radio.

 

While parliament repeatedly rejected May's accord, lawmakers have also previously voted against leaving without any deal. Stewart said he could not serve in a Johnson government that was prepared to accept a no-deal Brexit.

 

"I think it would be a huge mistake, damaging, unnecessary and I think also dishonest," Stewart said.

 

With no majority in parliament, the Conservatives only govern with the support of the small Northern Irish Democratic Unionist Party, a factor that has constantly weakened May's hand.

 

The opposition Labour Party, which called for an immediate election after May's announcement, said it would seek a vote of no confidence in the government if it looked like it might pass, while it has also not ruled out backing a second referendum.

 

"It looks almost certain we're going to be faced with a Conservative leader who is a hard Brexiteer willing to take the country over the edge of a no-deal no matter what the damage to jobs or people's livelihoods," Labour finance spokesman John McDonnell told BBC radio.

 

"Faced with that situation, I think there may well be a majority in the House of Commons willing to bring about some form of public vote and that could include a general election."

 

(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Alexander Smith)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-05-26

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[TopDeadSenter]

People see this as more complicated than I believe it to be. I think there is only one way this will play out. Johnson will win the leadership battle. Any of the dithering soft remainers like Javid/Hunt/McVey/Stewart are toxic. They are cut from the same cloth as May and look what that did to the conservative party. No. Johnson, even though a total prat, has marketed himself as a hard Brexitter, which is what the public voted for 3 years ago.

 Now Farage, as people's favourite and champion of respecting democracy will be able to cut a deal with Johnson(with the condition he doesn't flipflop again) leaving a re-vamped Conservative party/Brexit party coalition with way over 50% of the votes and leave Corbyn/Abbott in the dust. With that said we will shortly be out of the collapsing Euro project on WTO and common sense terms, and on our path to making Britain Great again. This 3 years of May/Corbyn wasting time in the attempt to overturn Brexit has been more damaging than any form of Brexit could have been. Totally inexcusable.

[NanLaew]

Game on!

[luckyluke]

2 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

to making Britain Great again. 

First thing would be to unify the Britons. 

 

There is a problem if 48% of the people have a complete different idea than the other 52%.

 

52 % may be a majority, but not enough to impose things. 

 

If you have an opposition of 48 %, you can not simply ignore it, just like that. 

[NanLaew]

9 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

People see this as more complicated than I believe it to be. I think there is only one way this will play out. Johnson will win the leadership battle. Any of the dithering soft remainers like Javid/Hunt/McVey/Stewart are toxic. They are cut from the same cloth as May and look what that did to the conservative party. No. Johnson, even though a total prat, has marketed himself as a hard Brexitter, which is what the public voted for 3 years ago.

 Now Farage, as people's favourite and champion of respecting democracy will be able to cut a deal with Johnson(with the condition he doesn't flipflop again) leaving a re-vamped Conservative party/Brexit party coalition with way over 50% of the votes and leave Corbyn/Abbott in the dust. With that said we will shortly be out of the collapsing Euro project on WTO and common sense terms, and on our path to making Britain Great again. This 3 years of May/Corbyn wasting time in the attempt to overturn Brexit has been more damaging than any form of Brexit could have been. Totally inexcusable.

Nigel climbing into bed with Boris, eh? Where does that leave our Arlene?

 

Two things that will scupper your proposed, unholy... or unholier alliance are:

 

a ) The Tory leadership will not allow any sort of alliance with the Brexit Party. Bojo, for all his quick wit, instant repartee and engaging buffoonery, knows that any such a 'cunning plan' would be committing political suicide.

 

b ) The tens of thousands of people that have just sent money to Farage's latest one-trick pony won't allow it either. They are sick to the back teeth of the fallout from the Conservative's perpetual inner battles being foisted on them again.

 

I reckon our Arlene will have her chanty under Boris's bed for a wee bit longer... or the bed of whoever wins the latest Tory shitfight.

[JAG]

20 minutes ago, luckyluke said:

First thing would be to unify the Britons. 

 

There is a problem if 48% of the people have a complete different idea than the other 52%.

 

52 % may be a majority, but not enough to impose things. 

 

If you have an opposition of 48 %, you can not simply ignore it, just like that. 

Nor can you let it overule and overturn the decision of the majority, which is effectively what has been happening for the last two years.

[NanLaew]

18 minutes ago, luckyluke said:

52 % may be a majority, but not enough to impose things. 

 

If you have an opposition of 48 %, you can not simply ignore it, just like that.

Yes Captain Obvious.

