#UK: Boris Johnson Is New Conservative Leader And Prime Minister, Inherits Brexit Mess

[world politics news]

Boris Johnson today declared himself "The Dude" after Conservative voters elected him as their party's leader and the next Prime Minister after defeating Foreign  Minister Jeremy Hunt in a landslide.

The new Tory leader will have just 100 days to deliver on his do-or-die promise to take Britain out of the EU on October 31 - after winning twice as many votes as his rival.

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#UK: Parliament Rejects PM May's Withdrawal Agreement On Day Of Brexit

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The UK's parliament has rejected Prime Minister Theresa May’s European Union's withdrawal agreement on the day the UK was due to leave the EU.

The government lost by 344 votes to 286, a margin of 58.

It means the UK has missed an EU deadline to delay Brexit to 22 May and leave with a deal.

The prime minister said the UK would have to find "an alternative way forward", which was "almost certain" to involve holding European elections.

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World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#UK: Parliament Set To Vote On PM Theresa May's Brexit Plan On Jan. 15

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Parliament will vote on Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal on Tuesday, January 15, government sources have confirmed. The House of Commons vote was called off last month by the PM, who was facing defeat, but sources have told the BBC the vote will not be delayed again. It is also understood the government will set out further reassurances on the controversial backstop. Meanwhile, more than 200 MPs have signed a letter to Theresa May, urging her to rule out a no-deal Brexit.

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World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#UK: Prime Minister Theresa May Faces Confidence Vote Today; Forced By Rebel Conservatives Upset Over Handling Of Brexit

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British Prime Minister Theresa May is vowing to fight with "everything I've got" today after a no-confidence vote was triggered following several missteps in handling the UK's Brexit withdrawal from the European Union. The vote will be held within hours. Results should be known by 5 pm ET.

Pro-Brexit euroskeptics in her Conservative Party secured the 48 letters from Members of Parliament needed to force the vote and unleash a leadership contest to succeed her if she loses the vote. The winner would become party leader as well as prime minister. Analysts say of the vote is even close, she might be forced to resign.

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World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#UK: Theresa May Postpones Tomorrow's Final #Brexit Vote; Cannot Win Over Rebel Conservatives In Parliament

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Prime Minister Theresa May has postponed tomorrow's final vote on her Brexit deal after a last-minute conference call with cabinet ministers, a clear signal that she does not believe she can get the unpopular EU withdrawal agreement through the UK's House of Commons. The drastic move comes as May faced defeat by up to 100 of her own Conservative Party's members of parliament. Her aides and cabinet ministers had emphatically denied there was any prospect of pulling the vote, even as late as Monday morning.

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#UK: PM Theresa May Running Out Of Allies As Brexit Vote Disaster Looms; Trade Sec. Condemns "Coup" By Parliament

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Allies are abandoning Prime Minister Theresa May as it appears her Brexit Withdrawal Agreement with the EU is headed for a disastrous defeat Tuesday, with Conservative Brexiteers angry about its compromises with the EU, coalition partners the Democratic Unionists upset about the Northern Ireland "backstop" and Labour united against it from the start. A vote this week by the House of Commons effectively blocked a "no deal" Brexit if the vote fails, allowing the House to take back control of the negotiations, rather than simply allowing the UK to leave the European Union without a deal. International Trade Secretary Liam Fox blasted the vote, in which 26 Conservatives voted with Labour Tuesday, calling it a "coup" against the people who voted to leave the EU in 2016. Meanwhile, calls for May to resign if the vote on her Withdrawal Agreement fail are increasing from within her own party.

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#UK: Spain Demands, And Gets, Assurances Over Separate Deal On Gibraltar As Final Brexit Summit Nears

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UK Prime Minister Theresa May has given in to Spain's demands over the future of the British territory of Gibraltar after the Spanish prime minister threatened to “veto” the Brexit deal due to be signed off by EU leaders on Sunday. On the eve of Sunday’s Brexit summit, the British ambassador to the EU, Sir Tim Barrow, wrote to concede that Gibraltar would not necessarily be covered by a future trade deal with the EU.

