Summary
We’re going to close the blog now. Here’s a summary:
- The prime minister has been challenged by voters in Yorkshire. A speech to northern politicians and business leaders in Rotherham was interrupted by a man who urged him to get back to parliament to sort out the mess he had created. Earlier a woman in Doncaster confronted Boris Johnson face-to-face and accused him of telling fairytales about spending and Brexit.
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Scotland Yard has announced that no further action will be taken against Leave.EU, the Brexit campaign founded by businessman Arron Banks and spearheaded by Nigel Farage. It said there had been “technical breaches” of electoral law but insufficient evidence to justify any further criminal investigation.
- Johnson will head to Luxembourg on Monday to meet Jean-Claude Juncker and Michel Barnier to try to break the Brexit impasse. The prime minister said he was “cautiously optimistic” about getting a deal.
- Jo Swinson has ruled out backing a Jeremy Corbyn-led government after a general election, saying the Liberal Democrats could not even have an informal support arrangement with Labour, despite recent cooperation to block a no-deal Brexit. Major policy differences and serious personal worries about Corbyn and Johnson meant she could not support either in government, Swinson told the Guardian.
- The Irish prime minister, Leo Varadkar, has said the “gap is very wide” between the EU and the UK on Brexit. The taoiseach said he got the impression that Johnson was serious about a deal after their meeting on Monday in Dublin but what the UK was talking about “falls very far short” of what is required for a deal.
- The Democratic Unionist party has played down a report that it is softening its line on a Northern Ireland-only backstop. Its leader, Arlene Foster, and its Brexit spokesman, Sammy Wilson, both described as “nonsense” a Times story claiming the DUP was dropping its objection to a border in the Irish Sea.
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Support for Welsh independence would soar if it meant Wales could remain in the EU, a new poll suggests. According to the YouGov poll commissioned by Plaid Cymru, 41% of those who expressed a preference would back independence if it led to Wales remaining in the EU.
- The Brexit party has taken control of Hartlepool borough council after forming a pact with the Conservatives overnight, dealing a significant blow to Labour in the north-east of England. The party announced it had taken control of the local authority at a council meeting on Thursday night, where it revealed that nine councillors had joined the party and formed a pact with the council’s three Conservatives.
- The senior Conservative MP Bernard Jenkin has accused John Bercow of wielding a “majoritarian dictatorship” against Brexit. He called for the Speaker’s powers to be curtailed.
- The election of the new Speaker will take place on Monday 4 November. Bercow, who has held the office since 2009, will take the chair for tge final time on Thursday 31 October.
Updated
In response to the decision by the Metropolitan police not to take any further action against Leave.EU, its financial backer Arron Banks has called for the resignation of the head of the Electoral Commission, Bob Posner, and the chair of the Commons’ culture committee, Damian Collins.
In a statement Banks said:
The disgraceful political collusion between the Electoral Commission and the Damian Collins ‘remain-biased’ DCMS committee and a number of leading remain MPs, demonstrates a serious abuse of public office and we will be demanding a full public inquiry investigation into their actions.
We will be writing to the prime minster today demanding a public inquiry into the actions of the Electoral Commission.
I am today calling for the resignation of Damian Collins and the CEO of Electoral Commission as a result of today’s news.
The Electoral Commission have serious questions to answer about political bias and whether it is fit for purpose as a regulator.
The management board is overseen by third-rate politicos and people who have shown clear political bias. The chairman himself described Brexit as a “collection of Eurosceptic nonsense” and one of the EC board called for a second referendum.
The investigation has taken a huge personal toll on Liz Bilney, her family and the harassment and lies perpetrated by anti-Brexit MPs is disgraceful.
MPs like Stephen and Ian Lavery should apologise to Liz and the 1.5 million supporters of Leave.EU they tried to smear.
During the last two years, the Metropolitan police have been professional and thorough. They spent many hours investigating our case and they should be commended for doing a difficult job in a difficult political climate. They remained impartial and operated with complete integrity.
“We would like to thank the Metropolitan police commissioner for giving her officers her full support at all times.
Updated
Here’s video of Johnson being challenged in Doncaster.
Summary
Here’s a summary of Johnson’s trip to Yorkshire:
- The prime minister has been challenged by voters in Doncaster and Rotherham. A speech to northern politicians and business leaders in Rotherham was interrupted by a man who urged him to get back to parliament to sort out the mess he had created.
- Earlier a woman in Doncaster confronted Johnson face-to-face and accused him of telling fairytales about spending and Brexit. “People have died because of austerity, and you’ve got the cheek to come here and tell us austerity’s over and it’s all good now,” she said.
- Johnson insisted he won’t be deterred by political turmoil from delivering Brexit by the 31 October deadline. He said: “Whatever the shenanigans that may be going on at Westminster we will get on with delivering our agenda and preparing to take this country out of the EU on October 31st.”
