Category: POLITICS

  • Theresa Might to go to Nigeria as Brexit trade mission keeps

    Theresa May speaks to business leaders at the offices of First National Bank in Cape Town, Image copyright EPA Image caption Theresa May spoke to business leaders in Cape Town on Tuesday, at the first day of her excursion

    Theresa May will seek advice from Nigeria later at the 2d day of her industry venture to spice up ties with Africa after Brexit.

    Mrs Might will discuss safety, business and people trafficking with President Muhammadu Buhari before meeting sufferers of contemporary slavery in Lagos.

    The top minister already announced £4bn of additional British enhance for African economies during the first leg of her shuttle on Tuesday.

    She additionally insisted her “good” Brexit plans will ship a “good” deal.

    May’s undertaking to woo Africa after Brexit PM seeks new jobs partnership with Africa Would Possibly sticking by means of ‘smart’ Brexit plans

    Mrs May will travel to Abuja, the capital of Nigeria – Britain’s 2d biggest trading spouse in Africa – for talks with President Buhari.

    And Mrs Might Also pledged a “fundamental shift” in support spending to do something about long-term economic and security demanding situations as opposed to brief-time period poverty reduction.

    On Thursday, she will end her excursion in Kenya, the place she is going to hang talks with President Uhuru Kenyatta and attend a state dinner, seek advice from a industry college and meet British troops.

    Brexit ‘still on timetable’

    While in South Africa, the top minster additionally faced questions from newshounds on Brexit.

    She instructed the BBC’s Ben Wright that the united kingdom is “nonetheless working to the timetable” because it is at the beginning set out in the Brexit negotiations.

    It comes after the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier indicated final week that a deal may be driven again to early November.

    She performed down warnings from Chancellor Philip Hammond – who mentioned remaining week that a no-deal Brexit could injury the economy.

    She said the comments had been in response to analysis first released in January that were, at the time, a “work in development”.

    Nigeria’s best export to the uk is crude oil and its biggest import is delicate oil, a structural inefficiency that ends up in common fuel shortages as the populous West African country lacks a properly functioning refinery.

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  • Theresa Might: ‘Common sense’ to arrange for no deal Brexit

    Video Might: ‘Common sense’ to arrange for no deal

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  • Alex Salmond officially starts criminal motion against Scottish government

    Alex Salmond Symbol copyright Getty Photographs Image caption Mr Salmond instructed BBC Scotland final week that he had never sexually confused any person

    Alex Salmond has formally started his prison motion against the Scottish govt over its dealing with of sexual misconduct proceedings against him.

    Two people have made allegations concerning the former first minister, who strongly denies ever sexually harassing anyone.

    He is looking for a judicial review of a new lawsuits process that was once introduced by means of the Scottish executive in December.

    His petition has been lodged with the Courtroom of Consultation in Edinburgh.

    The court docket will now searching for a response from the Scottish executive. it’s more likely to be a few weeks prior to there’s a hearing prior to a judge.

    The proceedings about Mr Salmond had been made in January – just weeks after the brand new methods for coping with harassment court cases was once introduced with the blessing of his successor, Nicola Sturgeon.

    Salmond probe ‘entirely personal’ Sturgeon: Salmond court cases ‘could no longer be ignored’ Salmond denies sexual misconduct claims

    Ms Sturgeon had asked for the Scottish executive’s existing insurance policies to be reviewed and up to date following wider concerns about harassment at Holyrood and Westminster.

    Mr Salmond claims that the next investigation into the allegations in opposition to him by senior Scottish govt civil servants was once “unfair and unjust”.

    He mentioned he have been given no opportunity to “see and therefore to correctly problem the case against me” and that he had “not been allowed to peer the evidence”.

    He has additionally described the allegations as “patently ridiculous”, and has written to the Scottish govt’s top civil servant, Permanent Secretary Leslie Evans, urging her to analyze how the claims have been made public.

    Mr Salmond has claimed that somebody throughout the Scottish government has “flagrantly and again and again” breached the confidential court cases procedure via leaking details to the Day By Day File newspaper.

