Labour CRISIS: 17 frontbench MPs set to OPPOSE Jeremy Corbyn over second referendum U-turn FRONTBENCH MPs in the Labour Party are expected to rebel against Jeremy Corbyn’s attempt for a second referendum.
Police to investigate two anti-Semitic letters sent to former Labour MP
Anti-Semitic letters sent to MP Joan Ryan are being investigated by the police. The politician quit the Labour Party last week, citing concerns over its relationship with the Jewish community. The Metropolitan Police confirmed that two "malicious" letters sent to the former Labour Friends of Israel chairman are being investigated. Ms Ryan, who has now joined the breakaway Independent Group of MPs, said the party had become "infected with the scourge of anti-Semitism" under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership when she quit. Scotland Yard said: "Police are investigating after two items of malicious communication were sent to a serving MP in February 2019. "The items, both letters, contained abuse of an...
Theresa May launches £1.6billion fund for towns in Labour strongholds in 'bribe' to win over Brexit opposition MPs
Theresa May has launched a £1.6billion fund for deprived towns in Labour strongholds in what has been called a "Brexit bribe" to win over opposition MPs. The “stronger towns” fund will be used to create new jobs, provide skills training and improve infrastructure such as road and rail links. Communities will have a say on how the money is spent. However the move risked a backlash by Tory MPs. Grant Shapps, a former chairman of the Conservative Party, said: "Whilst money for deprived areas is welcome it's important that the Government remembers that deprivation isn't confined to Labour constituencies. "There will be many good arguments for spending money in Conservative constituencies as well."...
Brexit: Labour will whip MPs to back second referendum, says McDonnell Shadow chancellor rules out giving free vote to Labour MPs in pro-Brexit constituencies
The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, has said the Labour party will whip its MPs to back a second referendum rather than offer a free vote, a move that the senior backbencher Caroline Flint warned could lead to the rebellion of up to 70 MPs. McDonnell said it would be common practice to see MPs whipped to support party policy, but he understood the difficulties such a decision could pose for MPs in leave constituencies.
ERG warns May not to 'bounce' parliament over new Brexit deal Tory Eurosceptic group says at least two days will be needed to scrutinise new compromise on Irish backstop
Tory Brexiters are to demand at least two days to scrutinise any new offer from Brussels on the Irish backstop mechanism, warning the prime minister not to “bounce” the group into an early vote on her Brexit deal. May has pledged that a vote will take place on her proposal, including any changes agreed in Brussels, by 12 March, though it is possible that Downing Street will seek to bring the vote forward to this week if changes can be secured.
£1.6bn 'bribe' for poorer towns as May seeks Labour's backing for Brexit deal Read more
The EU has suggested that progress has been minimal and a No 10 source said there was little optimism about putting any deal to a vote this week, despite rumours in Westminster that the prime minister could attempt two votes before the 12 March deadline, after which she has promised to hold a vote on a no-deal exit and on delaying article 50. The attorney general, Geoffrey Cox, was reported to have abandoned plans to secure a unilateral exit mechanism or firm end date to the backstop and was reported to be now focusing efforts on securing an enhanced “arbitration mechanism” that allows the UK or the EU to give formal notice that the backstop arrangement should end.
Politics Brexit: Minister admits £1.6bn for poorer towns to be spent over next seven years - Politics live
Today the announcement has arrived. And, in a statement Theresa May has partially linked it to Brexit. She says:
For too long in our country prosperity has been unfairly spread. Our economy has worked well for some places but we want it to work for all communities. Communities across the country voted for Brexit as an expression of their desire to see change – that must be a change for the better, with more opportunity and greater control. These towns have a glorious heritage, huge potential and, with the right help, a bright future ahead of them. But, as Jessica Elgot points out in our overnight story, Labour MPs were queuing up last night to say that this announcement would not change their minds over Brexit.
Jeremy Corbyn is right that MPs must give the people a Final Say on Brexit
– here’s how When the prime minister brings back her deal in the next week or so, she will try to impose a choice on MPs: my deal or no deal. That is a choice we, the Labour Party and the majority in parliament must reject
This isn’t about overturning the previous referendum, but about empowering the country to confirm or reject the negotiated outcome. It’s about preventing the catastrophe of a no-deal Brexit. And it’s about trying to draw a line under two years of division, disruption and uncertainty brought about by an incompetent Tory government.