- Johnson confirmed he will be meeting Jean-Claude Juncker, the European commission president, and the EU’s chief negotiator for Brexit talks on Monday. He said he was “cautiously optimistic” about reaching a deal.
- The prime minister refused to commit to various northern projects, including Yorkshire devolution, a Leeds mass transit system and extra spending in Sheffield. “I’m reluctant to make more spending commitments,” he admitted.
- Johnson denied accusing police forces of “spaffing money up the wall” on historical child abuse cases, six months after telling LBC just that. He said he wanted police to concentrate on fighting crime.
- In his speech, Johnson announced plans to devolve transport powers for fares, stations and rolling stock. “It is time for the north to run its own trains,” he said.
Updated
In the Q&A with journalists, the best questions came from ITV’s Paul Brand. He asked:
You’ve got five weeks left to get a Brexit deal, can you update us on what you think is the latest probability of finding an agreement that the DUP can get behind? And secondly, you called David Cameron ‘a girly swot’, are you a little bit be worried what he might call you in his upcoming memoirs?
On the first part, Johnson replied:
On where we are with Brexit, I think people do deserve to know what’s going on. We’re working incredibly hard to get a deal, there is the rough shape of a deal to be done. I myself have been to talk to various other EU leaders, particularly in Germany, in France, and in Ireland, where we made a good deal of progress. I’m seeing the president of the [European] commission, and the chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, on Monday, and we’ll talk about the ideas that we’ve been working on. And we’ll see where we get. I’m cautiously optimistic. But whatever happens we will come out on October 31st.
To the second, he said:
Absolutely nothing that David Cameron says in his memoirs, in the course of the next few days, will diminish the affection and respect in which I hold him. Not least for what he did in turning this country around after Labour left it bankrupt, and delivering a jobs miracle in the UK, record low unemployment. I think he has a very distinguished record and a legacy to be proud of.
Updated
No further police action against Leave.EU
While Johnson was speaking, Scotland Yard announced that no further action will be taken against Leave.EU, the Brexit campaign founded by businessman Arron Banks and spearheaded by Nigel Farage.
A Met statement said:
“On 5 August 2019 the MPS submitted a file to the CPS for Early Investigative Advice in relation to the Leave.EU investigation and this advice has now been received.
“It is clear that whilst some technical breaches of electoral law were committed by Leave.EU in respect of the spending return submitted for their campaign, there is insufficient evidence to justify any further criminal investigation.
“Leave.EU’s responsible person has been has been told that they will face no further police action.”
The force said investigations into the spending returns of Vote Leave and BeLeave were ongoing.
Updated
Here’s a fuller transcript of Johnson’s response to both the heckler and a question from a journalist about how he can deliver various promises when he can’t get an election and Brexit done.
Johnson said:
I certainly won’t be deterred by anybody from our goal of coming out of the EU on October 31st. I think the people of this country want us to get Brexit done. But I also won’t be deterred with getting on with our domestic agenda.
I’m a passionate believer in devolution and in giving power to strong local leaders to champion their areas and to be accountable for their transport networks. Whatever the shenanigans that may be going on at Westminster we will get on with delivering our agenda and preparing to take this country out of the EU on October 31st. And there will be ample time for parliament to consider the deal that I very much hope to do at the EU summit on October 17th and 18th.
To the gentleman who left prematurely, not necessarily under his own steam, that is the answer to his question.
To have a Queen’s speech and to set out our domestic agenda, we’ve lost about four days of parliamentary sitting time. There’s ample time for parliament to consider not just Brexit but all kinds of things both before and after the European council on October 17th so lets get on and do it.
Updated
Q: You called David Cameron a ‘girly swot’ are you worried about what he’ll say in his memoirs?
Nothing Cameron writes in his memoirs diminish the affection and respect in which I hold him, Johnson says.
Updated
Q: What’s the probability of a Brexit deal?
We’re working incredibly hard. We’ve made a good deal of progress, he says. “We’ll see where we get” on Monday. “I’m cautiously optimistic, but whatever happens we will come out on October 31st.”
Q: Will you commit to mass transit system in Leeds?
Oh God, Johnson says. I want to do it, Leeds should have a mass transit system, but I’m not going to commit to a budget to it today.
Updated
Q: Are you committed to Yorkshire devolution.
Further work needs to be done on that, Johnson says, acknowledging different views.
Updated
Q: Why has Sheffield been underfunded?
I’ve just but £3.6bn into towns, Johnson says before admitting it won’t apply to Sheffield. I’m reluctant to make more spending commitments, he says.
Updated
Q: Do you still think police forces are ‘spaffing up the wall’ on historical child abuse allegations?
That’s not what I said, Johnson said. I want to see police officers fighting crime, he added.
Fact check by my boss:
Boris Johnson tells reporter from Rotherham Advertiser he didn't say money spent on investigations into historic child abuse was "spaffed up the wall".
