Theresa May reiterates that “Brexit means Brexit”
Writing in the Times, Home Secretary and Conservative leadership candidate Theresa May argues, “As we leave the EU, we must forge a new role for ourselves in the world. We must make Britain a country that works not for a privileged few but for every one of us.” May also pledges to crack down on big businesses and executive pay as she launches her national campaign to be Prime Minister. In an op-ed for the Sun on Sunday, May also reiterated her view that “Brexit means Brexit.”
Meanwhile, Energy Minister and Conservative leadership contender Andrea Leadsom said, “I do think the ideal leader would be somebody who truly believes in the opportunities of leaving the EU”, but added that she was “prepared to believe” May when she said she would deliver Brexit. Leadsom also said that, if she were to become Prime Minister, the UK would abide by EU free movement rules “until such time as we have left the EU. But at that point I would implement an arrangement whereby you could still come, but you would not have your right to stay here guaranteed.”
Appearing on the Andrew Marr Show, UKIP donor and Leave.EU co-founder Arron Banks said that if May were to win the Conservative leadership race and become Prime Minister, “I think [it] will be the death of Brexit by a thousand cuts”, adding that, under a May government, the triggering of Article 50 would be delayed and that the UK could opt for a ‘Norway-style’ relationship with the EU. He concluded, “I think that, if Theresa May wins, UKIP will be back with a vengeance. I think if Andrea Leadsom wins it will be a slightly different scenario.”
Separately, in an article for The Wall Street Journal, Chancellor George Osborne argues that leaving the EU must be taken as an opportunity to “build a more outward-looking, global-facing Britain.” He adds that the UK government should “commit to major investments in national infrastructure, including new roads, high-speed railways and digital networks.” Osborne stresses, “Britain won’t be rushed. We will take our time to determine the trading arrangements with our European allies outside their political union.” He suggests that the UK should begin talks with the US and others about closer economic ties.
Sources: The Times: May, The Sun on Sunday: May, The Daily Telegraph: Leadsom, BBC Andrew Marr Show: Banks, The Wall Street Journal: Osborne
Merkel: There will be no “cherry-picking” in upcoming UK-EU talks
German Chancellor Angela Merkel told ZDF yesterday, “The decision [to leave the EU] has been made. The next step is that Britain – and they want to do this only when they have a new Prime Minister – files an application for Article 50. I expect that to happen…I deal with reality and I firmly expect that this application will be made.” She added, “We have spoken to Britain and made it clear that there will be no negotiations until they have made their [Article 50] application – and also no cherry-picking.”
Meanwhile, Slovak President Andrej Kiska, whose country holds the rotating Presidency of the EU Council of Ministers, have criticised calls for the UK to trigger Article 50 quickly, saying, “We have to calm down, and not push the British people and politicians to do things very fast.” Open Europe’s Pieter Cleppe was interviewed by Danish daily Politiken and Belgian magazine Knack discussing Brexit.
Sources: ZDF: Merkel, Wirtschaftsblatt, Reuters, Handelsblatt: Trichet, EUObserver
German Deputy Finance Minister: We should not aim for more European integration at this stage
German Deputy Finance Minister Jens Spahn told Italian daily La Repubblica, “We should not aim for more European integration at this stage. Every time a referendum fails, there is someone – like [Belgian MEP] Guy Verhofstadt – who says, ‘More, more, more Europe.’ But the result of the British referendum says the opposite. We can’t ignore it.” However, Spahn also suggested that a smaller group of EU member states should consider moving towards closer cooperation in security and defence policy.
Source: La Repubblica (Saturday): Spahn
Over 1,000 barristers call for parliament vote to trigger EU exit procedure
Over 1,000 barristers have co-signed an open letter to David Cameron arguing, “The result of the referendum must be acknowledged. Our legal opinion is that the referendum is advisory…We believe that in order to trigger Article 50 [of the EU Treaty] there must first be primary legislation.” The letter continues, “There is evidence that the referendum result was influenced by misrepresentations of fact and promises that could not be delivered.”
Sources: The Independent, City AM
UK Government turns down second referendum petition
The UK Government has turned down a petition for a second EU referendum that had collected over four million signatures. The FCO said in an official statement, “The Prime Minister and Government have been clear that this was a once in a generation vote and, as the Prime Minister has said, the decision must be respected. We must now prepare for the process to exit the EU and the Government is committed to ensuring the best possible outcome for the British people in the negotiations.”