    The Scottish government argues that a remark released through Mr Salmond on Thursday of final week contained “significant errors” about its methods, with Ms Sturgeon pronouncing it would “defend its position vigorously”.

    ‘Entirely confidential’

    It has insisted that its investigation into the two lawsuits in opposition to Mr Salmond were “solely confidential right through”.

    The Scottish government has passed main points of the lawsuits to Police Scotland, and the drive has said it’s assessing the ideas.

    The Day By Day Document newspaper says it has seen the wording of 1 of the complaints, which was made by a Scottish govt team of workers member.

    She alleges the former first minister touched her backside and breasts via her clothing even as she used to be on my own with him at Bute House, the paper has reported.

    The alleged incident is said to have taken position on the first minister’s legitimate place of dwelling Bute House in Edinburgh in the first week of December 2013.

    The paper claims the lady has alleged “multiple incidences of harassment and conduct of an undesirable sexual nature”.

    Mr Salmond, who had spells as chief of the pro-independence SNP, led the devolved Scottish govt as first minister from 2007.

    He quit within the aftermath of the independence referendum in 2014, whilst Scotland voted to stay within the United Kingdom.

  • Brexit: May defends ‘sensible’ plans for future EUROPEAN family members

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    Media captionMay: ‘Common sense’ to prepare for Brexit no deal

    Theresa Would Possibly has insisted her way to Brexit will ship a “good” deal for the uk and allow it to make essentially the most of opportunities around the world.

    Talking in South Africa, she instructed the BBC she was once sticking through her “good” plans as they both respected the 2016 referendum vote and protected jobs.

    While hopeful of an settlement in October, she said it used to be proper to organize for leaving with no deal.

    In Advance, she introduced £4bn of additional British make stronger for African economies.

    On the first day of a 3-day consult with to the continent, the top minister insisted industry offers with nations like South Africa could be a prize for “international Britain” after it leaves the eu subsequent yr.

    however the BBC’s political correspondent Ben Wright stated that as she heads to Nigeria and Kenya this week, she is aware of an excessively tough autumn of political bargaining awaits her again home.

    PM seeks new jobs partnership with Africa

    In an interview with the BBC, Mrs May performed down warnings by way of Chancellor Philip Hammond last week in regards to the dangers of a no-deal exit – which he stated will have a £80bn poor economic impact.

    She mentioned the feedback have been according to research first released in January that had been, at the time, a “work in development”.

    Mrs Would Possibly then pointed out feedback by means of the head of the world Business Organisation, who mentioned Brexit “may not be a stroll in the park, but would possibly not be finish of the sector both”.

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    Media captionTheresa Might was all smiles as she joined faculty kids for a dance

    “we are operating for a fair deal, we have put forward our idea for a good deal,” she said. “i believe that deal is to the ease, not only of the united kingdom, but the ecu.

    “What the federal government is doing is setting up position the arrangements to be sure we can make a hit no matter what our long run courting is with the ecu and regardless of the end result of the negotiations.”

    Through the BBC’s Ben Wright in Cape The City

    With dogged choice Theresa Might danced together with a bunch of children in a soggy Cape The Town playground – her first stop on a three-day sprint round sub-Saharan Africa.

    It Is the primary No 10-led industry delegation to Africa for the reason that 2011. the school children symbolised, she mentioned later, the dynamism and creativity of the continent’s growing and youthful inhabitants.

    And it is jobs for those youth and tens of millions like them that the uk wants to lend a hand African economies create – the usage of UK firms, capital and executive lend a hand to speculate in African countries in the hope of keeping them politically solid later on.

    At a speech within the city on Tuesday, the prime minister pledged an extra £4bn in direct UNITED KINGDOM executive investment – which she expects to be matched by the personal sector.

    Mrs may additionally stated the uk could essentially shift the way in which it spends support money – to deal with lengthy-term economic and security demanding situations rather than brief-time period poverty aid.

    For the united kingdom in fact, Brexit is a spur to expand business beyond the ecu, that is by way of far our biggest market.

