May to address her lawmakers after attacks over Brexit

Political reporter(wp/reuters):
British Prime Minister Theresa May will address Conservative Party lawmakers at a private meeting in parliament on Wednesday after anger at her Brexit negotiating strategy prompted some of them to discuss replacing her.
May asked to address her divided party’s powerful “1922 Committee” where she can expect questions from lawmakers, some of whom have discussed forcing a leadership contest.

But her request to attend the committee meeting signals that she does not expect a febrile situation, which earlier this week pushed investors to sell Britain’s sterling currency on fears of political upheaval, is to flare into a formal challenge.

With just over five months to go until Britain’s scheduled departure from the EU on March 29, May’s Brexit negotiation has stalled over a disagreement on a fallback plan for the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.

Many business leaders and investors fear politics could scupper an agreement, thrusting the world’s fifth largest economy into a “no-deal” Brexit they say would spook markets and clog up the arteries of trade.

Companies will suffer and criminals could benefit from the inevitable border disruption that will ensue if Britain leaves the European Union without a deal, the country’s public spending watchdog said on Wednesday.

May failed to clinch a deal at an EU summit last week and her decision to raise the possibility of extending a post-Brexit transition period — keeping Britain under EU governance with no say in it to help end the deadlock — has angered both hardline supporters of Brexit and pro-EU lawmakers.

An Ipsos MORI poll on Wednesday showed a record 78 percent of voters lacked confidence in May to get a good deal from Brussels, compared to 70 percent in September.

“And yet, the public don’t put all the blame at her door – and nor is there much evidence that they would have much more confidence in anyone else,” said Gideon Skinner, Head of Political Research at Ipsos MORI

Many Conservative Party lawmakers are wary of toppling a leader on the eve of Britain’s most significant political and economic move it joined the bloc in 1973. Many also fear an election could bring the opposition Labour Party into power.

‘FIRST CIRCLE OF HELL’

EU sources have told Reuters that British negotiators proposed that Britain could stay long term in a customs union with the EU, during talks that reached close technical agreement on a possible deal 10 days ago.

On Wednesday, the Times newspaper reported that leaked cabinet papers suggested that May’s Brexit plans could leave Britain in a “long-running” multi-year transition period despite her promise that it would last only a few months.

May’s office said the newspaper’s report was “nothing more than a partial reflection of advice given to ministers and not of decisions taken”.

“The PM ...doesn’t want to enter into an additional implementation period, she doesn’t believe one will be necessary. Were it the case ... she would want it to come to an end well before the end of the parliament,” her spokesman said.

The Times said her attorney-general, Geoffrey Cox, compared May’s Brexit plans at a cabinet meeting on Monday to Dante’s “first circle of hell”.

Ever since losing her party its majority in parliament with a botched bet on a 2017 snap election, May has faced talk of a leadership challenge.

But there was a change of tone in the British media this week, with some newspapers carrying unusually bloodthirsty language by unidentified opponents.

One said May was entering “the killing zone”, while another said May should “bring her own noose” to the 1922 committee meeting.

A vote of no-confidence in May would be triggered if 48 Conservative lawmakers submit letters to the chairman of the 1922 committee to demand such a vote.

The Sunday Times said 46 had now been sent and the BBC’s political editor said on Monday that the 48 number had not yet been reached. The number of letters held by the committee chairman is not made public.

Toddler died after being tied down in 'monstrous cage bed', court hears

Crime reporter(wp/es):

A toddler died after being tied face-down in a “monstrous cage bed”, a court heard.

Ellie-May Minshull Coyle was allegedly bound by her legs and chest and forced to sleep face-down in the bed – a purple Frozen bed, based on the Disney children's film – described in court as a "monstrous cage".

Mother Lauren Coyle, her partner Reece Hitchcott and their lodger Connor Kirby are all alleged to have known what was going on and are standing trial for manslaughter.

A post-mortem examination found 19-month-old Ellie-May died at a flat in Preston on March 23 last year due to "forcible restraint by ligatures in a face-down position complicated by hyperthermia".

Liverpool Crown Court heard Ellie-May would have tantrums when she did not get her own way.

Coyle, 19, sent a text message to Hitchcott, 20, reading: "I've smacked her loads."

In another text on March 8, she said: "I literally just feel like jumping in front of a train. I just feel down with this child constantly being naughty and I'm so stressed out it makes me feel dizzy."

In another message, sent on March 17, less than a week before Ellie-May's death, she wrote: "That child's f***ing woke me up screaming the whole flat down banging her head. Feel so knackered."

Speaking to the court on Tuesday, Coyle claimed Ellie-May was lying on her back, and not restrained, when she put her back into bed after she woke at about 7am on March 23.

Coyle said she fell back asleep and was woken when her father, Sean Coyle, visited the flat at about 9.25am.

Mr Coyle went into Ellie-May's bedroom with Hitchcott, but rang emergency services when he realised his granddaughter was not breathing.

Coyle told the court when Hitchcott took Ellie-May out of the bed she noticed what appeared to be a black Velcro strap around the toddler's ankles.

She said: "I said to Reece: 'Did you do this? Why would you do it?' And he said: 'I'm sorry."'

Coyle told the court the bed had been converted by Hitchcott. She said: "I did tell him that I didn't like it but I never told him to take it down.

"I asked Reece what it was for and he said: 'Give it a couple of weeks and Ellie will be in a routine and settling.’ So I just took his advice."

"I should have stood my ground and got Reece to take the bed down."

Coyle told the court Ellie-May, who she had with ex-boyfriend John Minshull, was her "world".

Coyle, of Preston, Hitchcott, of Preston, and Kirby, of Liverpool, have all denied manslaughter.

They also each deny a count of causing or allowing the death of the child, one count of child cruelty by "caging" the child in her bed, and another count of child cruelty by restraining her in the bed.

The trial continues.

TfL commuters face Tube chaos as union announces new strike on same day as Piccadilly line walkout

Staff reporter(wp/es):

Hundreds of thousands of commuters will be hit by a double Tube strike after the RMT union announced a Central line walkout on the same day as industrial action on the Piccadilly line.

Workers on the Central line will strike for 24 hours on November 7 over a "comprehensive breakdown in industrial relations", the union said.

The union's members on the Piccadilly line are holding a strike on the same day following a similar dispute, threatening travel misery for Londoners.

RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: "Industrial relations on the Central Line have been at breaking point for some time now and the failure of the management to address the issues, and a conscious decision to up the ante by attempting to single out and pick off individual members of staff, has tipped the situation over the edge and has led to the announcement of strike action today.

"There is a growing culture on London Underground that revolves around refusing to employ enough drivers, bullying staff and expecting our members to pick up the pieces when the service breaks down.

"RMT members on the Central Line have made it clear that they have had enough and are prepared to stand up and fight for workplace respect and justice.

"Tube bosses are well aware of the level of anger on the job and it's down to them to take the situation seriously and engage in genuine talks around reaching a solution to the current disputes."

Nick Dent, Director of Line Operations for London Underground, said: "The strike action called by both RMT and Aslef on 7 November is totally unjustified. Our commitment to the safety of our customers and staff is absolute and something we will never compromise on.

"I urge the unions to call off this entirely unnecessary strike action which will only cause disruption to our customers."

Piccadilly line drivers also held two strikes last month in the row over industrial relations between the union and Transport for London.