Vote Leave fined over thousands of unsolicited texts
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has fined Brexit Campaign group Vote Leave £40,000 ($53,000) for sending out nearly 200,000 unsolicited text messages. The text messages contained a link to the campaign website alongside information about its ambitions. They were sent in the run-up to the EU referendum in 2016. The ICO said the group had been unable to prove that everyone who received the message had consented to the contact. Vote Leave said it had gathered numbers from people who had contacted it. It said the numbers came from website enquiries, texts it had received in response to other promotions and from running its own football competition. Pro-Brexit Labour group fined by watchdog Early on in the campaign, Vote Leave launched a competition with a prize of £50m for correctly guessing the result of all 51 games in the 2016 European football championship. The odds of winning the contest - which Vote Leave funded through an insurance policy - were calculated at one in 5,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.
Price of Brexit delay could be referendum or election, says Barnier
Michel Barnier has suggested that the price of a long Brexit delay in the event of Theresa May’s deal being defeated again would be a soft Brexit or a “new event” such as a second referendum or general election. Speaking two days before Thursday’s crunch leaders’ summit, the EU’s chief negotiator said the bloc’s heads of state and government would want to be convinced of the usefulness of extra time, given the costs involved. The EU is seeking a detailed road map from the prime minister on how parliament will decide on one of those options should her deal be rejected again next week, and is pushing for a commitment by May that a decision would be made by MPs by mid-April. The prime minister will seek agreement at this week’s EU summit on an extra three months of membership, to pass the necessary withdrawal legislation in the event of her deal being backed by the Commons next week, or a longer period otherwise. Barnier raised the bar for May by warning that for the EU’s 27 leaders to unanimously agree on such a prolonged delay to Brexit, it would need to be linked to a major change of tack by the British government. “The key questions will be: does an extension increase the chances of the ratification of the withdrawal agreement? Will the UK request an extension because it wants a bit more time to rework the political declaration?” Barnier said.
'The last days of Rome': How Cabinet divisions were laid bare amid stark warnings over long Brexit delay
The warnings at Cabinet were dire. Liz Truss, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, chose to invoke a dystopian vision of the future in the event of a long delay to Brexit. "A two-year extension is going to divide the party if there is an election," she allegedly told ministers. "Britain will be a barren land ruled by Jeremy Corbyn with all of us here in the gulag." During a marathon, two-and-a-half hour Cabinet, the Prime Minister yesterday held a discussion on one of the defining decisions of Brexit - extending Article 50. Mrs May is today expected to write to Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council, formally requesting an extension of Article 50. Cabinet ministers noted that the...
Theresa May admits country is 'in crisis' with 10 days to avert no-deal Brexit She will now write to European Council president Donald Tusk setting out her next steps ahead of a summit starting Thursday
Theresa May has admitted the country is in crisis as she prepares to write to the EU explaining her next steps with Britain heading towards a no-deal Brexit in ten days. The prime minister’s spokesman argued that a crisis had now “come to pass”, as Ms May warned it would after the House of Commons rejected her Brexit deal last week.
She will now write to European Council president Donald Tusk setting out her next steps, a letter likely to involve some kind of request for a delay to Brexit.
Brexit: Less than half of trusted trader applications approved
Less than half of the applications from UK firms for "trusted trader" status have been approved by HMRC since 2016, Newsnight has learned. The status is a quality marker, which the government says allows firms to fast-track their shipments through customs. This could be crucial if the UK leaves the EU without a deal. Hauliers say they have been given "chaotic information". HMRC said businesses must "meet strict compliance standards" for the status.
