Day: May 17, 2019

    The former foreign secretary, already odds-on favourite with bookmakers, has a massive lead over his nearest rival, fellow Brexiteer Dominic Raab. Mr Johnson is the first choice of almost one-in-four party members, according to a YouGov poll for The Times conducted this week. Cabinet ministers Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove, Sajid Javid, Andrea Leadsom, Matt Hancock and Rory Stewart are all trailing way behind on single figures. The poll is hugely significant because it is Conservative Party members who will elect Mrs May's successor in a ballot of the top two candidates chosen by Tory MPs. It suggests that unless his leadership bid is blocked by a stop Boris sabotage by MPs, he is on course to storm to victory by a big margin in the ballot of party members. Mr Johnso...

    A bombshell leaked document today reveals Theresa May’s plan to block a second referendum and stage preferential votes in the Commons designed to allow Britain to leave the EU on July 31. The leaked memo, shown to the Evening Standard, was sent to Labour on Wednesday, a day after the Prime Minister and Jeremy Corbyn met for private talks. The revelation came as a surprise on the day Mr Corbyn pulled the plug on cross-party talks with the Government, saying that they had “gone as far as they can”. The plan involves: Free votes for MPs in which they would rank in order of preference five different forms of customs arrangements with the EU, ranging from a full permanent trade pact to a looser or temporary arrangement. The aim is to force the Commons, which has ...