    A Few Tory MPs have said they can not fortify Mrs Would Possibly’s blueprint for the uk’s long term members of the family with the ecu, pronouncing it is a betrayal of the thousands and thousands who voted to depart the european in 2016.

    But Mrs May mentioned the proposals were good as they insisted that an end to ECU freedom of motion and the jurisdiction of the european Court was “non-negotiable”, at the same time as ensuring British manufacturers had unrestricted get admission to to an european extensive loose industry zone for goods.

    “It Is right as we look to our long term relationships that we protect jobs and livelihoods,” she added.

    As part of a renewed take care of Africa, Mrs Might has said she desires the united kingdom to grow to be the continent leading’s funding spouse throughout the G7, overtaking the US.

    She told the BBC that this used to be no longer unrealistic, given that the uk was already the biggest foreign investor in South Africa, the continent’s biggest economic system.

    “one in all the benefits of leaving the eu is that we will be able to have the opportunity to negotiate our personal business deals in the long run,” she mentioned.

    “we glance to an international Britain outdoor the european making the most of these trade offers across the rest of the world.”

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  • Ex-leader rabbi condemns Corbyn feedback on British Zionists

    Jonathan Sacks Symbol copyright PA Image caption Jonathan Sacks was once leader rabbi among 1991 and 2013

    A former leader rabbi says Jeremy Corbyn’s feedback about British Zionists are the “such a lot offensive remark” by a political candidate for the reason that Enoch Powell’s “Rivers of Blood” speech.

    In an interview with the brand new Statesman, Lord Sacks accused the Labour chief of being an “anti-Semite”.

    A video from 2013 of Mr Corbyn accusing British Zionists of having “no sense of English irony” emerged remaining week.

    A Labour Birthday Celebration spokesman known as Lord Sacks’s comment “absurd and offensive”.

    Zionism refers to the motion to create a Jewish state within the Middle East, roughly akin to the historical land of Israel, and thus improve for the trendy state of Israel.

    Image caption Enoch Powell delivered the “Rivers of Blood” speech in 1968

    Conservative MP Enoch Powell delivered a speech in 1968 to a local Tory birthday party meeting in Birmingham.

    It came days ahead of the second one reading of the 1968 Race Members Of The Family Invoice, which led to the Race Family Members Act – making it unlawful to refuse housing, employment or public products and services to people on account of their ethnic background.

    The speech used to be anti-immigration and saw Mr Powell reference observations made by means of his Wolverhampton elements in the course of the speech, together with: “In 15 or 20 years’ time, the black guy can have the whip surrender the white man.”

    He ended with a quote from Virgil’s Aeneid, whilst civil conflict in Italy is expected with “the River Tiber foaming with so much blood”.

    The speech become one in all the most debatable in British political history and ended Mr Powel’s occupation in Edward Heath’s shadow cabinet.

    Lord Sacks said the chief of the Labour Birthday Party was “an anti-Semite”, at a time where Jews have been nonetheless being murdered in Europe “for being Jews”, and “inside of dwelling memory of the Holocaust”.

    He stated: “For greater than 3 and a half centuries, the Jews of england have contributed to each side of nationwide lifestyles.

    “we all know our historical past higher than Mr Corbyn and we’ve discovered that the detest that begins with Jews never ends with Jews.

    “Mr Corbyn’s embody of hate defiles our politics and demeans the country we adore.”

    ‘Taken out of context’

    On Friday, Mr Corbyn said the comments were made to “defend the Palestinian ambassador within the face of what i believed had been planned misrepresentations” from folks “for whom English used to be a first language, when it isn’t for the ambassador”.

    He stated: “I described the ones professional-Israel activists as Zionists, within the correct political experience and not as a euphemism for Jewish folks – and that is made clear within the remainder of my speech that day.

    “i’m now more careful with how i would use the term ‘Zionist’ because a once self-settling on political term has been increasingly more hijacked via anti-Semites as code for Jews.”

