Day: December 1, 2019

    Boris Johnson has sought to blame Labour for the release of Usman Khan, the convicted terrorist who murdered two people on London Bridge on Friday, as the aftermath of the attack became an increasingly politicised election issue. In an interview on BBC One’s The Andrew Marr Show, the prime minister said it was ridiculous that someone such as Khan should have been freed midway through an earlier sentence, and pledged to change the law. He said: The reason this killer was out on the streets was because of automatic early release which was brought in by a leftie government. But challenged on the role of cuts to police, probation services and the judicial system under 10 years of Conservative rule, Johnson repeatedly sought to separate himself from this, and present hi...

    Boris Johnson could be forced into holding a second referendum on Brexit next summer if he fails to win a majority in the House of Commons but remains as prime minister, according to a new report by academics at University College London. The detailed analysis of how a referendum could be triggered, how long it would take, and how it would work concludes that a second public vote in which the options would most likely be Johnson’s deal versus remaining in the EU would be very much on the cards if the Conservatives are denied a majority, or are returned with only a very slender one, on 12 December. The report by UCL’s constitution unit in collaboration with research initiative UK in a Changing Europe is a reminder of the high stakes, and high risk, of the election to...