— Owen Gibson (@owen_g) September 13, 2019
This must be an imposter then...https://t.co/HY6TGJ5bli
Updated
Q: Why did you delay the domestic abuse bill?
The bill is certainly going to be carried over. It will be right there in the Queen’s speech, Johnson says.
Updated
In the Q&A Johnson says political uncertainty won’t put him off getting Brexit done by 31 October. He also repeats that there will be “ample time” to debate Brexit, in response to the heckler.
Johnson announces plans to devolve transport powers
Johnson confirms plans to devolve transport to regions in the north. “It is time for the north to run its own trains,” he says. This will involve powers over fares, stations and rolling stock, Johnson says.
The arrangement will involve a partnership between the railways and the north.
Johnson comes up with a better joke about pacer trains.
Boris Johnson on Pacers: “I love buses but not when they are supposed to be trains.”
— Helen Pidd (@helenpidd) September 13, 2019
Here’s video of that heckler:
“Get back to Parliament” shouts protester at Boris Johnson speech. pic.twitter.com/Eb3LPm1foO
— Liam Young (@liamyoung) September 13, 2019
Helen Pidd, who is in Rotherham, says the heckler was promptly thrown out.
Heckler just thrown out of the Convention of the North for heckling Boris Johnson, telling him to get back to parliament and listen to MPs.
— Helen Pidd (@helenpidd) September 13, 2019
Johnson heckled over suspending parliament
Johnson says he is the first prime minister since Clement Attlee to have been a mayor.
He then gets heckled about proroguing parliament.
The heckler says: “Why are you not with them in parliament sorting out the mess that you have created?”
Johnson replied: “I’m very happy to get back to parliament very soon.”
Updated
Johnson finally starts his speech in Rotherham at the Convention of the North.
He starts with a lame joke about Magna, the location for the event, ice cream and latin. Not much laughter.
But someone liked it:
There he is. He’s at the Magna centre in Rotherham. Magna is the plural of magnum, he says, the Latin for ice cream. Which is a good line, fair play pic.twitter.com/omw12UqgUL
— Jennifer Williams (@JenWilliamsMEN) September 13, 2019
But a point about a nearby bagel factory also falls flat.
Updated
Channel 4 News has more from the woman in Doncaster challenging Johnson on spending and his Brexit “fairytale”. She asked: “Where’s the money coming from now then?” And added: “All you’re going to do is put the same amount of police on the streets as what you’ve took off.”
"People have died because of austerity, and you’ve got the cheek to come here and tell us austerity's over and it's all good now."
— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) September 13, 2019
That's what one woman told Boris Johnson during a visit to Doncaster, but he said his government was putting more money into public services. pic.twitter.com/zPcMkBtKIX
Updated
Boris Johnson has been confronted by a voter in Doncaster who accused him of telling fairytales.
She said:
“People have died because of austerity. And then you’ve got the cheek to come here and tell us austerity is over and it’s all good now, we’re going to leave the EU and everything is going to be great. It’s just a fairytale.”
“People have died because of austerity. And you’ve got the cheek to come here.” pic.twitter.com/kFLVbQM79N
— Liam Young (@liamyoung) September 13, 2019
Updated
While we wait for Johnson’s speech to the Convention of the North, the FT has a preview.
Transport to be devolved to mayors in northern England https://t.co/DonX98J3O1
— Financial Times (@FT) September 13, 2019
It says he will announce that elected mayors in the north of England will be given London-style powers over their railway budgets and timetables.
Swinson: Corbyn and Johnson are unfit to lead
Jo Swinson has ruled out backing a Jeremy Corbyn-led government after a general election, saying the Liberal Democrats could not even have an informal support arrangement with Labour, despite recent cooperation to block a no-deal Brexit.
Speaking ahead of her first Lib Dem conference as party leader, Swinson said she favoured “pluralist politics” and cross-party working such as that which saw opposition MPs group together to force a Brexit extension and block an election.
Before his speech to the Convention of the North, Boris Johnson has been visiting Doncaster market.
PA said he purchased a cob loaf and English fruit and joked with one lobster seller: “We’ve got to take a few claws out of that withdrawal agreement.”
He told one trader “we’re going to get a deal”, adding: “That’s the plan, anyway. And if we don’t, we’re coming out on October 31. That’s what we’re going to do. Here we go, that’s democracy.”
He showed no reaction as one man told him: “Find a deal here – this is Doncaster, not Europe.”
Updated
The DUP could be willing to shift its red lines on Brexit if it had a legally binding “Stormont lock” which would give the Northern Ireland assembly a say on alignment with EU rules, sources say.
Arlene Foster, the party leader, has dismissed as “nonsense” reports that the party had said it would accept Northern Ireland abiding by some European Union rules after Brexit in a deal to replace the Irish backstop.
