Featured News

December 9, 2019

Voters to hold their collective nose and vote tactically

Britain’s current agony will not be ended by the general election, whatever the outcome, far less by Brexit if it ever happens. In all probability…

An ‘economic competitor’ on the EU’s doorstep?

A fragmented future awaits a United Kingdom

Boris Johnson’s deceit maketh the man

Boris for PM offers succour north of the Border

May resigns – and Johnson is waiting in the wings

A changing climate boosts the political divide

Brexit: A path to yes through a forest of no

Leadership, or the sad lack of it

February 11, 2019

5G, Huawei and a technology tipping point

The US-China trade war has already seen various skirmishes, around intellectual property, steel and soya. One, however, is shaping up to be a battleground that…

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Tory lead narrows ahead of final election rallies
Boris Johnson is to launch a final assault on Labour’s heartlands as a survey shows that he can no longer be sure of securing a Commons majority in tomorrow’s election. The polling model that accurately predicted the election outcome two years ago suggests that the Conservatives are on course to win 339 seats, Labour 231, the Liberal Democrats 15 and the Scottish National Party 41. Although that would give Mr Johnson a majority of 28, the poll’s range of possible outcomes stretches from 367 Tory seats to only 311. “Based on the model we cannot rule out a hung parliament,” Anthony Wells, YouGov’s director of political research, said. The Times, December 11

Corbyn begins final tour of key seats with call to reject ‘politics of despair’
Jeremy Corbyn has urged voters to “reject the politics of despair and division” as he began a whistle stop tour of key seats across the UK in Glasgow. Speaking to a crowd of Labour activists gathered in the early morning darkness, the Labour leader said the British people had a choice: “Tomorrow you can vote for despair and the dishonesty of this government or you can vote Labour and get a government that is determined to bring about justice and equality in our society.” Activists were in buoyant mood following the release of YouGov’s second constituency-by-constituency poll overnight, which suggests that – while the Tories remain the favourites – the possibility of a hung parliament cannot be ruled out. The Guardian, December 11

Lawyers fear Tory ‘revenge’ for Supreme Court
Plans by UK prime minister Boris Johnson to conduct a sweeping review of the constitutional relationship between the UK government and the courts have raised fears that he may be seeking to punish the Supreme Court for overturning his prorogation of parliament. In September, Mr Johnson’s attempt to suspend parliament was deemed unlawful by the UK Supreme Court in a brutal and damning judgment. The 11 justices unanimously concluded that the prime minister had used prorogation to prevent MPs from holding the government to account over its Brexit plan. As a result of the judgment, parliament immediately resumed its work, to Mr Johnson’s considerable embarrassment. Lawyers and constitutional experts say they are now concerned by a section of the Conservative manifesto on constitutional affairs. This suggests that if Mr Johnson wins this week’s general election he could try to water down the powers of the Supreme Court. Financial Times, December 11

Sturgeon denounces capitalism at BBC debate
Nicola Sturgeon denounced the free market last night as she opened the door for more nationalisation in a deal to make Jeremy Corbyn prime minister. Despite dismissing Labour’s spending plans the SNP leader pressed for a “progressive alliance” with opposition parties that would lock Boris Johnson out of Downing Street on Friday in the event of a hung parliament. In the final televised debate before Britain goes to the polls tomorrow, Ms Sturgeon said that if there were no majority after the election she would try to work with Labour and the Liberal Democrats to form a government. The Times, December 11

Democrats launch case against Trump
Democrats plan to impeach President Trump on two charges of abusing power and obstructing Congress, they announced yesterday. The announcement of the charges, amounting to “high crimes and misdemeanours”, sets the stage for an impeachment vote in the House of Representatives this month before Mr Trump stands trial in the Senate next year. Democrats said it was their duty to proceed with impeachment – for the fourth time in US history – to preserve national security and defend the integrity of the 2020 election. Mr Trump is charged with “high crimes and misdemeanours”. A vote is expected in the House of Representatives’ judiciary committee tomorrow, followed by the full chamber next week, where they are likely to pass along party lines and start the trial process in the Senate, which is controlled by the Republicans. The Times, December 11