We know it may not be the choice many of our colleagues will want to take. Frankly, it wasn’t the choice we thought would face us at this stage of the process when we triggered Article 50 two years ago. However, it is the only choice left for Labour and for parliament if we want to protect the long-term future of our country and our communities.
I’m an American who lives in Britain. Trust me, the last thing we need is chlorinated chicken
US ambassador to the UK, Woody Johnson, accused the EU of prioritising ‘history and tradition over innovation and science’. Perhaps, but at least we have high food standards
After over 20 years living in Britain, there are still things I miss from the US. I still dream of Vidalia onions from Georgia that are so sweet, I’d happily peel them and munch them raw, like an apple. Or a peach from Dixon, New Mexico that’s so ripe, the juice runs down my chin in rivulets. Sweetcorn from southern Colorado that’s so tender, so just-picked, that I can shuck it and eat it without ever cooking it.
These are things I long for. But I don’t miss chicken for the simple reason that it doesn’t taste like chicken, rather like a plumped up, processed, protein.
Living in the UK, I’ve been spoiled. On Saturday I go to my local butcher and pick out a British bird that’s free range. On Sunday I rub it with fat and sprinkle it with salt and roast it until the skin is crisp and the flesh moist. The next day, whatever is leftover is dinner and on the third day, the picked-over carcass goes into the pot and emerges as an admirable stock. Now that, is a chicken.
US ambassador to the UK Woody Johnson would call it a museum exhibition. Writing in the Telegraph, he said that our current agricultural policies are outdated and unsustainable, especially if we’re committed to feeding a hungry planet. Calling the EU’s policies a “museum of agriculture”, he said: “The EU approach prizes history and tradition over innovation and science. In the United States, we look at the bigger picture.”
Adding that terms like “chlorinated chicken” and “hormone beef” are “inflammatory and misleading”, Johnson claims they’re “myths” and part of a “smear campaign”. I’d say that they’re honest statements about how food is produced in the US. And it’s not simply whether chlorine is harmful to us; it’s what it says about the methods used to rear those animals. As a committed omnivore, I think we have a responsibility to say that the wellbeing of livestock matters. As consumers, I think we need to make a clear stand on what is and is not acceptable
I’m not alone. In a study conducted last year by the Institute for Public Policy Research, 82 per cent of the British public said they were unwilling to lower food standards in order to secure a trade deal with the US, and this was consistent for Leave and Remain supporters. It’s not just chlorinated chickens either. Witnesses at the House of Commons International Trade Committee talked about the use of growth hormones, lack of labelling of GM foods and the use of banned pesticides in the US. And if products coming in from the US aren’t properly labelled, then how will we as consumers know what we’re buying? How can we make a choice if that choice isn’t clear?
I’ve had the opportunity to speak to farmers in the UK and to see how they treat their livestock. Yes, they meet high standards because it’s the law, but also because for most of them it matters deeply. Farming today is not for the faint of heart, whether it’s a family farmer hoping against hope that there will be something left to leave their children, or the rare optimist who scrapes and saves enough to build a farm from scratch. They are smart, they are hardworking and they deserve our support – and that means standing up and saying that US livestock “standards” are not ours.
Labour deputy leader Tom Watson rebuked by party’s general secretary about how to deal with anti-Semitism Jennie Formby said that Mr Watson's approach would "undermine" and "pollute" the existing system of dealing with complaints
Japan's ambassador warns more firms could leave UK over Brexit
More Japanese companies may relocate away from the UK in the coming months if Britain does not seal a promising post-Brexit deal, the Japanese ambassador has warned. In an exclusive interview with Sky News, Koji Tsuruoka said Japanese companies had been cutting back on investment in the UK amid the uncertainty.