But sources do not rule out the possibility of a deal, if were it backed up by a legally binding guarantee for the DUP. They point to paragraph 50 of the December 2017 joint report saying it is the “glue” that could hold all sides together.
At issue is the importance of keeping the Irish border invisible. In the backstop arrangement outlined in Theresa May’s withdrawal deal, Northern Ireland would remain in regulatory alignment with the republic until a wider trade deal was struck which included solutions for the frontier.
Paragraph 50 of the joint report was inserted at the last minute after May ceded to demands by the DUP to prevent checks between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
It says that in the absence of a Brexit deal, “no new regulatory barriers develop between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom” unless, in line with the 1998 peace deal, Stormont agrees “that distinct arrangements are appropriate for Northern Ireland”.
“Paragraph 50 is the glue that will hold any deal together that will get approval from the DUP,” said one source.
The DUP dismissed the Stormont lock as “cosmetic and meaningless” when it was first proposed in January, because it was not legally binding.
The EU has said it is opposed to giving Stormont a legally binding veto, but there is widespread feeling that a space has opened up to crash-test the DUP’s red lines and this is why reports are emerging about the party potentially softening its stance.
Earlier this week the new EU trade commissioner, Phil Hogan, indicated there would be room for manoeuvre.
A longstanding ally of Leo Varadkar, he told RTE that if “there are constitutional issues that are already in the withdrawal agreement that might have to be improved upon, if this is a request that’s made, of course we can look at it”.
Hogan also said he detected a shift in Johnson’s position also: “I also note that the British prime minister has moved away from his position … where he’s now prepared to look at divergence of certain rules and regulations on the island of Ireland vis-a-vis the United Kingdom.
“So I think there’s movement happening on both sides. Let’s see over the next four weeks how we can advance those intensive negotiations to reach an agreement.”
Updated
Summary
Here’s what’s happened so far today:
- Boris Johnson will head to Luxembourg on Monday to meet Jean-Claude Juncker for the first time in an attempt to break the Brexit impasse. The prime minister will hold his first face-to-face talks at a “working lunch” hosted by Juncker.
- The Irish prime minister, Leo Varadkar, has said the “gap is very wide” between the EU and the UK on Brexit. The taoiseach said he got the impression that Johnson was serious about a deal following their meeting on Monday in Dublin but what the UK was talking about “falls very far short” of what is required for a deal.
- The DUP has played down a report that it is softening its line on a Northern Ireland only backstop. Its leader, Arlene Foster, and its Brexit spokesman, Sammy Wilson, both described as “nonsense” a Times story claiming the DUP was dropping its objection to a border in the Irish Sea.
- Johnson is continuing his unofficial election campaign with another trip to Labour’s northern heartlands. In a speech in Rotherham he is expected to promise northern communities “control over the things that matter to them”, and a new Northern Powerhouse growth body to drive the region’s economy.
- Support for Welsh independence would soar if it meant that Wales could remain in the EU, a new poll suggests. According to the YouGov poll commissioned by Plaid Cymru, 41% of those who expressed a preference would back independence if it led to Wales remaining in the EU.
- The Brexit party has taken control of Hartlepool borough council after forming a pact with the Conservatives overnight, dealing a significant blow to Labour in the north-east of England. The party announced it had taken control of the local authority at a council meeting on Thursday night, where it revealed that nine councillors had joined the party and formed a pact with the council’s three Conservatives.
- The senior Conservative MP Bernard Jenkin has accused John Bercow of wielding a “majoritarian dictatorship” against Brexit. He called for the Speaker’s powers to be curtailed.
- The election of the new Speaker will take place on Monday 4 November. Bercow, who has held the office since 2009, will take the chair for a final time on Thursday 31 October.
Updated
The Telegraph’s James Crisp has some puzzled Brussels reaction to that Johnson/Juncker meeting.
EU diplomat on Boris/Juncker lunch
— James Crisp (@JamesCrisp6) September 13, 2019
"We don’t know what he is going to offer us. If we are serious about getting this done, this is our last play. Is the EU willing to waste its last play on a half assed plan?"
The prime minister will hold his first face-to-face talks at a lunch hosted by Juncker in the European commission president’s home country, where he was prime minister for 18 years.
Johnson will then hold talks with the current prime minister of Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel.
EU sources suggested Johnson had sought to avoid a meeting in Brussels for fear of giving the impression that the new prime minister was begging for concessions. A European commission spokeswoman said Juncker would meet Johnson for a “working lunch”.
The spokeswoman said the location had been chosen by “common accord” and that it would allow Juncker the benefit of going straight from the talks to Strasbourg, where the European parliament is sitting next week. She declined to disclose details about the precise location of the meeting. “You can imagine it is somewhere where they serve food,” the spokeswoman said.
The new communications team in Downing Street is understood to believe that Theresa May undermined herself in the public eye by making dashes to Brussels to seek movement in the negotiation.
