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.

UK says Northern Ireland can not be in separate customs territory post-Brexit

Staff reporter(wp/reuters):
Britain cannot accept Northern Ireland being in a separate customs territory from the rest of the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Theresa May’s spokesman said on Tuesday.

Brexit talks have stalled over a disagreement on the so-called Northern Irish backstop, an insurance policy to ensure there will be no return to a hard border on the island of Ireland if a future trading relationship is not agreed in time.

Reuters reported on Monday the EU could look to “anchor” a reference in the legally binding Withdrawal Agreement to Britain’s proposal to keep the whole of the United Kingdom in a customs partnership with the EU.

Asked whether Britain would be prepared to accept the Northern Ireland backstop if there were a link to a future treaty agreement on a UK-wide arrangement, the spokesman said: “Any circumstance in which Northern Ireland could be in a separate customs territory to the UK is unacceptable.”

Three MPs quit from John Bercow's 'inclusion' committee

Political reporter(wp/es):

Three Tory MPs have stepped down from a committee set up by under-fire speaker John Bercow to improve 'inclusion' in Westmisnter.

The Speaker's Office said Will Quince, Mims Davies and Anne Milton had resigned from the Commons Reference Group on Representation and Inclusion, which is responsible for investigating complaints.

The three quit saying he is not the right person to resolve the "numerous and serious issues" around bullying in parliament.

Mr Bercow is himself at the centre of numerous allegations of bullying by Commons staff - all of which he denies.

Mr Quince said he did not believe Mr Bercow was the right person to handle the "numerous and serious issues" which had been raised about the conduct of some MPs and Commons staff.

However, in the light of the Dame Laura Cox report, sadly I cannot in good conscience remain as a member of the group while John Bercow is chair," he said.

"As much as I personally like John, I have reluctantly reached the conclusion that he is not the right person to resolve the numerous and serious issues."

Ms Davies said: "I felt that remaining on this (committee) currently did not sit right following Dame Laura Cox's report, and as this committee is chaired by the Speaker, I sadly felt in a difficult position. I did not take this decision lightly."

In a statement, a spokeswoman for the Speaker's Office said Mr Bercow had accepted their resignations "with regret" and paid tribute to them as "stellar members" of the group.

She said the Speaker would consider the group's future after the House of Commons Commission has met on Wednesday to consider Dame Laura's report.

A damning report by Dame Laura Cox QC highlighted a Westminster culture which allowed the bullying and sexual harassment of staff to flourish.

The former High Court judge questioned whether the issue could be tackled successfully under the present Commons leadership - leading to calls for Mr Bercow to stand down.

Dame Laura was appointed to head an investigation after BBC Two's Newsnight highlighted claims of bullying of Commons staff by MPs and other staff, including Mr Bercow.

Teenager murdered in suspected gang 'hit' in Greenwich East London

Crime reporter,London(wp/es):

A teenage boy was stabbed to death on a doorstep by two knife-wielding thugs who sped away on a moped.

The 18-year-old died after being stabbed in the back in a suspected gang-linked “hit”.

Officers were called to a disturbance in Armitage Street in Greenwich at 9.25pm last night and found the teenager collapsed outside a housing block . Local residents and paramedics fought to save his life but he was pronounced dead at the scene just after 10pm.

The incident is the 20th teenage murder inquiry begun in London this year, while more than 110 people have been murdered in total in the capital in 2018. 

Witnesses reported a commotion outside a block of flats just before 9.30pm. One witness said: “There were two guys on a scooter. The stabbed boy was on the ground. They sped off. It was all very quick and it was clearly a hit.

“We tried to talk to the guy on the ground but he had gone. We tried to get him back, to reach him, but there’s nothing we could do. I couldn’t see any blood, but apparently he was stabbed in the back. It was dark and I couldn’t see the faces of the guys on the scooter. I didn’t recognise the victim.”

Another witness said: “There was a massive commotion and a bike revving. We looked out and the boy was lying on the ground. We checked for a pulse but he was dead. We were in total shock.”

A crime scene tent remained in place today outside the front door of a flat, with bloody clothing strewn inside. Police cordons also surrounded the street as forensic experts searched the scene for clues. 

The killing took place half a mile from the Greenwich Maritime Museum.

Locals said there had been a flurry of gang-related activity in recent months. One said: “There have been a lot of boys on scooters and a tense atmosphere. We just keep our head down.”

Two other teenagers were also hurt in knife attacks in London last night. An 18-year-old was stabbed in Grosvenor Avenue, Islington, at 10.50pm, and a 19-year-old walked into hospital at 9.18pm with a stab injury to his leg after an attack in Greenleaf Road, Walthamstow.

Knife crime in London has risen to a record level, with nearly 15,000 offences committed in the 12 months to June, a 15 per cent rise on the year before. This year there have been 69 knife killings, with 12 of the victims teenagers.

There have been no arrests in connection with the Greenwich attack.

Anyone with information should call police on 101 or ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Pound Sterling falls to 2-1/2 week low on fear of challenge to PM May

Business correspondent(reuters/wp):
Pound Sterling fell on Monday as fears grew that the Irish border issue and disagreements within Britain’s ruling Conservatives over Brexit could see Prime Minister Theresa May face a serious leadership challenge.

The pound lost ground against the dollar and the euro, at one point falling close to 1 percent to the greenback, though it later clawed back some of the losses.

Sunday newspapers quoting unnamed lawmakers as saying May should prepare for a challenge to her leadership.

A report by the Telegraph newspaper’s deputy political editor said the DUP, the Northern Irish party which props up May’s government, would back an amendment proposed by rebel Brexiteer lawmakers that would effectively make the European Union’s proposal on the Irish border illegal

However, a rebel lawmaker, Steve Baker who had tabled the amendments, was later reported as planning to withdraw the proposal, according to The Times newspaper

Lee Hardman, FX strategist at MUFG in London said he still expected a deal eventually to be struck over Brexit but added: “The path to a deal seems to have become a bit harder.”

“On the weekend, we saw increasing concern over political instability in the UK and the threat of another leadership challenge back on the table,” Hardman said.

By 1530 GMT, sterling was down 0.65 percent, having earlier hit a low of $1.2957, its weakest since Oct. 4. GBP=D3

Against the euro, the pound was down 0.3 percent EURGBP=D3, well off earlier lows of 88.57 pence which had been a 2 1/2-week low. Technicals indicated sterling had fallen below its 55-day moving average — closing below this level would signal more downside risks, chartists said.

Jittery markets closely watched May’s speech to parliament, at which she is expected to say that 95 percent of the Brexit divorce deal has been settled. But she will maintain opposition to the European Union’s proposal for the land border with Northern Ireland.

However, her proposal to extend a status-quo transition period beyond the current proposed date of December 2021 has angered the eurosceptics in her party.

“(The leadership challenge issue) is hanging over sterling, which is (also) waiting for another steer on Brexit, likely from this address from May today,” Investec economist Victoria Clarke said.

Late last week, Brexit optimism, along with a paring of dollar long positions, saw short sterling bets fall to a net 50,353 contracts, versus more than 60,000 the week before, calculations by Reuters and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission showed.

But analysts at Nomura said they were taking profit on long sterling positions, noting short-term risks.

“Despite our view that a leadership confidence vote on May is no more than hyped-up tail risk, we admit the Conservative Party has never looked closer to triggering such action as it does today,” Nomura said, noting that centrist Tories as well as Brexiteers were disgruntled with the direction of Brexit policy.