The big hole in May's £1.6bn giveaway to Brexit towns
Theresa May will have been hoping for positive headlines after she announced a £1.6bn giveaway aimed mainly at poorer Leave-voting areas. Many voters will welcome the UK prime minister’s desire to restore jobs and pride to neglected areas of England, and her acknowledgement that deeper grievances contributed to the Brexit vote. But the announcement was immediately shot down by the opposition and the media this morning as a “bribe” to gain Labour MPs’ support for her Brexit deal. That was predictable and probably accurate, given the conspicuous timing and a lack of detail that suggested the announcement may have been drawn up rather quickly. But there is a much bigger problem, at least as far as the areas themselves are concerned – the government is giving with one hand and taking with another.
An investigation released today by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism shows more than 12,000 public spaces, from community centres to playgrounds to libraries, have been sold off since 2014 alone. Many local services across the country have been hammered by austerity for almost a decade, and some will feel it is too little, too late. Councils will have lost almost 60% of the central government funds many rely on by 2020, with almost half set to receive no government cash at all this year. The Local Government Association says some are now at risk of financial collapse, with many unable to maintain services, roads, public buildings and provide much-needed care for the young, old and disabled.
Japan's ambassador warns more firms could leave UK over Brexit
More Japanese companies may relocate away from the UK in the coming months if Britain does not seal a promising post-Brexit deal, the Japanese ambassador has warned. In an exclusive interview with Sky News, Koji Tsuruoka said Japanese companies had been cutting back on investment in the UK amid the uncertainty.
Let them go and beg for money off their own countries instead of cap in hand to british government they show no loyalty once the profits decline and pastures look greener elsewhere they wanna up sticks smoke and mirrors threat
Japan's ambassador warns more firms could leave UK over Brexit
More Japanese companies may relocate away from the UK in the coming months if Britain does not seal a promising post-Brexit deal, the Japanese ambassador has warned. In an exclusive interview with Sky News, Koji Tsuruoka said Japanese companies had been cutting back on investment in the UK amid the uncertainty.
Let them go and beg for money off their own countries instead of cap in hand to british government they show no loyalty once the profits decline and pastures look greener elsewhere they wanna up sticks smoke and mirrors threat
Brexit phonebox on Dungeness beach invites the public to "leave a message for Europe"
Artist Joe Sweeney has installed a phone box on the English coast that invites people to share their feelings about Brexit, in an interactive public artwork called +44. The replica of a typical phone box is situated on Dungeness beach, an area on the southeast coast of England that voted in favour of the UK leaving the European Union. It will remain in place for 28 days, from 1 March 2019 until the proposed date of the UK's departure from the EU, 29 March.
Comments
FRONTBENCH MPs in the Labour Party are expected to rebel against Jeremy Corbyn’s attempt for a second referendum.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1095225/Brexit-news-Jeremy-corbyn-labour-party-second-referendum-peoples-vote
Anti-Semitic letters sent to MP Joan Ryan are being investigated by the police.
The politician quit the Labour Party last week, citing concerns over its relationship with the Jewish community.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed that two "malicious" letters sent to the former Labour Friends of Israel chairman are being investigated.
Ms Ryan, who has now joined the breakaway Independent Group of MPs, said the party had become "infected with the scourge of anti-Semitism" under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership when she quit.
Scotland Yard said: "Police are investigating after two items of malicious communication were sent to a serving MP in February 2019.
"The items, both letters, contained abuse of an...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/03/03/police-investigate-two-anti-semitic-letters-sent-former-labour/
Theresa May has launched a £1.6billion fund for deprived towns in Labour strongholds in what has been called a "Brexit bribe" to win over opposition MPs.
The “stronger towns” fund will be used to create new jobs, provide skills training and improve infrastructure such as road and rail links. Communities will have a say on how the money is spent.
However the move risked a backlash by Tory MPs. Grant Shapps, a former chairman of the Conservative Party, said: "Whilst money for deprived areas is welcome it's important that the Government remembers that deprivation isn't confined to Labour constituencies.
"There will be many good arguments for spending money in Conservative constituencies as well."...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/03/03/theresa-may-launches-16billion-fund-towns-labour-strongholds/
Shadow chancellor rules out giving free vote to Labour MPs in pro-Brexit constituencies
The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, has said the Labour party will whip its MPs to back a second referendum rather than offer a free vote, a move that the senior backbencher Caroline Flint warned could lead to the rebellion of up to 70 MPs.