 

But a majority is a majority and losing is losing. It is up to each side to work towards accommodating the other regardless if the divide is 4% or 40%. Unfortunately, the Tories, hamstrung by the loss of majority with that fatally flawed 2018 snap election, have been less inclined to cross the floor and engage in a serious domestic tête-à-tête with the losing side. Instead of presenting a stiff hand to the EU face and the admonishment to Brussels to wait their turn while the UK's domestic issues were agreed, the virtually ex- PM stupidly, prematurely and vaingloriously pulled the Article 50 pin with all the fake "I'm in charge here" bravado she could muster.

[luckyluke]

I am not interested in the intern politics of the U.K.,

not my business as I am Belgian.

 

However I know that you can not make a country great, and it is subject to enormous problems,  when it is divided.

 

We Belgians know something about it, as for many decennial our country is divided ( Flemish-Walloon ).

 

59 % of the Belgian population speaks Dutch, 40 % French, 1 % German.
The minority is not prepared to adapt.

 

Maybe the minority in the U.K. will.

[TopDeadSenter]

1 hour ago, luckyluke said:

First thing would be to unify the Britons. 

 

There is a problem if 48% of the people have a complete different idea than the other 52%.

 

52 % may be a majority, but not enough to impose things. 

 

If you have an opposition of 48 %, you can not simply ignore it, just like that. 

Interesting to see some people still clinging to the notion that the 48% were somehow more important, better and more educated voters than the old racist coffin dodgers that were the 52%. The repeated annihilation of the stubborn and arrogant remainers when the results of the Euro election are announced later today will be amusing. It will be easy to see how many voted for leave(Brexit party) and how many voted to overturn democracy and remain(Cuk party). A refresher in democratic principles and the reality of alternatives to democracy are necessary for team remain.

[Chomper Higgot]

1 hour ago, JAG said:

Nor can you let it overule and overturn the decision of the majority, which is effectively what has been happening for the last two years.

Well you can if you have a new majority.

[luckyluke]

My intervention on this topic was a reaction on the following quote :

" To making Britain Great again"

 

I maintain there is no possibility, if a country is divided.

 

It is up to the majority to convince the minority.

 

I Belgium, the majority fail since many decennial.

 

It may be different in the U.K..

Will see.

[Chomper Higgot]

7 minutes ago, TopDeadSenter said:

Interesting to see some people still clinging to the notion that the 48% were somehow more important, better and more educated voters than the old racist coffin dodgers that were the 52%. The repeated annihilation of the stubborn and arrogant remainers when the results of the Euro election are announced later today will be amusing. It will be easy to see how many voted for leave(Brexit party) and how many voted to overturn democracy and remain(Cuk party). A refresher in democratic principles and the reality of alternatives to democracy are necessary for team remain.

“Interesting to see some people still clinging to the notion that the 48% were somehow more important, better and more educated voters than the old racist coffin dodgers that were the 52%.”

 

Nowhere in this thread has anybody but you suggested that.

 

It is you who has inserted the statement  ‘more important, better educated’, and it is you who has inserted ‘old racist coffin dodgers’.

 

Brexiteer inserts inflammatory remarks that he attributes to those he disagrees with.

 

Away with you and your precious ‘I’m a victim’ hogwash.

[malagateddy]

I hope that Dom. Rabb is the new PM.
He will fill his cabinet with many Brexiteers.
I also hope that in his negociating team re locking horns with barnier will be...

Martin Howe QC..Nigel Farage..JRM..to name but 3.

Answers on a postcard please[emoji6]

Sent from my SM-G7102 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Chomper Higgot]

2 minutes ago, malagateddy said:

I hope that Dom. Rabb is the new PM.
He will fill his cabinet with many Brexiteers.
I also hope that in his negociating team re locking horns with barnier will be...

Martin Howe QC..Nigel Farage..JRM..to name but 3.

Answers on a postcard please

Sent from my SM-G7102 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Well I am very much in favour of those who brought this crock of Brexit on the nation being accountable for their own mess.

[AGareth2]

45 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Well I am very much in favour of those who brought this crock of Brexit on the nation being accountable for their own mess.

The English

[sawadee1947]

4 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Yes Captain Obvious.

 

But a majority is a majority and losing is losing. It is up to each side to work towards accommodating the other regardless if the divide is 4% or 40%. Unfortunately, the Tories, hamstrung by the loss of majority with that fatally flawed 2018 snap election, have been less inclined to cross the floor and engage in a serious domestic tête-à-tête with the losing side. Instead of presenting a stiff hand to the EU face and the admonishment to Brussels to wait their turn while the UK's domestic issues were agreed, the virtually ex- PM stupidly, prematurely and vaingloriously pulled the Article 50 pin with all the fake "I'm in charge here" bravado she could muster.