Between June 2016 and January of this year, 749 applications for the so-called Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) trading quality mark were submitted, according to data obtained by Newsnight. But only 365 authorisations were made in the same period. HMRC said these figures may include multiple applications for a single business. "HMRC work with businesses to help them correct any errors in their applications and provide guidance on actions they can take to meet the required standards," said a HMRC spokesman. Rod McKenzie, of the Road Haulage Association, said it's members had been given "chaotic, confusing and frankly incomplete" information. "It's just impossible to run a business without a clear system," he said
A financial services company has been ordered not to reuse an advert in which it tried to persuade people to take out a loan, in case they wanted to stockpile food because of Brexit. Cash On Go, trading as Peachy.co.uk, sent out an email saying, "it's a good idea to have a little stockpile ready." The Advertising Standards Authority upheld a complaint from a reader who said the advert was irresponsible. Peachy said it referred to Brexit light-heartedly and to make it topical. It added that it wanted to reflect some situations where people may find it hard to prepare fully for unexpected scenarios.
The ASA said that the advert was likely to put emotional pressure on people and added: "We considered that the ad's references to possible food shortages and the stockpiling of food were likely to play on some people's concerns regarding Brexit, including financially vulnerable consumers who were already struggling or worrying about their financial situation." The ASA ruled that the advert must not appear again in its current form. "We told Peachy to ensure future ads did not send an irresponsible message about debt to readers," it added. In response, Peachy said it would abide by the ruling not to use the advert any more and would ensure it "considered public sensitivities more thoroughly".
After a very stormy Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, with splits and spats over how long to delay our departure from the EU, ministers left with different impressions of whether the prime minister had made an actual decision. But the expectation, and certainly the insistence of a group of ministers there, including those who threatened to quit if the government didn't accept the idea of delaying Brexit, was that Theresa May would acknowledge that a long pause might be required even though it's not what she wants. The impression given was that she would say a short extension was the ideal, but a longer one might be required. One cabinet minister told me after the meeting, they thought she would ask for up to two years. However, with this saga's endless capacity to surprise and, more to the point, a significant chunk of the Tory party against any delay, Number 10 is now indicating that in fact, Theresa May will not ask for a long pause, but merely a short window, in the hope of getting her deal through somehow, and quickly.
A source says: "The prime minister won't be asking for a long extension. There is a case for giving Parliament a bit more time to agree a way forward, but the people of this country have been waiting nearly three years now. They are fed up with Parliament's failure to take a decision and the prime minister shares their frustration." When her letter to the EU actually emerges, the final wording will be key - will she rule out ever seeking a longer delay? Will the text be clear that if Parliament fails to meet its second deadline, then the prime minister will argue for leaving without a deal done? Ultimately remember, the decision on the length and conditions attached is down to the EU, not the UK. But as things stand, the prime minister seems to be ratcheting up the pressure for the next few weeks in the hope of pushing her deal through a reluctant Parliament, rather than accepting that the dilemma and level of disagreement is so profound, that a longer rethink might be what is required.
Many of Wednesday's newspaper focus on Theresa May's efforts to extend the Brexit process. The Times suggests the EU will warn that the price of a delay could be a general election or another referendum. The Independent website refers to "the Barnier ultimatum", after the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, said there would need to be a "new event or new political process" to secure an extension. Meanwhile, the front page of the Daily Telegraph quotes the Commons leader Andrea Leadsom who was said to have told a stormy meeting of the cabinet yesterday: "This used to be the cabinet that would deliver Brexit - from what I'm hearing it's not". The paper claims that if a new date for leaving has not been agreed by Monday, the government will activate its doomsday planning for a worst-case no-deal scenario known as "Operation Yellowhammer". A number of papers are especially scathing in their criticism of what they call the political establishment. The Daily Mail says "incompetent MPs and hard Brexit zealots" have made Britain a laughing stock, resulting in 1,000 wasted days since the vote in 2016. According to the Sun, this is the last chance for a generation of "feeble" politicians to do their duty to democracy.