WTO’s court is crippled by Trump’s refusal to approve judges
The system for settling global trade disputes is in disarray after pressure from President Trump led to the shutdown of the World Trade Organization’s top court. The incapacity of the court raises questions about the future of the WTO and will put further pressure on the established rules-based order for trade. Roberto Azevêdo, director-general of the Geneva-based regulator, said last night: “We now live in a moment of uncertainty with regard to disputes that are ongoing.” The Trump administration has crippled the organisation’s appellate body by refusing to approve the appointment or reappointment of any judges. The court usually has seven judges and requires three to consider a new case. Following the expiry of two members’ terms last night, only one – Hong Zhao of China – remains in place. The trade body was set up in 1995 as a hub for negotiations and disputes and has 164 members. Britain will become an independent member after leaving the European Union. The Times, December 11

Suu Kyi rejects genocide claims in UN court
Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi has been defending her country against allegations of genocide at the UN International Court of Justice. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate is responding to widespread claims that Myanmar (formerly Burma) committed atrocities against Muslim Rohingya. In her opening remarks, she called the case against Myanmar “incomplete and incorrect”. She said troubles in Rakhine, where many Rohingya lived, go back centuries. Thousands of Rohingya were killed and more than 700,000 fled to neighbouring Bangladesh during an army crackdown in Buddhist-majority Myanmar in 2017. Myanmar has always insisted it was tackling an extremist threat in Rakhine state, and Ms Suu Kyi maintained that stance, calling the violence an “internal armed conflict triggered by attacks on police posts”. BBC news, December 11

Bird flu outbreak at Suffolk farm leads to cull
All 27,000 chickens at a farm in Suffolk will be culled after cases of bird flu were confirmed. A number of the birds were found to have the H5 strain of avian flu, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said. It set up a 1km (0.6 mile) exclusion zone around the farm, near Eye, to limit risk of the disease spreading. Dr Gavin Dabrera, from Public Health England, said the risk to public health was very low. The Food Standards Agency said there was no food safety risk as long as poultry products, including eggs, are thoroughly cooked. The strain at the commercial farm at Athelington has been identified as “low pathogenic avian flu”. BBC news, December 11

Corbyn bats away Ashworth recording as banter
Jeremy Corbyn has dismissed a recording of one of his most senior colleagues saying Labour would not win the election and suggesting the civil service would have to “safeguard security” if he became prime minister as “banter”. Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, who was recorded without his knowledge by a Conservative friend, said the election for Labour was “dire” outside urban areas. Corbyn dismissed the leaked exchange as a private “bit of banter between two old friends” during a campaign visit to Carlisle, a key marginal held by the Tories with a majority of 2,599 votes. “I’ve had a chat with Jon Ashworth, he called me straight away. He’s out there campaigning for a Labour government,” the Labour leader told the BBC. “He’s out there defending the National Health Service. Jon has my full support. We get along great.” Ashworth faced a day of questions over the leaked conversation, taped by a friend with whom he had previously been on holiday to the US. The Guardian, December 10

Facebook political ads vanish from archive
Tens of thousands of political ads have gone missing from Facebook’s public archive less than 48 hours before the British general election, raising fresh questions over measures introduced to address transparency concerns in online political advertising. Facebook introduced the ad library following the Cambridge Analytica scandal which led to concerns over the way political campaigners could use the social media platform to target and influence voters in elections. The British version of the library went live in October 2018, meaning this Thursday’s vote is the first time such online information about political advertising has been made available. On December 5, Facebook’s ad library, which includes adverts shown on its photo messaging subsidiary Instagram, showed a total of just under 180,000 classified as political in Britain since October 2018. But on Tuesday, that number had suddenly dropped by a third, to fewer than 120,000 ads. Financial Times, December 10

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