Johnson had hinted at plans for further meetings with EU leaders next week.
His first visits in August to Berlin and Paris to meet the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, and the French president, Emmanuel Macron, were widely seen as a success.
Updated
The election of the new Speaker of the House of Commons will take place on Monday 4 November, the House of Commons has announced, according to PA.
The current Speaker, John Bercow, who has held the office since June 22 2009, will take the chair for a final time on Thursday 31 October.
Bercow will formally resign as an MP on Monday 4 November. The election of a new Speaker will be presided over by the father of the house, the Conservative MP Ken Clarke.
Nominations of candidates must be submitted between 9.30am and 10.30am on Monday 4 November, with the house proceeding immediately to the election when business begins at 2.30pm.
Candidates will each address MPs in an order selected by ballot, before MPs vote in secret. Successive ballots will be held until either a candidate wins more than 50% of the vote, or only one candidate remains. The successful candidate – who will then become the Speaker elect – will attend the lords commissioners in the House of Lords to receive royal approbation.
Updated
Johnson is due to hold a “working lunch” with Juncker in Luxembourg on Monday, according to the European commission.
A spokeswoman said: “President Juncker will hold a working lunch with the prime minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson. This working lunch will take place in Luxembourg.”
AFP’s Danny Kemp reminds us that Juncker’s working lunches can also be liquid lunches.
Just a reminder of what a 'working lunch' with Juncker involves - four glasses of champagne, and a salad (via @quatremer) pic.twitter.com/IgcsT1ErFC
— Danny Kemp (@dannyctkemp) September 13, 2019
Updated
Johnson to meet Juncker on Monday
Downing Street has told lobby journalists that Boris Johnson will meet EU chief Jean-Claude Juncker in Luxembourg on Monday.
NEW: PM will travel to Luxembourg on Monday to meet EU Commission President Jean Claude Junker
— Tom Rayner (@RaynerSkyNews) September 13, 2019
The announcement is likely to fuel speculation of a possible deal, despite claims by the EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier that there is no grounds for optimism about a possible breakthrough.
The far-right activist Tommy Robinson is reported to have been released from prison after serving nine weeks of a nine-month sentence for contempt of court.
Tommy Robinson is free according to his supporters. (And looking slightly like he’s been on a hallucinatory three-month voyage through dustbins.) pic.twitter.com/MHuYE7Vp9u
— Josh Halliday (@JoshHalliday) September 13, 2019
BREAKING: Far-right extremist Tommy Robinson released from prison after nine weeks https://t.co/l3bQQPJa7e pic.twitter.com/1U4C3PLGF4
— Mirror Breaking News (@MirrorBreaking_) September 13, 2019
Updated
Speculation about the prospects of a new Brexit deal has boosted the value of the pound, Bloomberg reports.
The pound heads for its biggest weekly gain since May after rekindled optimism on a potential Brexit deal https://t.co/ohKBRWIWjz pic.twitter.com/UPLwVvphx2
— Bloomberg Brexit (@Brexit) September 13, 2019
Varadkar: 'very wide gap between EU and UK on Brexit'
The Irish prime minister, Leo Varadkar, has said the “gap is very wide” between the EU and the UK on Brexit.
The taoiseach said he got the impression that Boris Johnson was serious about a deal following their meeting on Monday in Dublin but what the UK was talking about “falls very far short” of what is required for a deal.
Asked whether he trusted Johnson he said: “I do, I believe when he says he wants a deal on Brexit, he is acting in good faith and our teams are in contact and we are exploring what is possible.
“The gap is very wide but we will fight for and work for no no deal until the last moment, but not at any cost, and at the same time we are preparing the country for no deal if we end up in that scenario,” he said.
He was speaking at the Fine Gael annual think-in in Cork on Friday.
Varadkar told RTE that while some customs checks could be required close to the border in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the government had yet to identify locations.
Updated
Sammy Wilson has repeated his leader, Arlene Foster’s line that the Times story about the DUP softening its line on an Northern Ireland only backstop is “nonsense”.
The Times story is nonsense.
— Sammy Wilson MP (@eastantrimmp) September 13, 2019
We will not accept a situation where the part of the 🇬🇧 to which we belong would be regarded as a third country when it comes to trade. pic.twitter.com/73p0Jt1F1O
Updated
The odds of a no-deal exit have increased over the last week despite parliament’s determination to prevent such an outcome, according to the Eurasia group thinktank.
So after saying an early election is impossible to predict, that's exactly what I'm now going to do. That's job description unfortunately.. Short thread with some initial thoughts 1/ https://t.co/uVkFoKgABF pic.twitter.com/juiONol5MQ
— Mujtaba Rahman (@Mij_Europe) September 13, 2019
Its boss Mujtaba walks us through what the group reckons is likely to happen over the next few weeks.
