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Factbox: Overflowing inbox - Five urgent tasks for Britain's new prime minister


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Factbox: Overflowing inbox - Five urgent tasks for Britain's new prime minister

 

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FILE PHOTO: Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt, leadership candidates for Britain's Conservative Party, attend Britain’s Next Prime Minister: The ITV Debate at MediaCityUK in Salford, Britain July 9, 2019. Matt Frost/ITV/Handout via REUTERS

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain’s next prime minister will face an overflowing inbox when he takes office on July 24: delivering Brexit, building a relationship with Donald Trump, deciding what to do about Iran — and governing without a majority in parliament.

 

The winner of the Conservative party leadership contest will be announced on Tuesday and should take office as prime minister on Wednesday.

 

Boris Johnson, leader of the 2016 campaign to leave the European Union, is the front-runner to succeed Theresa May. His rival is Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who voted “remain” in the Brexit referendum but has repeatedly promised to take Britain out of the EU.

 

Below are the most urgent tasks the winner will have to tackle:

 

1) GOVERNING

 

To deliver Brexit, one of the most divisive policies in decades, the new premier will have to show he can win votes in parliament and govern after three years of political crisis.

But he could face a vote of no confidence in the 650-seat parliament as early as his second day in office if the main opposition Labour Party calls one.

On its own, the ruling Conservative Party does not have the majority needed for the new prime minister to survive such a vote, relying under May on the support of 10 allied Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) lawmakers to govern.

 

Even if the DUP backed the new prime minister in a confidence vote, a handful of Conservative lawmakers have threatened to vote against their own party if Britain looks set for a no-deal Brexit.

 

Failure to clear this first hurdle would collapse the government and could trigger a general election.

 

2) BREXIT

 

Both Hunt and Johnson want to renegotiate a new deal with the EU, ditching parts of the accord May struck with Brussels last year, which was rejected by parliament three times.

 

The EU has repeatedly said it will not renegotiate the legally binding part of that deal, the ‘Withdrawal Agreement’ which sets out a transition period to smooth Britain’s exit.

 

The problem for the next prime minister is that the withdrawal agreement contains the most contentious part of the exit deal — an insurance policy to prevent border controls between EU member Ireland and British province Northern Ireland.

 

EU negotiators are ready to explore several options with the new prime minister, but these fall well short of what Johnson and Hunt say they want.

 

Hunt and Johnson want to ditch the so-called backstop; the EU says it has to stay.

 

If Britain cannot negotiate a new deal, or parliament rejects whatever the new leader brings back from Brussels, the country will be headed for an unmanaged exit from the EU — a so-called no-deal Brexit — on Oct. 31.

 

Johnson and Hunt both say they have to make sure Britain is fully prepared for such an outcome because it is an important negotiating tool and they cannot rule out that it may happen.

 

Britain had conducted substantial work toward preparing for no-deal ahead of the original Brexit deadline of March 29, but as the date approached many expressed concern that those preparations were incomplete and had stagnated.

 

3) TRUMP AND THE UNITED STATES

 

The new prime minister will need a good relationship with the United States, Britain’s closest military ally and a major export market, to help mitigate any impact of stepping away from the EU — its biggest trading partner.

 

But relations between Britain and the United States have suffered in recent weeks after the leak of confidential memos from the British ambassador to Washington which reportedly described Donald Trump’s administration as inept.

 

How the new leader moves on from the spat — which saw Trump respond angrily and the ambassador resign — could set the tone for transatlantic ties during a critical period for Britain.

 

Both sides say they want to agree a swift and comprehensive free trade agreement after Britain leaves the EU, but political will is likely to determine how quickly that can be done.

 

4) IRAN AND CHINA

 

The United States and European allies are pulling in different directions over the best approach to Iran’s nuclear programme, leaving Britain with a difficult choice about who to align with.

 

Iranian Revolutionary Guards seized the British-flagged tanker Stena Impero in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday, in apparent retaliation for the British capture of an Iranian tanker two weeks earlier.

 

Allies are watching closely to see whether the new British leader will move towards the United States and away from the EU over Iran policy.

 

The new prime minister will also have to decide what role Chinese technology firm Huawei will be given in British communications infrastructure, with Trump warning that the security risks are high and could endanger intelligence ties.

 

That decision could also set the course of relations with China, one of Britain’s top targets when it comes to building stronger trading ties outside the EU.

 

5) BEYOND BREXIT

 

While the next prime minister’s first test will be to deliver Brexit, he will have to craft a viable long-term vision of post-Brexit Britain that can win over voters, investors and international allies.

 

Ultimately, the new leader will have to decide what sort of economy the United Kingdom wants and how it will pitch that to the world while making a choice between aligning with either European or American regulations.

 

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-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-07-22
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Certainly interesting times we are living in.  We find ourselves yet again with a new Prime Minister that the people didn't vote for.  Democracy in action once again.  We will see if Johnson survives and actually grows a pair.  Something tragically missing so far.  I suspect not and the country falling into a deeper mess than we have now, if that is possible.

 

But hey!  Maybe he will get himself to Brussels and get a better workable deal with meaningful changes and not just a fudge.  Maybe the EU negotiators will be in awe of Boris and his literary quotes and Latin quips.  Maybe he won't wriggle and squirm when asked a straight question and U-turn every five minutes.  Let's just wait and see shall we. 

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4 minutes ago, dunroaming said:

Certainly interesting times we are living in.  We find ourselves yet again with a new Prime Minister that the people didn't vote for.  Democracy in action once again.  We will see if Johnson survives and actually grows a pair.  Something tragically missing so far.  I suspect not and the country falling into a deeper mess than we have now, if that is possible.