Corbyn accused of 'witch-hunt' as ex-Labour MPs deposed
Jeremy Corbyn has been accused of a "witch-hunt", after two senior MPs who have quit the Labour Party were removed from a powerful Commons committee. A Labour motion to replace Ian Austin and Mike Gapes - who left the party last month - on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee was approved in the Commons by 199 votes to 134 - a majority of 65. But there was anger among the pair's supporters in all parties over Mr Corbyn's decision to impose a three-line whip and in the vote 11 Labour MPs defied the Labour leader's orders. Labour defended the move, saying it was right to "give a voice to Labour voters in parliament". After the result Mr Austin tweeted: "I'm very grateful to those MPs from all parties who voted to keep me on the committee and I don't think Labour MPs will look back with pride on voting for Jeremy Corbyn's vindictive motion to kick me off because I stood up to racism.
UK to lose £1tn of financial assets to Europe due to Brexit
Financial services companies have committed to move about £1tn of assets out of the UK into Europe as the industry triggers its worst-case contingency plans with no Brexit deal in sight, according to consultancy EY. The estimate by EY — which mainly covers client assets and cash moved out of the UK by banks and fund managers as well as the transfer of balance sheets as operations are relocated — has increased by £200bn since the last survey in January. Banks and investors are now being forced to finalise plans only days from the Brexit deadline, with London’s future trading relationship with the EU still in question after Theresa May failed for a second time to secure parliamentary approval for her deal last week. She now faces having to ask Brussels for an extension to Brexit, causing added uncertainty for businesses in the UK.
Labour MP Chris Bryant reads out a limerick in the Commons saying it reminds him of how the ERG are now controlling Theresa May:
"There was a young lady of N ig er
"Who smiled as she rode on a tiger;
"They returned from the ride
"With the lady inside,
"And the smile on the face of the tiger."
Mr Bryant concludes: "The Conservative Party is now run by the ERG."
She has only asked for a short extension to article 50, after pressure from the ERG, and the threat of resignations.
She stood up in Parliament last week and clearly said that an extension was unavoidable.
She went on to say that a short technical extension would be required if she won the meaningful vote, but a longer extension would be needed if she lost.
Her deputy said on Thursday, that to apply for a short extension would be reckless.
This hinges on the EU elections in May.
If we wanted to extend past the end of June, we would have to elect MEPs.
So if we don't hold elections we have to be out by the end of June.
So asking for a small extension just moves the cliff edge from the end of this month to the end of June.
Although this may be a more precarious cliff edge without any opportunity to further extend Article 50.
This probably makes it less likely that the ERG will support her deal, as they can smell a no deal at the end of June, end of.
There is no real rush, as the plan was to move into a 21 month transition period anyway.
Any PM that was acting in the best interests of the country would have asked for a longer extension, just to be on the safe side.
We would have held European elections, and therefore probably wouldn't have had a problem to further extend if it didn't go according to plan.
The one saving grace is that the EU have said they will allow a short extension providing she wins the meaningful vote.
I hope that they will only allow a longer extension if she loses.
Some commentators thought that when she was saying that she could only contemplate a small extension, she was inferring that she would rather resign than allow a longer extension.
Corbyn went round for talks, but walked straight out because Chukka Umunna was there.
Remain would win second Brexit referendum but no-deal would get more votes than Theresa May's deal, poll indicates
Britain is due to leave the EU in nine days time, with or without a deal, but after MPs voted against a no-deal exit, and also against the exit deal negotiated by Theresa May, the government has requested an extension to the Brexit deadline. As the European Union mulls whether to grant the extension, a snap poll by YouGov indicates 61 per cent of the population would vote to remain in the EU rather than for Theresa May’s deal (39 per cent) if a referendum offering those options were called. However, if people were asked in a public vote whether they would prefer to remain in the EU or leave with no deal in place, remain would still win, though by the smaller margin of 57-43 per cent.It shows a 22-point lead for Remain over Ms May’s deal, or a 14-point lead for Remain over no deal at all.
A march in support of a Final Say second referendum takes place on in central London on Saturday and is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of protesters. Meanwhile a “Leave means Leave” protest, also known as the “Brexit betrayal march” is underway with tens of Brexit supporters walking for two weeks from Sunderland to London demanding the UK leaves the EU on 29 March.