But deal can't be basecase. Time too short. Too many hurdles. I think odds have gone up, just - say from 15 to 20%. Near-term risk of no deal also fallen in light of A50 extension legislation - say from 30 to 20%. That leaves 60% early election. Will it clarify anything? 3/
— Mujtaba Rahman (@Mij_Europe) September 13, 2019
1) Labour minority; 2) Tory minority or 3) deadlock (& probs another election). Each of these also has multiple permutations & complications. For eg even if Labour has fewer MPs than Tories, it may have a better chance of forming a Govt because of its potential partners 5/
— Mujtaba Rahman (@Mij_Europe) September 13, 2019
Bottom line (after much initial work with pollsters + 3000 words of analysis?) Rather than clarify, election could reinforce #Brexit uncertainty. Poss pol outcomes suggest lots options will remain on table: no deal; Canada; CU/amended version of May’s deal; 2nd ref; Remain ENDS
— Mujtaba Rahman (@Mij_Europe) September 13, 2019
Updated
Support for Welsh independence will soar if it meant that Wales could remain in the EU, a poll suggests.
According to the YouGov poll commissioned by Plaid Cymru, 41% of those who expressed a preference would back independence if it led to Wales remaining in the EU.
The poll follows rallies in Cardiff, Caernarfon and – last weekend - Merthyr Tydfil where 8,000 people marched in support of independence.
Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price AM said:
“These are sensational figures which put support for Plaid Cymru’s ambition of securing Welsh independence at a historic high.
“Westminster is in turmoil. Boris Johnson’s reckless Tory government and Jeremy Corbyn’s chaotic so-called opposition are wrecking Wales’s future.
“It is no wonder that we are witnessing a surge in support for a new Wales – a nation proudly taking its place as an equal partner on the international stage.
“Independence is moving from the margins to the mainstream. Our nation is on the march. As Boris Johnson takes us closer to the cliff edge, more and more people will demand an outward looking Wales free from Westminster’s contempt.”
Total sample size was 1,039 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 6-10 September. The survey was carried out online.
A SENSATIONAL new poll published today reveals support for Welsh independence, if it meant Wales remaining a member of the EU, at a historic high of 41% amongst those who expressed a preference.
— Plaid Cymru (@Plaid_Cymru) September 13, 2019
Something is happening in Wales. 🏴
👉https://t.co/9btKMgPERV#indyWales pic.twitter.com/CUOY4Jh8SI
Confused about a Northern Ireland-only backstop? Here’s an explainer.
The British government’s version of Brexit involves the UK ultimately leaving the single market and customs union, requiring the return of a range of checks on goods crossing the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The “backstop” is intended as a standstill placeholder to ensure such checks do not have to be imposed between Brexit happening with a deal, and the start of a new free trade agreement yet to be negotiated between the UK and the EU.
Theresa May's withdrawal agreement proposed keeping the whole of the UK in a shared customs territory with the EU during this period. An alternative idea involves only Northern Ireland staying in the EU’s customs territory. That would place a customs border in the Irish Sea. May described it as a threat to the constitutional integrity of the UK, but the new prime minister, Boris Johnson, has opened the current talks by proposing an all-Ireland agri-food zone. The suggestion is that he will seek to quietly build on that with further NI-only arrangements.
Given an NI-only backstop was an EU proposal in the first place, the U-turn would be warmly welcomed in Brussels, although attempts to give the Northern Ireland assembly a veto on its continuation would not be acceptable, and the DUP would be unlikely to support the prime minister in such a move in parliament.
If there is a no-deal Brexit, then there is no backstop.
Brexit party takes control of Hartlepool
The Brexit party has taken control of Hartlepool borough council after forming a pact with the Conservatives overnight, dealing a significant blow to Labour in its north-east heartlands.
Labour lost overall control of the council in May when its leader blamed “a divided party” nationally for it haemorrhaging votes in the heavily leave-voting town.
Hartlepool becomes the first council under the control of the Brexit party in the UK and a boost to the party in the north-east, where Nigel Farage is fighting hard to make inroads.
The Brexit party announced it had taken control of the local authority at a council meeting on Thursday night, where it revealed that nine councillors had joined the party and formed a pact with the council’s three Conservatives.
The Brexit party-Conservative coalition now has 13 councillors on the 32-seat council, compared with Labour’s 10.
Of the nine new Brexit party councillors, six sat as independents (four of whom were ex-Ukip) plus three defectors who until last night represented Ukip, Putting Hartlepool First and the Veterans and People’s party respectively.
One of the new Brexit party councillors, Shane Moore, said on Friday the move was about “sending an absolutely clear message to those nationally who would frustrate the result of the referendum”.
Moore, who quit Ukip last year and previously sat as a Conservative councillor, said he had no intention of joining the Brexit party until the past fortnight when MPs voted to block a no-deal Brexit on 31 October.
“It’s clear that in Westminster, remain parties and remain groups are clubbing together to form an alliance to put Brexit at risk,” he said.