 

But hey!  Maybe he will get himself to Brussels and get a better workable deal with meaningful changes and not just a fudge.  Maybe the EU negotiators will be in awe of Boris and his literary quotes and Latin quips.  Maybe he won't wriggle and squirm when asked a straight question and U-turn every five minutes.  Let's just wait and see shall we. 

 

People did vote for him......those who are members of the Tory party. That IS democratic within parliamentary rules.

 

THE people haven’t voted anyone in since Theresa May in 2017. In fact the people don’t vote anyone in as PM, they vote for their chosen party.

 

As you say, interesting times/challenges ahead. I am convinced that Boris as a larger pair than Theresa....... so let’s see what happens.

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24 minutes ago, Jip99 said:

People did vote for him......those who are members of the Tory party. That IS democratic within parliamentary rules.

Exactly.  Whereas we the public have no say whatsoever.  It'd democracy according to what the conservative party members want. 

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2 minutes ago, dunroaming said:

Exactly.  Whereas we the public have no say whatsoever.  It'd democracy according to what the conservative party members want. 

 

To be fair, it would be the same for any party.

 

The people never voted for Jeremy Corbyn .......

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1 hour ago, dunroaming said:

Certainly interesting times we are living in.  We find ourselves yet again with a new Prime Minister that the people didn't vote for.  Democracy in action once again.  We will see if Johnson survives and actually grows a pair.  Something tragically missing so far.  I suspect not and the country falling into a deeper mess than we have now, if that is possible.

 

But hey!  Maybe he will get himself to Brussels and get a better workable deal with meaningful changes and not just a fudge.  Maybe the EU negotiators will be in awe of Boris and his literary quotes and Latin quips.  Maybe he won't wriggle and squirm when asked a straight question and U-turn every five minutes.  Let's just wait and see shall we. 

Sorry to prick your bubble but.............

 

The British people NEVER have a vote on who becomes PM.

 

What happens is that the party who won most seats becomes the ruling party, Then that party decides who will be the PM and he becomes elected.

 

1 hour ago, dunroaming said:

Exactly.  Whereas we the public have no say whatsoever.  It'd democracy according to what the conservative party members want. 

Not necessarily the conservative party, IIRC all the political parties in the UK are run in the same fashion.

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40 minutes ago, billd766 said:

Sorry to prick your bubble but.............

 

The British people NEVER have a vote on who becomes PM.

 

What happens is that the party who won most seats becomes the ruling party, Then that party decides who will be the PM and he becomes elected.

 

Not necessarily the conservative party, IIRC all the political parties in the UK are run in the same fashion.

In a general election the people do vote for the party, that is true, but each party has a leader and they set the agenda for the party, therefore in essence you are voting for what they represent.  Just as the Labour Party would likely lose any election because the leader (J Corbyn) is unelectable.  The principle will change when you get a party that stands for election with no leader.  Until then I maintain my position and my balloon.

 

Let's not forget the mantra for choosing Johnson for leader is that the party feels he has the best chance of beating Jeremy Corbyn in an election.  That is because more people would vote for Johnson (the leader) and less for Corbyn (the Labour Leader).

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17 hours ago, dunroaming said:

In a general election the people do vote for the party, that is true, but each party has a leader and they set the agenda for the party, therefore in essence you are voting for what they represent.  Just as the Labour Party would likely lose any election because the leader (J Corbyn) is unelectable.  The principle will change when you get a party that stands for election with no leader.  Until then I maintain my position and my balloon.

 

Let's not forget the mantra for choosing Johnson for leader is that the party feels he has the best chance of beating Jeremy Corbyn in an election.  That is because more people would vote for Johnson (the leader) and less for Corbyn (the Labour Leader).

As you can see from 2016 David Cameron was the PM not directly elected by the people, eh was followed by Teresa May who was also not directly elected by the people and followed by Boris Johnson  who was also not directly elected by the people, but was elected, but only by the Tory party itself.

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19 hours ago, Jip99 said:

 

To be fair, it would be the same for any party.

 

The people never voted for Jeremy Corbyn .......

But they would if he were to be PM, which is why him shouting give us a General Election is like turkeys voting for an early Xmas...

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20 hours ago, dunroaming said:

Certainly interesting times we are living in.  We find ourselves yet again with a new Prime Minister that the people didn't vote for.  Democracy in action once again.  We will see if Johnson survives and actually grows a pair.  Something tragically missing so far.  I suspect not and the country falling into a deeper mess than we have now, if that is possible.

 

But hey!  Maybe he will get himself to Brussels and get a better workable deal with meaningful changes and not just a fudge.  Maybe the EU negotiators will be in awe of Boris and his literary quotes and Latin quips.  Maybe he won't wriggle and squirm when asked a straight question and U-turn every five minutes.  Let's just wait and see shall we. 

When I vote in the UK I am aware that the leader of the party I vote for, if in the majority, will become the next PM. I accept this knowing full well if I don't like him/her or the individual doesn't perform I can vote them out at the next election. We elect governments, not PM's, in the UK for full terms. I accept this. 

Can you tell me what part I played in the election appointments of  Juncker, Selmayr , Von der Leyen, Michel and Lagarde? You could of course argue MEP's voted them in but when there is only one name on the ballot paper there isn't much choice is there?

 

I agree Boris has his shortcomings, as do all prospective PM's, but in the name of British Democracy/Fairness we need to give him a reasonable amount of time to show us what he can do.

 

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