Brexit

Boris Johnson Loses Second Bid For Snap Election

The Washington Post reports: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s dreams of an election that would clear his path to Brexit by the end of October were decisively dashed after midnight Tuesday morning, leaving him with no obvious means of making good on his vow of a “do or die” exit from the European Union. The latest obstacle to Johnson’s plans …

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British Firms Bolt For Netherlands Ahead Of Brexit

Courthouse News reports: The Netherlands has seen a fivefold increase in British investments as the deadline approaches for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union, according to the Dutch government. Following the Brexit referendum in 2016, wherein the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, British investment in Dutch businesses has increased sharply. The U.K. is set to …

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BRITAIN: Boris Johnson To Suspend Parliament Tonight

The Associated Press reports: Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisted Monday that a new Brexit deal can be reached to ensure Britain leaves the European Union by the Oct. 31 deadline, as he prepared to suspend Parliament and send rebellious lawmakers home until two weeks before the country is supposed to leave the bloc. Lawmakers used the hours before the suspension …

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BRITAIN: Johnson Cabinet Member Quits Over Brexit

The BBC reports: Amber Rudd has quit Boris Johnson’s cabinet, with an outspoken attack on the government’s approach to Brexit. The ex-work and pensions secretary said the government was having no “formal negotiations” with the EU about a new deal, only “conversations”. Instead, 80-90% of Brexit work was spent preparing for an “inferior” no-deal option, she said. In her resignation …

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The Economist: Brexit Stockpiling On The Rise Again

The Economist reports: When the food riots start, says Linda, a university administrator from Brighton, “I plan to watch them on TV enjoying a nice puttanesca whipped up from the Brexit cupboard.” Often included on no-deal-Brexit recipe lists, the fiery pasta dish from Naples requires nothing fresh. From her stash of tins and frozen veg, Linda is self-sufficient for up …

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Boris Johnson’s Anti-Brexit Brother Resigns As MP

The BBC reports: Jo Johnson, the younger brother of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, is resigning as an MP and minister, saying he is “torn between family loyalty and the national interest”. The business minister and Tory MP for Orpington, south-east London, cited an “unresolvable tension” in his role. Mr Johnson voted Remain in the 2016 EU membership referendum, while his …

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Britain: Boris Johnson Loses Bid To Force Snap Election

The Guardian reports: Boris Johnson’s bid to trigger a general election next month has been blocked by MPs following a string of heavy defeats for the government in both houses of parliament. Immediately afterwards, the prime minister called Jeremy Corbyn, “the first leader of the opposition in the democratic history of our country to refuse the invitation to an election”. …

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Boris Johnson Rages At Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn: “Call An Election, You Great Big Girl’s Blouse” [VIDEO]

The Guardian reports: Boris Johnson’s first Prime Minister’s Questions was immediately embroiled in controversy after footage appeared to show him gesticulating towards Jeremy Corbyn, saying: “Call an election, you great big girl’s blouse.” The theme of the exchanges between the two had centred around the Labour leader asking Johnson to publish details of the government’s no-deal planning documents, while the …

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BRITAIN: 21 Tory MPs Sacked For Defying Boris Johnson

Sky News reports: Former chancellors, Winston Churchill’s grandson and the current longest-serving MP have all been sacked from the Conservative Party for rebelling against the government in a bid to avoid a no-deal Brexit. The 21 Conservative MPs – many of them decades-long Tory loyalists – helped inflict defeat on Boris Johnson in his first major vote since becoming prime …

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Johnson Calls For Snap Election After Major Brexit Loss

The Associated Press reports: Boris Johnson has launched a bid for an early general election after he suffered a humiliating defeat in the Commons today as MPs voted for a bill that could allow them to block a no-deal Brexit. Mr Johnson accused Parliament of being “on the brink of wrecking any deal” with Brussels after MPs handed control of …

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Johnson Loses Majority After Mid-Speech Defection

The Metro reports: Boris Johnson has lost his majority of one after Tory MP Philip Lee defected to the Lib Dems by sitting on their bench. He made the move while Boris Johnson was mid way through delivering a speech in the House of Commons. The surprise move means there is now no parliamentary majority. In a letter of explanation, …

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BRITAIN: Pound Hits 34-Year Low Over Brexit Fears

The Scotland Herald reports: The pound has slumped to its lowest level against the US dollar since 1985, surpassing a previous 2017 low to be worth less than 1.20 dollars. The present weakness has been caused by jittery markets as MPs return from summer recess and the chances of a general election rising, causing more Brexit uncertainty and angst. Rebel …

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BRITAIN: Boris Johnson To Sack Anti-Brexit Tory MPs

The BBC reports: Tory MPs who vote against the government in the Commons this week will be chucked out of the party and banned from standing for the Conservatives at the next election. Senior sources in government are confirming that plan was agreed by the prime minister and his enforcers – the party whips – in the splendour of his …

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Britain Sees Massive Protests Against Johnson [VIDEO]

The Guardian reports: Tens of thousands of demonstrators are taking to the streets across Britain and outside the gates of Downing Street in protest against Boris Johnson’s move to suspend parliament. Crowds brandished banners pledging to “defend democracy”, chanted “stop the coup” and waved EU flags in London in a bid to resist the parliament shutdown. Demonstrators are massing at …

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Johnson Wins Early Battle Over Suspending Parliament

Yahoo News reports: Boris Johnson has said legal challenges to his decision to prorogue Parliament are making the prospect of obtaining a deal “less likely”. The Prime Minister hit out at his critics on Friday morning following the news that a bid by a cross-party group of more than 70 politicians to overturn the suspension had been refused by a …

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Queen Approves Tory Request To Suspend Parliament

Sky News reports: The Queen has approved Boris Johnson’s request to suspend parliament from the middle of next month, which will restrict MPs’ ability to block a no-deal Brexit. In a move prompting a furious political row, parliament will be prorogued in the week beginning 9 September until 14 October. This is the date on which a new Queen’s Speech …

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Boris Johnson Asks Queen To Suspend Parliament

The BBC reports: The government has asked the Queen to suspend Parliament just days after MPs return to work in September – and only a few weeks before the Brexit deadline. Boris Johnson said a Queen’s Speech would take place after the suspension, on 14 October, to outline his “very exciting agenda”. But it means the time MPs have to …

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Johnson: Chances Of Brexit Deal Are “Touch And Go”

The BBC reports: Boris Johnson has said the chances of a Brexit deal are “touch and go” – having previously said the odds of a no-deal Brexit were “a million to one”. In a BBC interview at the G7 summit in France, he said it “all depends on our EU friends and partners”. When pressed on the chances, he said: …

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Leaked Brexit Docs Predict Food, Medicine Shortages

The Guardian reports: The UK will be hit with a three-month meltdown at its ports, a hard Irish border and shortages of food and medicine if it leaves the EU without a deal, according to government documents on Operation Yellowhammer. The documents predict severe extended delays to medicine supplies and shortages of some fresh foods combined with price rises as …

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Bolton: US Will “Enthusiastically” Back No-Deal Brexit

Reuters reports: The United States would enthusiastically support a no-deal Brexit if that is what the British government decided to do, U.S. national security adviser John Bolton said on Monday during a visit to London aimed at reassuring Britain over UK-U.S. ties. Bolton told British Prime Minister Boris Johnson that President Donald Trump wants to see a successful British exit …

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