“We felt that, in conjunction with our Conservative colleagues, we needed to form an alliance of our own and send a very clear message to those people – and especially to the Labour party locally – that they need to stop playing games.
“They need to listen and respect the result of the referendum. If they don’t, a formal leave alliance should and will be formed to tackle them head-on and deliver the result.”
CONFIRMED: BREXIT PARTY AND TORY HARTLEPOOL COUNCIL PACT - 'PUTTING COUNTRY BEFORE PARTY'
— BrexitPartyPress (@BrexitPress) September 12, 2019
Chairman @TiceRichard said: "I can reveal that nine councillors from different parties have joined The Brexit Party and agreed to work with three Tories to secure a pro-Brexit majority." pic.twitter.com/iR5IXPckjw
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Jeremy Corbyn has urged people to register to vote. As a spur he claims that Boris Johnson team have admitted they want to fix the date of the election to make it harder for people to register.
We're ready. Are you?
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) September 13, 2019
Register to vote today: https://t.co/vYH9vXVPXQ pic.twitter.com/zlTYEY85LA
Meanwhile, Momentum is launching a new digital tool for students to decide whether to vote at university or at home in an effort to drive up the Labour vote in marginal seas.
Johnson’s Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat – home to students of Brunel University London – will be targeted by the campaign group who believe they can overturn the prime minister’s 5,000-strong majority.
The new tool will allow students to put in both their home and university postcodes and will indicate which location will ultimately be more advantageous to register to vote in order to enable a Labour victory.
Here’s some highbrow reaction to Bernard Jenkin’s claim that that Speaker Bercow is leading a “majoritarian dictatorship” against Brexit (see earlier).
comical to hear Bernard Jenkins complaining about a “majoritarian dictatorship” in Commons led by wicked Speaker when majoritarian diktat ( as warned by Mill) is precisely what has been gvt policy since Referendum
— Simon Schama (@simon_schama) September 13, 2019
Sir Bernard Jenkins is completely out of his depth. Democracy is about permanent discussion, deliberation and the construction of majorities. To describe a cross-party majority in the House of Commons as “majoritarian dictatorship “ is a baby crying when he doesn’t get his way. https://t.co/8jRHVrJcy9
— Will Hutton (@williamnhutton) September 13, 2019
Here’s more from that Sammy Wilson interview rejecting the Times report that DUP is softening its stance on the Irish backstop.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Wilson, the DUP’s Brexit spokesman, said: “The Times article is totally untrue. It’s an unsourced article. What it says is contrary to the position, which we have adopted throughout these negotiations.
“And it runs contrary to what the government is saying, because the government has made it quite clear that it will not accept an arrangement which has a backstop, which separates Northern Ireland out from the rest United Kingdom.”
But Wilson conceded that there had been “different attitude” in the talks this week between Boris Johnson and his Irish counterpart, Leo Varadkar.
He said:
We want to see a deal, the UK government wants to see a deal. And I think that as the deadline approaches, the Irish government recognise the damage to their economy if they don’t try and get some arrangement with the UK, because they have a significant stake in keeping the UK market open for their exporters.
We have always said that there are alternative means by which the border can be policed without creating the hard border.
Asked whether the DUP was open to allowing some EU legislation to apply in Northern Ireland, Wilson said:
That’s something that we said to the prime minister ... that where it was appropriate and EU legislation was necessary to keep the free flow of trade across the Irish border, especially in the agrifood industry, and where it didn’t damage our relationships with our biggest market in GB, then, of course, that’s the kind of thing that the North Ireland assembly should be open to consider, and that would not be opposed to that kind of arrangement. But that’s different from giving carte blanche to the EU and saying whatever regulations you introduced in the future will automatically apply to Northern Ireland whether they’re good for Northern Ireland, or whether they damage the Northern Ireland economy. We’ve all been reasonable, as far as this is concerned, because we understand that there are there are industry interests, and that there are good reasons why cooperation between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic is beneficial on occasions.
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The senior Conservative MP and leading Brexiter Bernard Jenkin has launched an attack on John Bercow accusing him of being “partisan” and holding too much power.
He was responding to the Speaker’s warning that parliament would use “procedural creativity” to stop a no-deal Brexit in a speech which he also likened Boris Johnson to a bank robber.
Jenkin told to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The office of Speaker has become irretrievably politicised and radicalised. It would have been unthinkable 10 or 15 years ago for the Speaker of the House of Commons to launch a personal attack on the prime minister like this.”
Jenkin called for reform of the office of Speaker and claimed that under Bercow, support for Brexit had been marginalised because it was a minority view among MPs.
He said: “For one individual in now what is a contested, televised very public and controversial position to have so much unregulated, untrammelled power, is something that the House of Commons is going to have to look at ...