McDonnell said it would be common practice to see MPs whipped to support party policy, but he understood the difficulties such a decision could pose for MPs in leave constituencies.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/mar/03/brexit-labour-will-whip-mps-to-back-second-referendum-says-mcdonnell
Tory Eurosceptic group says at least two days will be needed to scrutinise new compromise on Irish backstop
Tory Brexiters are to demand at least two days to scrutinise any new offer from Brussels on the Irish backstop mechanism, warning the prime minister not to “bounce” the group into an early vote on her Brexit deal.
May has pledged that a vote will take place on her proposal, including any changes agreed in Brussels, by 12 March, though it is possible that Downing Street will seek to bring the vote forward to this week if changes can be secured.
£1.6bn 'bribe' for poorer towns as May seeks Labour's backing for Brexit deal
Read more
The EU has suggested that progress has been minimal and a No 10 source said there was little optimism about putting any deal to a vote this week, despite rumours in Westminster that the prime minister could attempt two votes before the 12 March deadline, after which she has promised to hold a vote on a no-deal exit and on delaying article 50.
The attorney general, Geoffrey Cox, was reported to have abandoned plans to secure a unilateral exit mechanism or firm end date to the backstop and was reported to be now focusing efforts on securing an enhanced “arbitration mechanism” that allows the UK or the EU to give formal notice that the backstop arrangement should end.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/mar/03/liam-fox-extending-article-50-may-be-only-option-for-a-smooth-brexit
Brexit: Minister admits £1.6bn for poorer towns to be spent over next seven years - Politics live
Today the announcement has arrived. And, in a statement Theresa May has partially linked it to Brexit. She says:
For too long in our country prosperity has been unfairly spread. Our economy has worked well for some places but we want it to work for all communities.
Communities across the country voted for Brexit as an expression of their desire to see change – that must be a change for the better, with more opportunity and greater control.
These towns have a glorious heritage, huge potential and, with the right help, a bright future ahead of them.
But, as Jessica Elgot points out in our overnight story, Labour MPs were queuing up last night to say that this announcement would not change their minds over Brexit.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/live/2019/mar/04/brexit-latest-news-admits-16bn-for-poorer-towns-to-be-spent-over-next-seven-years-politics-live
– here’s how
When the prime minister brings back her deal in the next week or so, she will try to impose a choice on MPs: my deal or no deal. That is a choice we, the Labour Party and the majority in parliament must reject
This isn’t about overturning the previous referendum, but about empowering the country to confirm or reject the negotiated outcome. It’s about preventing the catastrophe of a no-deal Brexit. And it’s about trying to draw a line under two years of division, disruption and uncertainty brought about by an incompetent Tory government.
We know it may not be the choice many of our colleagues will want to take. Frankly, it wasn’t the choice we thought would face us at this stage of the process when we triggered Article 50 two years ago. However, it is the only choice left for Labour and for parliament if we want to protect the long-term future of our country and our communities.
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/brexit-corbyn-second-referendum-labour-peoples-vote-a8804271.html
US ambassador to the UK, Woody Johnson, accused the EU of prioritising ‘history and tradition over innovation and science’. Perhaps, but at least we have high food standards
After over 20 years living in Britain, there are still things I miss from the US. I still dream of Vidalia onions from Georgia that are so sweet, I’d happily peel them and munch them raw, like an apple.
Or a peach from Dixon, New Mexico that’s so ripe, the juice runs down my chin in rivulets.
Sweetcorn from southern Colorado that’s so tender, so just-picked, that I can shuck it and eat it without ever cooking it.
These are things I long for. But I don’t miss chicken for the simple reason that it doesn’t taste like chicken, rather like a plumped up, processed, protein.
Living in the UK, I’ve been spoiled. On Saturday I go to my local butcher and pick out a British bird that’s free range. On Sunday I rub it with fat and sprinkle it with salt and roast it until the skin is crisp and the flesh moist.
The next day, whatever is leftover is dinner and on the third day, the picked-over carcass goes into the pot and emerges as an admirable stock.
Now that, is a chicken.