Meanwhile, Fabian Picardo, the Chief Minister of Gibraltar, has told the Financial Times in an interview that the UK should hold a second referendum once the UK-EU withdrawal agreement is concluded, arguing, “In the [EU] referendum two weeks ago it was either in, with our existing conditions, or out. But nobody knew what out meant…Some people might have voted with rose-tinted spectacles, and others might have been persuaded on the basis of a false prospectus that Brexiters advanced.” Picardo also urged the Spanish government to “stop wasting your breath” and put an end to suggestions that the UK should accept shared sovereignty over Gibraltar in the aftermath of the vote to leave the EU.
Sources: The Huffington Post, The Financial Times: Picardo
Brexit paves way for federal union to save UK, Constitutional Reform Group will say
The Constitutional Reform Group, an independent all-party group of experts convened by former Conservative minister Lord Salisbury, will argue this week that the governance of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should be reinvented within a voluntary union in an attempt to prevent the UK from disintegrating post-Brexit. The Guardian reports that the group will propose that the existing union should be replaced with a fully devolved government in each part of the UK, each with full sovereignty over its own affairs. The Westminster parliament should then be reduced to 146 MPs. The individual nations and regions of the UK would then be encourage to pool sovereignty on issues they wish to tackle with a common approach.
Lord Salisbury told The Guardian, “The time for radical change has come. This country needs a new act of union. We are in a different world following the Brexit vote. The top-down, ad hoc approach to the structure of the United Kingdom needs to be replaced. We believe that our approach based on consent will provide a stronger union than the one that we now have and which is under challenge.”
Source: The Guardian
Rise in reported hate crime since EU referendum vote continues
Reported hate crimes have risen by 400% in the week following the EU referendum, with more than 13,000 xenophobic or racist tweets being recorded, Channel 4’s Dispatches programme will reveal tonight. The programme will argue that the EU referendum, together with recent terrorist attacks, has triggered a rise in racism both online and on the streets of Britain.
Source: The Times
Angela Eagle to challenge Corbyn for Labour leadership
Former Shadow Business Secretary Angela Eagle has formally announced that she will challenge Jeremy Corbyn for the leadership of the Labour Party, with a launch event due later today. Appearing on Peston on Sunday, she argued, “We need a strong and united Labour Party that can put a very compelling case to the British people to deal with the challenges that Brexit will give.” It is not clear whether, as the incumbent, Corbyn will need to secure the nominations of at least 51 MPs and MEPs or whether he will get onto the ballot automatically – an issue which could end up subject of a legal challenge. Appearing on the Andrew Marr show yesterday, Corbyn confirmed he had been discussing this issue with lawyers.
Sources: Labour List, BBC Andrew Marr Show: Corbyn
Pension funds concerned about the impact of Brexit
The Financial Times reports that a number of pension funds have been forced to issue warnings about their ability to meet their future pension obligations following the UK’s vote to leave the EU. Brexit is expected to deliver a hit to growth which will force central banks to keep interest rates lower for longer, thereby hitting pension funds income streams. This could force reductions in future pensions.
Source: FTfm
EU and US negotiators open new round of talks on free trade deal
The EU and US will today launch a new round of talks on TTIP – the EU-US free trade deal, which, if concluded, will be one the biggest bilateral trade deals in history. More than 100 officials are involved in the talks in Brussels, in a push to make progress before US President Barack Obama leaves the White House in January 2017. An EU source said that a first draft of the text will emerge by the end of summer if all goes well.
Source: EUObserver
EU to propose new refugee plan, as NATO is set to help bloc monitor migrant flows across the Mediterranean
The European Commission will this week present a new plan to resettle refugees in the EU’s member states. The proposals are part of a larger asylum and migration package that is to be adopted. Details of the new scheme are sparse, but a communication circulated by the Commission in April said it would set out EU rules for ‘admission and distribution’ as part of a single common system.
Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg unveiled on Saturday a new project in which NATO warships and, potentially, drones will be used to help the EU control migrant flows across the Mediterranean. “We intend to work closely with the EU’s operation Sophia in the central Mediterranean, building on our swift and effective cooperation with the EU to cut lines of international human trafficking in the Aegean”, Stoltenberg said.
Source: EUObserver
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