“Maybe I should ask my unconstitutional affairs committee to look at the role of Speaker because it’s clearly not functioning in the way that it used to function until Mr Bercow arrived.”
He added:
We usually have majority governments, and the Speaker of the House of Commons is there to ensure the protection of minorities. We’ve got a minority government, a very partisan Speaker, and a Speaker who is using the majority and doing nothing to protect the minority.
The number of leavers in the House of Commons is vastly outnumbered by the number of MPs who voted remain. And if the speakership is to become a majoritarian office like the speakership in the [US] Congress, is a very different proposition.
He’s not subject to any court or any … it’s a kind of majoritarian dictatorship position.
It would be very sensible if the Speaker is going to make a controversial decision, that should be a consensus decision amongst him and his deputies, not just a sole decision. It will be more of a collective.
Jenkin also suggested Bercow had resigned as Speaker before he was pushed.
He’s avoided personal scrutiny of his own personal behaviour, even though he’s introduced all kinds of new systems to regulate the behaviour of MPs. People have speculated that one of the reasons he’s going is because finally the house has voted to look at the historic cases, which would include his own case.
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Sammy Wilson MP, the DUP’s Brexit spokesman, has also dismissed that Times report, which claimed his party has softened its red lines on a Northern Ireland-only backstop.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he said it was “totally untrue”.
According to the Larne Times, Wilson earlier told the BBC:
We will not be accepting separate arrangements for Northern Ireland that cut us off from the United Kingdom. The only different arrangements we will accept for Northern Ireland are those where the assembly has total scrutiny of any EU legislation it decides are in the interest of Northern Ireland and doesn’t damage our relationship with the UK.
And in those situations we will consider adopting appropriate legislation if we believe it is to the advantage of industry in Northern Ireland.
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Boris Johnson continues his unofficial election campaign with another trip to Labour’s northern heartlands today.
In a speech in Rotherham to the Convention of the North, he is expected to promise northern communities “control over the things that matter to them”, and a new Northern Powerhouse growth body to drive the region’s economy.
The speech is due to start at 12.30pm, and will take questions from journalists afterwards, according to Politico’s London Playbook.
Meanwhile, politicians from northern England who will gather at the convention have made a joint call for more help for the region. Mayors and city leaders from Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds and Sheffield, along with business leaders, have set out their priorities for the north in a joint article in the Times. It said:
To get this country working again, there is an urgent need to take power out of Westminster and give it to our great cities and regions.
We need to build a new, healthier politics that unifies people around place and positive change and delivers practical change for citizens.
The crisis over Brexit makes this a make or break moment for northern devolution. “Take Back Control” may have been directed at Brussels during the referendum campaign but the reality is that many people were also sending the same message to Westminster.
Whilst central government has been stuck in the Brexit mire, we have used devolution to deliver for our local communities on the things that matter to them. So today we are making a new joint call on the government for action in five priority areas.
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Welcome to another special Friday edition of Politics Live.
Arlene Foster, the DUP leader, has played down a report that her party is softening its opposition to a Northern Ireland-only backstop to help Boris Johnson get a new Brexit deal.
The Times claimed the DUP has agreed to shift its red lines on Brexit, saying it could accept Northern Ireland abiding by some European Union rules post-Brexit as part of a new deal to replace the Irish backstop.
Friday’s front page:
— The Times Scotland (@thetimesscot) September 12, 2019
- DUP opens door to new Brexit deal for Johnson
- New FGM law is racially motivated, Holyrood told #scotpapers #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/c1iNdlMWB2
It reported that the DUP had privately said it would drop its objection to regulatory checks in the Irish Sea, something it had previously said was unacceptable since it would separate Northern Ireland politically and economically from the mainland.
In return for such concessions, Brussels would abandon its insistence on Northern Ireland remaining in a customs union with the EU, sources told the paper.
But, the DUP leader, Arlene Foster, insists that, as previously indicated, any moves which did make Northern Ireland different to the rest of the UK would be unacceptable to the party.
In a strongly worded tweet, she suggested the story was “nonsense”.
She said:
“UK must leave as one nation. We are keen to see a sensible deal but not one that divides the internal market of the UK. We will not support any arrangements that create a barrier to East West trade. Anonymous sources lead to nonsense stories.”
UK must leave as one nation. We are keen to see a sensible deal but not one that divides the internal market of the UK. We will not support any arrangements that create a barrier to East West trade. Anonymous sources lead to nonsense stories. #frontpages
— Arlene Foster (@DUPleader) September 12, 2019
Meanwhile, the prime minister has been warned against breaking the law over Brexit by the Speaker John Bercow, who said parliament would use “procedural creativity” to prevent no-deal exit.
And the EU’s chief negotiator said there was “no reason to be optimistic” that a new agreement can be brokered before the 31 October deadline.
Michel Barnier told political leaders in the European parliament on Thursday that he was unable to say whether contacts with the UK government would result in a deal by mid-October.
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