US ambassador to the UK Woody Johnson would call it a museum exhibition. Writing in the Telegraph, he said that our current agricultural policies are outdated and unsustainable, especially if we’re committed to feeding a hungry planet. Calling the EU’s policies a “museum of agriculture”, he said: “The EU approach prizes history and tradition over innovation and science. In the United States, we look at the bigger picture.”
Adding that terms like “chlorinated chicken” and “hormone beef” are “inflammatory and misleading”, Johnson claims they’re “myths” and part of a “smear campaign”. I’d say that they’re honest statements about how food is produced in the US.
And it’s not simply whether chlorine is harmful to us; it’s what it says about the methods used to rear those animals. As a committed omnivore, I think we have a responsibility to say that the wellbeing of livestock matters. As consumers, I think we need to make a clear stand on what is and is not acceptable
I’m not alone. In a study conducted last year by the Institute for Public Policy Research, 82 per cent of the British public said they were unwilling to lower food standards in order to secure a trade deal with the US, and this was consistent for Leave and Remain supporters.
It’s not just chlorinated chickens either. Witnesses at the House of Commons International Trade Committee talked about the use of growth hormones, lack of labelling of GM foods and the use of banned pesticides in the US. And if products coming in from the US aren’t properly labelled, then how will we as consumers know what we’re buying? How can we make a choice if that choice isn’t clear?
I’ve had the opportunity to speak to farmers in the UK and to see how they treat their livestock. Yes, they meet high standards because it’s the law, but also because for most of them it matters deeply.
Farming today is not for the faint of heart, whether it’s a family farmer hoping against hope that there will be something left to leave their children, or the rare optimist who scrapes and saves enough to build a farm from scratch.
They are smart, they are hardworking and they deserve our support – and that means standing up and saying that US livestock “standards” are not ours.
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/brexit-chlorinated-chicken-trade-deal-us-woody-johnson-a8805576.html
Read more at: https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/tom-watson-anti-semitism-letter-labour-jennie-formby/
Another Twitter gem spotted yesterday;
BREAKING NEWS: Reports are emerging that Chris Grayling tried to resign last night but somehow managed to cancel his Netflix subscription instead.
More Japanese companies may relocate away from the UK in the coming months if Britain does not seal a promising post-Brexit deal, the Japanese ambassador has warned.
In an exclusive interview with Sky News, Koji Tsuruoka said Japanese companies had been cutting back on investment in the UK amid the uncertainty.
https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/japans-ambassador-warns-more-firms-142200212.html
Theresa May will have been hoping for positive headlines after she announced a £1.6bn giveaway aimed mainly at poorer Leave-voting areas.
Many voters will welcome the UK prime minister’s desire to restore jobs and pride to neglected areas of England, and her acknowledgement that deeper grievances contributed to the Brexit vote.
But the announcement was immediately shot down by the opposition and the media this morning as a “bribe” to gain Labour MPs’ support for her Brexit deal.
That was predictable and probably accurate, given the conspicuous timing and a lack of detail that suggested the announcement may have been drawn up rather quickly.
But there is a much bigger problem, at least as far as the areas themselves are concerned – the government is giving with one hand and taking with another.
An investigation released today by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism shows more than 12,000 public spaces, from community centres to playgrounds to libraries, have been sold off since 2014 alone.
Many local services across the country have been hammered by austerity for almost a decade, and some will feel it is too little, too late.
Councils will have lost almost 60% of the central government funds many rely on by 2020, with almost half set to receive no government cash at all this year.
The Local Government Association says some are now at risk of financial collapse, with many unable to maintain services, roads, public buildings and provide much-needed care for the young, old and disabled.
https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/big-hole-mays-1-6bn-giveaway-brexit-towns-132933206.html
https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/may-loses-key-mps-support-131000111.html
Artist Joe Sweeney has installed a phone box on the English coast that invites people to share their feelings about Brexit, in an interactive public artwork called +44.
The replica of a typical phone box is situated on Dungeness beach, an area on the southeast coast of England that voted in favour of the UK leaving the European Union.
It will remain in place for 28 days, from 1 March 2019 until the proposed date of the UK's departure from the EU, 29 March.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/technology/brexit-phonebox-on-dungeness-beach-invites-the-public-to-leave-a-message-for-europe/ar-BBUlAS3?ocid=spartandhp