Comments
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has fined Brexit Campaign group Vote Leave £40,000 ($53,000) for sending out nearly 200,000 unsolicited text messages.
The text messages contained a link to the campaign website alongside information about its ambitions.
They were sent in the run-up to the EU referendum in 2016.
The ICO said the group had been unable to prove that everyone who received the message had consented to the contact.
Vote Leave said it had gathered numbers from people who had contacted it.
It said the numbers came from website enquiries, texts it had received in response to other promotions and from running its own football competition.
Pro-Brexit Labour group fined by watchdog
Early on in the campaign, Vote Leave launched a competition with a prize of £50m for correctly guessing the result of all 51 games in the 2016 European football championship.
The odds of winning the contest - which Vote Leave funded through an insurance policy - were calculated at one in 5,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-47623413
Michel Barnier has suggested that the price of a long Brexit delay in the event of Theresa May’s deal being defeated again would be a soft Brexit or a “new event” such as a second referendum or general election.
Speaking two days before Thursday’s crunch leaders’ summit, the EU’s chief negotiator said the bloc’s heads of state and government would want to be convinced of the usefulness of extra time, given the costs involved.
The EU is seeking a detailed road map from the prime minister on how parliament will decide on one of those options should her deal be rejected again next week, and is pushing for a commitment by May that a decision would be made by MPs by mid-April.
The prime minister will seek agreement at this week’s EU summit on an extra three months of membership, to pass the necessary withdrawal legislation in the event of her deal being backed by the Commons next week, or a longer period otherwise.
Barnier raised the bar for May by warning that for the EU’s 27 leaders to unanimously agree on such a prolonged delay to Brexit, it would need to be linked to a major change of tack by the British government.
“The key questions will be: does an extension increase the chances of the ratification of the withdrawal agreement? Will the UK request an extension because it wants a bit more time to rework the political declaration?” Barnier said.
https://uk.yahoo.com/news/eu-ministers-baffled-frustrated-latest-111906437.html
The warnings at Cabinet were dire. Liz Truss, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, chose to invoke a dystopian vision of the future in the event of a long delay to Brexit.
"A two-year extension is going to divide the party if there is an election," she allegedly told ministers. "Britain will be a barren land ruled by Jeremy Corbyn with all of us here in the gulag."
During a marathon, two-and-a-half hour Cabinet, the Prime Minister yesterday held a discussion on one of the defining decisions of Brexit - extending Article 50.
Mrs May is today expected to write to Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council, formally requesting an extension of Article 50.
Cabinet ministers noted that the...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/03/19/last-days-rome-cabinet-divisions-laid-bare-amid-stark-warnings/
Celebrities fund transport to Brexit protest for new EU referendum
The Independent's c
She will now write to European Council president Donald Tusk setting out her next steps ahead of a summit starting Thursday
Theresa May has admitted the country is in crisis as she prepares to write to the EU explaining her next steps with Britain heading towards a no-deal Brexit in ten days.
The prime minister’s spokesman argued that a crisis had now “come to pass”, as Ms May warned it would after the House of Commons rejected her Brexit deal last week.
She will now write to European Council president Donald Tusk setting out her next steps, a letter likely to involve some kind of request for a delay to Brexit.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-news-latest-theresa-may-letter-eu-crisis-deal-vote-a8829836.html
Less than half of the applications from UK firms for "trusted trader" status have been approved by HMRC since 2016, Newsnight has learned.
The status is a quality marker, which the government says allows firms to fast-track their shipments through customs. This could be crucial if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Hauliers say they have been given "chaotic information".
HMRC said businesses must "meet strict compliance standards" for the status.
Between June 2016 and January of this year, 749 applications for the so-called Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) trading quality mark were submitted, according to data obtained by Newsnight.
But only 365 authorisations were made in the same period.
HMRC said these figures may include multiple applications for a single business.
"HMRC work with businesses to help them correct any errors in their applications and provide guidance on actions they can take to meet the required standards," said a HMRC spokesman.
Rod McKenzie, of the Road Haulage Association, said it's members had been given "chaotic, confusing and frankly incomplete" information.