Because of 52/48 A coaltion between Labour and Tories would be the best for the sake of UK. 

[dick dasterdly]

52 minutes ago, sawadee1947 said:

Because of 52/48 A coaltion between Labour and Tories would be the best for the sake of UK. 

Only in your opinion.

 

Quite a few of us are sick and tired of the similarity between tory and labour party policies.....

[Krataiboy]

4 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

“Interesting to see some people still clinging to the notion that the 48% were somehow more important, better and more educated voters than the old racist coffin dodgers that were the 52%.”

 

Nowhere in this thread has anybody but you suggested that.

 

It is you who has inserted the statement  ‘more important, better educated’, and it is you who has inserted ‘old racist coffin dodgers’.

 

Brexiteer inserts inflammatory remarks that he attributes to those he disagrees with.

 

Away with you and your precious ‘I’m a victim’ hogwash.

That's rich - a Remoaner accusing a Leaver of playing the victim card!.

[Baerboxer]

7 hours ago, TopDeadSenter said:

People see this as more complicated than I believe it to be. I think there is only one way this will play out. Johnson will win the leadership battle. Any of the dithering soft remainers like Javid/Hunt/McVey/Stewart are toxic. They are cut from the same cloth as May and look what that did to the conservative party. No. Johnson, even though a total prat, has marketed himself as a hard Brexitter, which is what the public voted for 3 years ago.

 Now Farage, as people's favourite and champion of respecting democracy will be able to cut a deal with Johnson(with the condition he doesn't flipflop again) leaving a re-vamped Conservative party/Brexit party coalition with way over 50% of the votes and leave Corbyn/Abbott in the dust. With that said we will shortly be out of the collapsing Euro project on WTO and common sense terms, and on our path to making Britain Great again. This 3 years of May/Corbyn wasting time in the attempt to overturn Brexit has been more damaging than any form of Brexit could have been. Totally inexcusable.

 

The public didn't vote for a hard Brexit at all.

 

Parliament has carried out the advice of the small majority of the people by taking the advisory referendum result and exploring all the option of leaving and trying to decide on one that is in the best interests of all - not just a few hard Brexiters.

 

They failed. Mainly because all the hard Breiters, like Johnson have never actually put forward their vaunted "plan B' - largely because it doesn't exit, they're inept, and don't have the wit to put one together.

 

May made things worse by scheming to get the PM role and then push through her likely crap watered down deal by executive decision and then getting stuffed at a snap election when that failed. She thought become PM, invoke Article 50, push through a deal using the PR - easy peazy lemon squeezy! And hey presto the Tories have delivered "Brexit" and become united and all fuzzy again. She failed miserably, misjudged things continuously and then stubbornly refused to change or go.

 

If Johnson or any of the other stooges tries, on becoming PM, to simple run the clock down and leave with no deal on 31.10 they are likely to face massive opposition, form within parliament and outside.

 

People are fed up with all the lies, self interest and politicizing. If it boils down to leave with no deal or remain with the deal we have, that choice must be again put to the people to advise parliament of their wishes. Because the current parliament is no longer credible or capable of deciding.

 

Farage - the dubious dictator of the Brexit Party a champion of democracy? Your're having a laugh! He only likes his own opinions and the sound of his own mouth! He couldn't get on with others in UKIP which was run like a political party. So he set the Brexit Party up as a limited company, himself as autocratic boss. And dopes make contributions to this too!

[BritManToo]

12 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

Parliament has carried out the advice of the small majority of the people

No need to read any further 17M votes would have won any general election in the past 30 years.

Which is why all the MPs are so scared of coming straight out and saying no to Brexit.

[Baerboxer]

6 hours ago, JAG said:

Nor can you let it overule and overturn the decision of the majority, which is effectively what has been happening for the last two years.

 

No it hasn't. The majority who voted in the referendum, by a relatively small margin, advised the government they wanted to leave the EU.

 

But how, on what terms, and when? Those things were for parliament to investigate, debate and vote on. May buggered it up with a cunning plan to "deliver" her idea of Bexit via executive decision and in her anxiety to do it invoked Article 50 without a clue that the Supreme Court would finally stop her delusions.

 

She then made it worse with her snap election which cost her the Tory majority and angered many in her party. 

 

Corbyn, former lover Abbot and Marxist McDonnell have just spent all their time trying for force a GE so they can implement their cherished socialist state ideas,  and oversee the destruction of the UK they hate. 

 

And all because clown Cameron wanted to unite the Tories and spike defections to UKIP.