The decision gives Spain a veto over Gibraltar benefiting from a future trade and security agreement between the EU and the British government. The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, said the UK would now have to open talks on “joint sovereignty” of Gibraltar, which Spain has claimed since the Francisco Franco era.

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World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#UK: The Day After Brexit Deal Revealed, Several Resignations From Theresa May's Cabinet

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Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has resigned his position in Theresa May's cabinet over "fatal flaws" in the UK's draft Brexit agreement with the EU. He said the UK should be ready to risk a no-deal Brexit in the face of EU "blackmail."  Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey and junior Brexit minister Suella Braverman have also quit.

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#UK: PM May Presents Draft Brexit Deal To Cabinet In 5-Hour Meeting; Opponents Argue Against "Bad Deal"

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Prime Minister Theresa May has presented a final draft of the Brexit Deal to her cabinet in meetings at 10 Downing Street that lasted five hours today. The deal postpones a full break with the EU, allowing for a transition period in which some EU trading rules and practices would remain in place. This would allow for Northern Ireland - a British region neighboring EU member Ireland - to continue having an open border with the Irish state.

But opponents in her own party and the Labour Party say the deal leaves much to be desired, and leaves the UK's final status with the EU in limbo indefinitely. Troubling for May is that among her opponents seems to be her Northern Ireland allies the Democratic Unionist Party, on which she relies for votes in Parliament.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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#UK: Boris Johnson Warns Of "Colony" Status For The UK Under PM May's Brexit Plan

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Former Foreign Minister Boris Johnson took to twitter Tuesday to warn that Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plan could lead to "Colony" status for the United Kingdom. "No one is fooled by this theatre," Johnson wrote, "Delay after staged managed delay. A deal will be reached and it will mean surrender by the UK. We will be doomed to remain in the customs union and under Brussels’ regulatory control. People did not vote for colony status."

"We still have time to go for something better - a SuperCanada free trade deal that will allow the UK to benefit from brexit and actually respect the referendum. The future can be bright if only we change course now." Johnson is seen a potential rival for May to become the next Prime Minister. He resigned earlier this year from her cabinet to protest her plan, the Chequers Agreement, which has divided the Conservative Party by seeking a period of transition in which many of the EU's rules and regulations would still apply to British trade.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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#UK: BREAKING: Transportation Minister Jo Johnson Resigns Cabinet Over PM May's Handling Of Brexit; Calls For New Referendum

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Transportation Minister Jo Johnson has resigned from Theresa May's cabinet over her Brexit plan, and is calling for a new referendum on leaving the European Union. "The government’s proposals will see us out of Europe, yet run by Europe, bound by rules which we will have lost a hand in shaping," he said. He said he would vote against her plan, the Chequers Agreement, and said it was right to ask the voters to "confirm their decision to leave the EU and, if they choose to do that, to give them the final say on whether we leave with the Prime Minister’s deal or without it." Johnson is the brother of Boris Johnson, May's former foreign minister, who resigned this summer over her handling of Brexit. Boris, however, opposes a new vote.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#UK: Northern Ireland DUP Party Leader Threatens PM May Over Brexit Barriers In Deal

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Amid tense negotiations over a Brexit deal, the head of Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party is warning Prime Minister Theresa May not to agree to a deal that puts up trade barriers between them and the rest of the UK.