"It's just impossible to run a business without a clear system," he said
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47628769
A financial services company has been ordered not to reuse an advert in which it tried to persuade people to take out a loan, in case they wanted to stockpile food because of Brexit.
Cash On Go, trading as Peachy.co.uk, sent out an email saying, "it's a good idea to have a little stockpile ready."
The Advertising Standards Authority upheld a complaint from a reader who said the advert was irresponsible.
Peachy said it referred to Brexit light-heartedly and to make it topical.
It added that it wanted to reflect some situations where people may find it hard to prepare fully for unexpected scenarios.
The ASA said that the advert was likely to put emotional pressure on people and added: "We considered that the ad's references to possible food shortages and the stockpiling of food were likely to play on some people's concerns regarding Brexit, including financially vulnerable consumers who were already struggling or worrying about their financial situation."
The ASA ruled that the advert must not appear again in its current form.
"We told Peachy to ensure future ads did not send an irresponsible message about debt to readers," it added.
In response, Peachy said it would abide by the ruling not to use the advert any more and would ensure it "considered public sensitivities more thoroughly".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47629809
After a very stormy Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, with splits and spats over how long to delay our departure from the EU, ministers left with different impressions of whether the prime minister had made an actual decision.
But the expectation, and certainly the insistence of a group of ministers there, including those who threatened to quit if the government didn't accept the idea of delaying Brexit, was that Theresa May would acknowledge that a long pause might be required even though it's not what she wants.
The impression given was that she would say a short extension was the ideal, but a longer one might be required.
One cabinet minister told me after the meeting, they thought she would ask for up to two years.
However, with this saga's endless capacity to surprise and, more to the point, a significant chunk of the Tory party against any delay, Number 10 is now indicating that in fact, Theresa May will not ask for a long pause, but merely a short window, in the hope of getting her deal through somehow, and quickly.
A source says: "The prime minister won't be asking for a long extension. There is a case for giving Parliament a bit more time to agree a way forward, but the people of this country have been waiting nearly three years now. They are fed up with Parliament's failure to take a decision and the prime minister shares their frustration."
When her letter to the EU actually emerges, the final wording will be key - will she rule out ever seeking a longer delay?
Will the text be clear that if Parliament fails to meet its second deadline, then the prime minister will argue for leaving without a deal done?
Ultimately remember, the decision on the length and conditions attached is down to the EU, not the UK.
But as things stand, the prime minister seems to be ratcheting up the pressure for the next few weeks in the hope of pushing her deal through a reluctant Parliament, rather than accepting that the dilemma and level of disagreement is so profound, that a longer
rethink might be what is required.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-47636299
The Times suggests the EU will warn that the price of a delay could be a general election or another referendum.
The Independent website refers to "the Barnier ultimatum", after the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, said there would need to be a "new event or new political process" to secure an extension.
Meanwhile, the front page of the Daily Telegraph quotes the Commons leader Andrea Leadsom who was said to have told a stormy meeting of the cabinet yesterday: "This used to be the cabinet that would deliver Brexit - from what I'm hearing it's not".
The paper claims that if a new date for leaving has not been agreed by Monday, the government will activate its doomsday planning for a worst-case no-deal scenario known as "Operation Yellowhammer".
A number of papers are especially scathing in their criticism of what they call the political establishment.
The Daily Mail says "incompetent MPs and hard Brexit zealots" have made Britain a laughing stock, resulting in 1,000 wasted days since the vote in 2016.
According to the Sun, this is the last chance for a generation of "feeble" politicians to do their duty to democracy.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-47633549
Jeremy Corbyn has been accused of a "witch-hunt", after two senior MPs who have quit the Labour Party were removed from a powerful Commons committee.
A Labour motion to replace Ian Austin and Mike Gapes - who left the party last month - on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee was approved in the Commons by 199 votes to 134 - a majority of 65.