 

Now people can see what the choices are, and judge the impact, against how things have also changed in the nearly 3 years since the referendum, they deserve another opportunity to advice parliament of their wishes.

[Baerboxer]

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

No need to read any further 17M votes would have won any general election in the past 30 years.

Which is why all the MPs are so scared of coming straight out and saying no to Brexit.

 

May foolishly chose to fight her snap election on one issue. 

 

UKIP were and are a one trick pony.

 

Corbyn, despised and ridiculed my many, especially media, chose to fight the election on all the issues people consider important.

 

Who did best?

 

Suggesting the people who voted to leave, or remain, would vote for any one party, purely based on that party's stance on Brexit is pure sophistry.

 

 

[sotsira]

14 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

 

The public didn't vote for a hard Brexit at all.

That's very true, they voted for either 'LEAVE or 'REMAIN"

The Ballot didn't have Hard,Medium or Soft written on it.

Those terms were derived by the media & politicians AFTER

the referendum result was declared.

If the UK is to respect the result, then it means leaving the 

EU with no ties to the Customs union & EU law/regulations.

Otherwise it might as well stay as it is, no point in being half

in and half out. 

Better to be either fully in or fully out.

[tebee]

7 hours ago, TopDeadSenter said:

People see this as more complicated than I believe it to be. I think there is only one way this will play out. Johnson will win the leadership battle. Any of the dithering soft remainers like Javid/Hunt/McVey/Stewart are toxic. They are cut from the same cloth as May and look what that did to the conservative party. No. Johnson, even though a total prat, has marketed himself as a hard Brexitter, which is what the public voted for 3 years ago.

 

Don't forget Johnson was a remainer who flipped too, when he thought it was to his political advanaged to do so.

[tebee]

20 minutes ago, sotsira said:

That's very true, they voted for either 'LEAVE or 'REMAIN"

The Ballot didn't have Hard,Medium or Soft written on it.

Those terms were derived by the media & politicians AFTER

the referendum result was declared.

If the UK is to respect the result, then it means leaving the 

EU with no ties to the Customs union & EU law/regulations.

Otherwise it might as well stay as it is, no point in being half

in and half out. 

Better to be either fully in or fully out.

So, if remain had won, there would be a mandate for joining the Euro and the Schengen area ?

[Loiner]

10 minutes ago, tebee said:

So, if remain had won, there would be a mandate for joining the Euro and the Schengen area ?

Over the years, the EU machine and simpering europhiles in parliament will ensure that both of those happen if we were to Remain.

[dunroaming]

8 hours ago, TopDeadSenter said:

People see this as more complicated than I believe it to be. I think there is only one way this will play out. Johnson will win the leadership battle. Any of the dithering soft remainers like Javid/Hunt/McVey/Stewart are toxic. They are cut from the same cloth as May and look what that did to the conservative party. No. Johnson, even though a total prat, has marketed himself as a hard Brexitter, which is what the public voted for 3 years ago.

 Now Farage, as people's favourite and champion of respecting democracy will be able to cut a deal with Johnson(with the condition he doesn't flipflop again) leaving a re-vamped Conservative party/Brexit party coalition with way over 50% of the votes and leave Corbyn/Abbott in the dust. With that said we will shortly be out of the collapsing Euro project on WTO and common sense terms, and on our path to making Britain Great again. This 3 years of May/Corbyn wasting time in the attempt to overturn Brexit has been more damaging than any form of Brexit could have been. Totally inexcusable.

Interesting speculation.  Well headlines in the Express today having Farage attacking Johnson saying he can't be trusted to deliver Brexit.  Gove is in and immediately also attacking Johnson and saying he would be much better at delivering Brexit.  Raab and Gove playing the long game with Raab promising tax cuts and Gove claiming that he can win over the young people when it comes to the next general election.  Actually a few commentators saying that Johnson can't be trusted to deliver his no-deal Brexit.  After all he was originally a remainer ???? 

 

In other words the games have started and they are already getting toxic.  We can follow every twist and turn of this latest soap opera and I am sure we will do so with some relish.  The local hardware shop in Westminster have reported record sales of knives over the last 24 hours.  Johnson ahead  but let's not forget when Heseltine did for Thatcher and was favourite to replace her, we ended up with John Major!

[BritManToo]

54 minutes ago, Baerboxer said:

Suggesting the people who voted to leave, or remain, would vote for any one party, purely based on that party's stance on Brexit is pure sophistry.

Results of the EU election will be in soon.

No need to guess.

[stevenl]

27 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Results of the EU election will be in soon.

No need to guess.

An election for a subject can never be about that same subject.

[nauseus]

31 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Results of the EU election will be in soon.

No need to guess.

Want a bet?