    Allies of Mr Corbyn mentioned the speech have been “taken out of context”, with shadow chancellor John McDonnell saying the point of interest won’t be on what Mr Corbyn mentioned five years in the past however on tackling anti-Semitism in British society, including inside of Labour.

    But the leader was once criticised through other individuals of his own birthday party, with Jewish Labour MP Luciana Berger describing the feedback as “inexcusable” and making her “really feel unwelcome” in the celebration.

    In reaction to Lord Sacks’s comments, a Labour spokesman mentioned: “This comparison with the race-baiting Enoch Powell is absurd and offensive.

    “Jeremy Corbyn is determined to tackle anti-Semitism each throughout the Labour Celebration and in wider society. And the Labour Birthday Celebration is committed to rebuilding believe with the Jewish neighborhood.”

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  • Brexit: First applications from ECU nationals for settled standing

    Motorist passing pro-EU campaigners in Parliament Symbol copyright Reuters

    The Primary packages from ECU nationals desirous to stay within the UK after Brexit are being submitted.

    A team of college students and NHS employees within the north-west of britain are taking part in a tribulation to check the system sooner than it opens later this yr.

    The three million or so ECU residents in the UK have until the tip of June 2021 to sign up for “settled status”.

    Ministers, who insist the method might be simple, say the pilot will allow for “important changes” to be made.

    The UNITED KINGDOM is due to depart the eu on 29 March 2019.

    The Federal Government has said it needs EUROPEAN nationals living in the u . s . to give you the option to stay, with Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab announcing final week that this implemented whether or not there has been an agreement on the phrases of go out or now not.

    ‘Anyone who meets me thinks I Am British’ EU residents will not be ‘turfed out’ Brexit: What now for EU citizens within the UK?

    Ministers have stated they aim to maintain paperwork to a minimum, announcing the shape that has to be stuffed in on-line or by means of cellphone app will include just a handful of questions and take a question of minutes to complete.

    up to 4,000 other folks, including students from Liverpool University and health provider staff, can be the primary to have a go throughout the pilot. they’re being guided through the utility process by way of Home Office officers.

    Applicants have to provide proof of identity, claim any felony convictions and upload a photograph – while officers will test employment data and run security checks.

    The process – as a way to value £65 for adults and £32.50 for children beneath the age of SIXTEEN – will perform at the foundation of a presumption that applications can be accepted.

    While stopping short of making certain their long run, Mr Raab stated final week that it was “unimaginable” that non-UK electorate can be requested to go away regardless of the result of present negotiations with the ecu.

    Immigration minister Caroline Nokes said the pilot was once every other step in making it easy for EU nationals to obtain settled standing – enabling them to live and paintings in the UK on the comparable phrases as now.

    “From today, we are inviting a small crew of EU electorate to make an utility to safe their status,” she stated. “we will be able to use their feedback to make any essential changes sooner than the scheme being fully opened.”

    The scheme is because of totally open on 30 March, 2019, with settled status granted to EU nationals who have lived in the UK for five years – until they’ve severe felony convictions or for safety reasons.

    Those who are resident in the UK by way of 31 December 2020 however who have no longer lived in the UNITED KINGDOM for 5 years will get pre-settled standing which permits them to reside and paintings in the UK until they achieve the five 12 months mark and will claim settled standing.

  • SS Mendi: WW1 shipwreck’s bell again to South Africa via Theresa May

    Theresa May and Cyril Ramaphosa Symbol copyright Reuters Symbol caption The prime minister handed the ship’s bell to President Cyril Ramaphosa at a rite in Cape The Town

    An International Struggle One relic linked to one among the worst maritime failures in English waters has been again to South Africa by way of Theresa May.

    The SS Mendi sank off the Isle of Wight in 1917 killing more than 600 South Africans en route to the Western Front to fortify British troops.

    The top minister handed the ship’s bell to President Cyril Ramaphosa at a ceremony in Cape The Town.

    She stated it marked the “close bonds” between the 2 countries.

    The SS Mendi sank on 21 February 1917 while it was by chance rammed in thick fog by the Royal Mail packet-boat SS Darro.

