Top story: Peer rebellion keeps EEA membership on table
Hello – I’m Warren Murray with your breakfast news, the most important news of the day.
Both Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn have been handed a stunning defeat over Brexit after the Lords voted to keep membership of the single market on the table. Labour peers were whipped to abstain on the amendment concerning the European economic area. But 83 defied the whip, including a former party leader, many former ministers and a former chief whip. They were joined by 17 Conservatives.
The amendment on remaining in the European economic area (EEA) will now have to be considered and voted on by MPs when the bill returns to the Commons, perhaps as soon as next week. The Tories are likely to try to brand Labour as the party of free movement, which is one of the obligations of EEA membership. But the Labour MP Chuka Umunna said: “The time for constructive ambiguity is over – our members and our voters will be delighted with this clear signal that we will not go along with this Tory Brexit.”
There was some good news for Theresa May. Anna Soubry and Dominic Grieve, two key remainers, have signalled they might support the PM’s idea of a “customs partnership” with the EU. Soubry said: “If it delivers the huge benefit of our membership of the customs union and indeed the single market … then I don’t care what you call it.”
* * *
‘Psychological war’ – World leaders have reacted with dismay after Donald Trump went through with his threat to break with the Iran nuclear agreement, also known as the JCPOA. The US will now reimpose sanctions on companies that do business with Tehran. Here’s how the deal works and why Trump has decided to sabotage it – in what Barack Obama, one of its authors, called a “misguided” act and a “serious mistake”. Iran said the accord is well rid of the “pesky being”, ie Trump, but Iran’s president has warned that the country’s atomic agency is preparing to restart uranium enrichment if the deal collapses completely. European leaders appear determined to salvage the agreement. “We urge the US to ensure that the structures of the JCPOA can remain intact, and to avoid taking action which obstructs its full implementation by all other parties to the deal,” said a statement from France, Germany and the UK. Trump’s action also imperils the prospects of freedom for American nationals held by Iran.
* * *
Quick catch-up – Here’s where things stand in the middle part of the week.
> North Korea might be about to release three US nationals it imprisoned for alleged anti-government activities. Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, is back in the country to lay groundwork for a summit between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump.
> The lawyer for Stormy Daniels says Donald Trump’s lawyer, who channelled “hush money” to the adult film actor, got half a million dollars from a Russian oligarch and Putin ally.
> The Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski is suing the Academy over his expulsion and says the MeToo movement is founded on “hypocrisy” and “mass hysteria”.
> Fewer people would drink so much if alcohol came with a warning that it increases the risk of cancer, a survey has found.
> Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter have signed on to turn the adventures of Bill and Ted into a trilogy. Unavoidably given the last one was made in 1991, the plot catches up with the characters in middle age – both actors are in their early 50s.
* * *
‘Long, long haul’ – The island of South Georgia has been declared rat-free after 250 years of devastation that began with the arrival of whaling ships and their unwanted rodent stowaways.
In the world’s biggest project to kill off an invasive species threatening wildlife, £10m was spent over 10 years dropping hundreds of tonnes of poison baits, while sniffer dogs and their handlers patrolled often harsh and frozen terrain to ensure the rats were gone. They haven’t found one on the South Atlantic British territory for two years now – and native pipit birds, vulnerable to predators because lay their eggs on the ground, are making themselves heard once again.
* * *
Be less of an Android – Google is touting new features to help people spend less time on their phones. The “digital wellbeing” suite for Android includes time limits on app usage, a “wind down” mode to silence alerts at the end of the day, and a “shush” feature putting the phone on do-not-disturb when it is placed face down. “People struggle to be truly present because notifications on the device can be too distracting,” said the Google chief executive, Sundar Pichai. You tuned out a bit and started fiddling with your phone when he said “truly present” didn’t you?
Lunchtime read: ‘There are very deeply held feelings’
While the “yes” and “no” placards for the abortion referendum may be up, the people of Roscommon, the only Irish constituency that voted against same-sex marriage, are keeping their views close, writes Harriet Sherwood. Whether to amend the constitution and allow legal abortion remains divisive in rural Ireland, as an issue cutting to the core of Catholic belief. But demographic change and the declining influence of the church also have a bearing.
In Roscommon, canvassers for the “yes” campaign say they have found people fairly evenly divided between yes, no and undecided. Nationally, yes is expected to win – though, says one doorknocker, “there is a wide expectation that Roscommon will vote no”. On the other side, campaigners feel the prospect of abortion on demand up to 12 weeks will shock people into voting no: “Many ordinary people feel that an equal voice has not been given to those who want to retain the eighth amendment.” Voting takes place on 25 May.
Sport
A night of drama and tension ended with Southampton all but securing their Premier League status for another season, Swansea City staring relegation in the face and West Brom joining Stoke City in the Championship next season. In a Guardian exclusive, Chelsea are facing more allegations about a racism scandal involving Gwyn Williams and Graham Rix after the former youth-team footballers who claim they were subjected to horrific abuse received public backing. Andy Murray could be in doubt for Wimbledon with concerns his recovery from hip surgery may have stalled. Finally, the Professional Cricketers’ Association has warned that The Hundred will not go ahead without the players on board amid a range of concerns.
Business
Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal sparked some big swings on the financial markets but the dust has settled a bit now, with oil and the US dollar rising again. Shares haven’t fared so well and were broadly down in Asia. The FTSE100 is set to open flat, perhaps waiting for a clearer signal from Wall Street later in the day. The pound is buying $1.353 and €1.141.
The papers
“Lords take wrecking ball to Brexit” blasts the Express and its strapline adds a dash of “Rees-Mogg fury”, which one imagines to be a kind of genteel, well-articulated fury with some Latin in it. The Mail rages about “Betrayal of our soldiers – again” because an amnesty over historic killings during the Troubles in Northern Ireland will not go ahead. “How did Doncaster get on?” – if you believe the Sun, those were Sir Alex Ferguson’s first words when he woke from brain surgery (others have reported that too, in fairness). “I am not Britain’s worst mum” – the words of Karen Matthews in an interview with the Mirror over the staged kidnapping of her daughter, Shannon, in 2008.
On most other front pages, Donald Trump’s attempted sabotage of the Iran nuclear accord holds sway. “Fears of new Gulf crisis” is how the Guardian’s splash headline commences. The FT points out that it means the US will restore sanctions against Tehran. The Times’ splash headline quotes the president as calling the deal “rotten”, while the Telegraph picks up on another quote. “When I make promises I keep them”.
Sign up
The Guardian morning briefing is delivered to thousands of inboxes bright and early every weekday. If you are not already receiving it by email, make sure to subscribe.
For more news: www.theguardian.com