But there was anger among the pair's supporters in all parties over Mr Corbyn's decision to impose a three-line whip and in the vote 11 Labour MPs defied the Labour leader's orders.
Labour defended the move, saying it was right to "give a voice to Labour voters in parliament".
After the result Mr Austin tweeted: "I'm very grateful to those MPs from all parties who voted to keep me on the committee and I don't think Labour MPs will look back with pride on voting for Jeremy Corbyn's vindictive motion to kick me off because I stood up to racism.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/corbyn-accused-of-witch-hunt-as-ex-labour-mps-deposed/ar-BBUYIEI?ocid=spartanntp
Financial services companies have committed to move about £1tn of assets out of the UK into Europe as the industry triggers its worst-case contingency plans with no Brexit deal in sight, according to consultancy EY.
The estimate by EY — which mainly covers client assets and cash moved out of the UK by banks and fund managers as well as the transfer of balance sheets as operations are relocated — has increased by £200bn since the last survey in January.
Banks and investors are now being forced to finalise plans only days from the Brexit deadline, with London’s future trading relationship with the EU still in question after Theresa May failed for a second time to secure parliamentary approval for her deal last week. She now faces having to ask Brussels for an extension to Brexit, causing added uncertainty for businesses in the UK.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/business/uk-to-lose-£1tn-of-financial-assets-to-europe-due-to-brexit/ar-BBUZiE1?ocid=spartanntp
"There was a young lady of N ig er
"Who smiled as she rode on a tiger;
"They returned from the ride
"With the lady inside,
"And the smile on the face of the tiger."
Mr Bryant concludes: "The Conservative Party is now run by the ERG."
She stood up in Parliament last week and clearly said that an extension was unavoidable.
She went on to say that a short technical extension would be required if she won the meaningful vote, but a longer extension would be needed if she lost.
Her deputy said on Thursday, that to apply for a short extension would be reckless.
This hinges on the EU elections in May.
If we wanted to extend past the end of June, we would have to elect MEPs.
So if we don't hold elections we have to be out by the end of June.
So asking for a small extension just moves the cliff edge from the end of this month to the end of June.
Although this may be a more precarious cliff edge without any opportunity to further extend Article 50.
This probably makes it less likely that the ERG will support her deal, as they can smell a no deal at the end of June, end of.
There is no real rush, as the plan was to move into a 21 month transition period anyway.
Any PM that was acting in the best interests of the country would have asked for a longer extension, just to be on the safe side.
We would have held European elections, and therefore probably wouldn't have had a problem to further extend if it didn't go according to plan.
The one saving grace is that the EU have said they will allow a short extension providing she wins the meaningful vote.
I hope that they will only allow a longer extension if she loses.
Some commentators thought that when she was saying that she could only contemplate a small extension, she was inferring that she would rather resign than allow a longer extension.
Corbyn went round for talks, but walked straight out because Chukka Umunna was there.
Britain is due to leave the EU in nine days time, with or without a deal, but after MPs voted against a no-deal exit, and also against the exit deal negotiated by Theresa May, the government has requested an extension to the Brexit deadline.
As the European Union mulls whether to grant the extension, a snap poll by YouGov indicates 61 per cent of the population would vote to remain in the EU rather than for Theresa May’s deal (39 per cent) if a referendum offering those options were called.
However, if people were asked in a public vote whether they would prefer to remain in the EU or leave with no deal in place, remain would still win, though by the smaller margin of 57-43 per cent.It shows a 22-point lead for Remain over Ms May’s deal, or a 14-point lead for Remain over no deal at all.
A march in support of a Final Say second referendum takes place on in central London on Saturday and is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of protesters. Meanwhile a “Leave means Leave” protest, also known as the “Brexit betrayal march” is underway with tens of Brexit supporters walking for two weeks from Sunderland to London demanding the UK leaves the EU on 29 March.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/brexit/remain-would-win-second-brexit-referendum-but-no-deal-would-get-more-votes-than-theresa-mays-deal-poll-indicates/ar-BBV083p?ocid=spartandhp