    Symbol copyright Imperial Battle Museums Image caption More Than 800 participants of the South African Local Labour Corps were on board the Mendi

    So Much of the useless had been participants of the South African Native Labour Corps, heading to France to build railways, trenches, camps and roads at the Western Front.

    Speaking on the presidential place of business in Cape Town, Mrs Would Possibly mentioned: “I Am proud to give you the option to give the ancient bell from the SS Mendi to President Ramaphosa and the folk of South Africa.

    “600 and seven black troops from the South African Local Labour Corps who set sail from Cape The Town simply over a century in the past unfortunately never reached their destination, and not served alongside many other Allied forces on the Western Front.

    “These Days is crucial opportunity to commemorate this tragedy in our shared historical past and is yet one more example of the close bonds, historical links and mutual admire which underpins the UK’s very shut dating with South Africa.”

    the story became a logo of racial injustice in South Africa, where successive white-led governments discouraged annual Mendi Day commemorations.

    In 1995, the Queen and Nelson Mandela unveiled a memorial to the Mendi sufferers in Soweto.

    Image caption The bell from the SS Mendi is assumed to have been removed for the shipwreck within the nineteen eighties Might to visit Africa for first time as PM ‘Lost’ WW1 Mendi bell handed to museum The sinking of the SS Mendi

    The ship’s bell was once given to BBC reporter Steve Humphrey in 2017 in a plastic bag at Swanage Pier, Dorset, after an nameless phone call.

    A observe in the bag learn: “If I handed it in myself it could no longer go to the rightful place.

    “This must be sorted out sooner than I cross away as it could wander off.”

    Image caption A notice was left with the bell, entrusting it to a BBC reporter Image copyright Southampton City Council Image caption The BBC’s Steve Humphrey with the bell at Southampton’s SeaCity Museum

    It is believed the bell was taken from the shipwreck within the early eighties.

    Until lately it had been on show at the Sea City Museum in Southampton.

    Mrs Would Possibly may even seek advice from Nigeria and Kenya as a part of her first shuttle to Africa considering changing into top minister.

  • Inexperienced Birthday Party member ends deputy leader bid after father’s abuse conviction

    Aimee Challenor Symbol caption Aimee Challenor was operating to become the deputy leader of the golf green Birthday Party

    A Green Party member has pulled out of the race to be the party’s deputy leader, after her father was jailed for sexually abusing a ten-yr-vintage girl.

    David Challenor, 50, who has been sentenced to 22 years in jail, were an election agent for Aimee Challenor on the 2017 common election.

    In a statement Ms Challenor, a transgender activist, apologised and mentioned she didn’t find out about his crimes.

    The Inexperienced Birthday Celebration said it has introduced a whole research.

    Ms Challenor, 20, who’s a member of the green Birthday Celebration in Coventry, stated she was once disgusted together with her father’s behaviour, and didn’t realize the entire main points of his crimes until just lately.

    Her father was once charged in November 2016, West Midlands Police said.

    Challenor, of Charterhouse Highway, Coventry, used to be convicted via a jury of 23 counts of kid sex offences at Warwick Crown Courtroom and sentenced closing week.

    Midlands Live: Hunt to find Solihull double murder suspect; Teenager arrested over stabbing

    The Inexperienced Birthday Celebration said it had no longer been acutely aware of Challenor’s arrest, and “apologised unreservedly” for the truth he used to be as an election agent for his daughter within the general election and local elections in May.

    Ms Challenor, the Greens’ equalities spokeswoman, said “there were sustained sessions” where she didn’t reside in the family home.

    She brought: “in retrospect, i will remember the fact that it was once unacceptable for me to nominate my dad as my election agent whilst he were arrested.

    “i can now be mindful the prospective risks of that decision. For that i am sorry.”

    In an announcement the golf green Celebration stated: “a full research into how this was capable of occur is going down.

    “His club was once terminated with rapid impact as quickly because the data used to be delivered to the eye of determination makers.”