The warning by Arlene Foster could manifest itself in the party's members voting against a budget in the House of Commons in coming week, which could bring down May's government. The DUP are coalition partners with May's Conservatives.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#UK: PM Theresa May Gives Impassioned Defense Of Chequers Brexit Plan, Defends Party In Conference Speech

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Prime Minister Theresa May, who will likely soon to be fighting for her job against former Foreign Min. Boris Johnson, gave a rousing speech at the Conservative Party's annual conference in Birmingham. After stumbles in past year's speeches, May joked and danced (to ABBA's "Dancing Queen") and hit back at critics, including Johnson. She defended her plan for leaving the EU, though not mentioning the Chequers Brexit Agreement by name, which has caused a mini-rebellion in Conservative Party ranks for allegedly giving too much to the EU after Brexit is finalized. Splitting from Europe's trade area was approved by voters in 2016 in a referendum. She urged party members to "hold our nerve" during negotiations with the EU, and pledged "To honor the result of the referendum. To come together to make a success of the decision we took."

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#UK: Chancellor Of The Exchequer Hammond Promotes PM May's Brexit Plan At Party Conference

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Chancellor of the Exchequer (a job comparable to America's Treasury Secretary) Philip Hammond has voiced support for Theresa May's Brexit plan, calling on colleagues to unite behind the prime minister to get the "best possible outcome" in negotiations with the European Union for Britain to leave the European trading bloc.

In his speech to the Conservative Party's conference in Birmingham, the chancellor said he shared May's "determination" to get her blueprint for Britain's EU exit approved, despite strong opposition within the Conservative Party itself. Some believe it leaves the UK too closely aligned with the EU's rules and regulations.

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#UK: Conservative Heavyweights Johnson And Rees-Mogg Launch Attacks On PM May Ahead Of Party Conference

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Former Foreign Minister Boris Johnson and popular member of parliament Jacob Rees-Mogg have launched a two pronged Brexit attack on Theresa May ahead of the Conservative Party conference. Johnson has repeatedly refused to rule out challenging May for the leadership of the party at the Birmingham event. Both Johnson and Rees-Mogg are attempting to scrap May's so-called Chequers Plan for the UK to leave the EU, a plan on which she has staked her legacy as Prime Minister. Johnson laid out his "Better Plan for Brexit" in a column in the UK's Telegraph newspaper.

[FULL STORY HERE]

World Politics News is dedicated to raising Americans' knowledge of political events, elections, and legislation throughout the world.

#UK: PM May Demands "Respect" From EU After Brexit Plan Rebuffed

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Prime Minister Theresa May has made a dramatic speech on TV in which she decried the EU's terse rejection of her plan to take the United Kingdom out of the European trade area.

May said the UK "demands respect" from the EU, and said talks had reached an "impasse" that needs "serious engagement" from the EU side. Following a conference in Salzburg, Austria, European Council President Donald Tusk said a "compromise" was possible but the UK proposals had to be "reworked."

May's plans had already come under fire by her own party as being too much of a compromise with the EU.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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#UK: Boris Johnson Launches Blistering "Suicide Vest" Brexit Attack On PM May; Some Conservatives Upset By Imagery

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Boris Johnson has launched an attack on Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit strategy, claiming she has ‘wrapped a suicide vest’ around Britain. The former foreign secretary accused the Prime Minister of handing ‘the detonator’ to Brussels’ chief negotiator Michel Barnier. His comments – just hours after he announced he would be divorcing his wife of 25 years, Marina Wheeler – have exposed deep divides within the Conservative Party, prompting a backlash from some senior colleagues.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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#UK: Former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson Pens Attack On PM May's Brexit Proposal: Likely Opening Salvo In Challenging Her Leadership

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In an article for The Daily Telegraph, former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has branded Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit strategy a "fix" that results in the UK gaining "diddly squat" when it "hands over £40 billion of taxpayers’ money", and will only lead to victory for the EU. In what is likely to be seen by many at Westminster as the beginning of his campaign to oust the Prime Minister, Johnson likened withdrawal talks as a rigged wrestling match where the UK is “lying flat on the canvas." May's office delivered a stinging slapdown to Johnson, saying he has produced "no new ideas" on Brexit.

[FULL STORY HERE]

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