United Kingdom

    Amber Rudd said it is possible Theresa May will ultimately be unable to persuade enough of her own MPs to back her deal, suggesting it is time to abandon outrage and accusations and try something different. Ms Rudd said a practical, sensible and healing approach was needed for MPs to coalesce around a deal to avert the danger of Britain crashing out of the EU. It comes as five Cabinet ministers are understood to be considering a second referendum if MPs cannot agree a deal in the next month. Ms Rudd, Philip Hammond, David Gauke, Greg Clarke, and David Lidington have all stepped up discussions over whether to back the poll following Mrs May's narrow victory in the confidence vote earlier this week, the Times reported. The Work and Pensions Secretary is the most sen...

    Theresa May’s Brexit plan was dealt another major blow at a meeting with EU leaders on Thursday night in a disastrous turn of events that resulted in them scrapping written commitments to help her pass her deal through parliament. After arriving in Brussels with promises to help the prime minister, European leaders were left amazed when she turned up without any developed requests or ideas. The 27 heads of state and government subsequently decided to delete lines from their council conclusions saying the EU stands ready to examine whether any further assurance can be provided” and that “the backstop does not represent a desirable outcome for the union. The key paragraphs appeared in leaked earlier drafts on the conclusions and their absence leaves a barebones state...

    A European conservative group co-founded by the Tories and led by Brexit campaigner and MEP Daniel Hannan has been asked to repay more than half a million euros of EU funds following an investigation into their spending, the Guardian has learned. In a rare negative finding touching a British political party in government, European parliament senior leaders on Monday night ordered the Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe (ACRE) to repay €535,609 (£484,367) of EU funds. The group will be denied a further €187,245, which had been withheld pending investigation. A formal demand for repayment will be issued to the ACRE next week, following a decision taken behind closed doors by the parliament’s top leaders on Monday. Hannan, who has championed Brexit for ...

    The prime minister’s spokesman said she did not regard the vote tonight as‪ deciding who is going to lead the party into the next election, but about who takes the country through Brexit. The key argument her critics have used against her remaining as leader, is that many of her MPs do not want her to lead the Conservatives into the next election. The move came after a confident performance by Ms May at prime minister’s questions in the commons, which her husband Philip watched from the public gallery. She was to follow the session with multiple meetings with MPs and then a critical group meeting with the backbench 1922 Committee of Conservatives. Her spokesman said Ms May doesn’t believe the vote today is about who leads the party to the next election. It’s ab...

    Theresa May's whirlwind Brexit tour has been left in tatters moments after it began after the head of the EU declared there is no room whatsoever for renegotiation. The Prime Minister barely had breakfast with the Dutch PM on a 1,500-mile trip before her bid to reshape her withdrawal deal was attacked by Jean-Claude Juncker. The European Commission President said he was surprised Mrs May had dropped a vote in Parliament on her deal which 27 EU leaders had already agreed last night. He warned it would appear that there are problems right at the end of the road, adding: The deal we have achieved is the best deal possible, it is the only deal possible. Theresa May Mrs May is seeking assurances today in visits to Dutch PM Mark Rutte, German leader Angela Merkel, Mr Ju...

    The Prime Minister was set to address the Commons at 3.30pm after the emergency call with her ministers on Monday morning. Just minutes after a Downing Street spokesman insisted the vote would go ahead, the Bloomberg news agency and the BBC cited sources as saying that Tuesday's vote had been cancelled. Speculation had mounted that the vote on the Withdrawal Agreement could be postponed or scrapped in the face of an open revolt by Conservative MPs and fierce opposition from other sides of the House.

    Four out of five Jews in the UK believe antisemitism is a major problem in British politics, the worst record within the EU, and nearly a third are considering leaving Britain out of fears for their safety, according to the world’s largest survey of Jewish people. The report from the EU’s agency on fundamental rights has found antisemitic hatred and discrimination on the rise across Europe, with attitudes in France, Germany, Belgium and Poland said to be the most disturbing. The survey of 16,300 Jewish people in Europe found that almost a third avoid attending events or visiting Jewish sites because they do not feel safe. In France, 95% of Jews believe antisemitism is a very or fairly big problem, up from 85% when the poll was last run six years ago. And nine out o...

    Jeremy Corbyn could take over as prime minister of a minority government on Wednesday morning if MPs reject Theresa May's Brexit deal, Labour has told Sky News. A party spokesperson vowed to reset negotiations with Brussels and take the country forward should the prime minister be defeated in parliament. It came as Brexit minister Kwasi Kwarteng insisted the crunch vote would go ahead on Tuesday, amid reports it could be pulled to spare the government a large loss. The split could have deeper implications after Brexit is settled, former attorney-general Dominic Grieve also warned. There is a risk that the party will split and cannot continue in its current form, he told Sky News. And Nigel Dodds, deputy leader of the government's confidence-and-supply partners th...

    The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's renowned personal secretary is set to leave her role after the birth of their child in spring just weeks after another aide suddenly resigned. Samantha Cohen, 50, is a key member of Meghan's Kensington Palace staff and her departure will fuel rumours that the Duchess is difficult to work for. Ms Cohen is nicknamed Samantha the Panther and was also one of the Queen's most trusted aides having served as a communications secretary and spent 17 years working for the royals. Meghan's personal assistant Melissa Touabti also quit, just six months after the Royal wedding at Windsor Castle in May. Ms Cohen is believed to have joined Harry and Meghan's household on an interim basis in early 2018. The Duchess is reported to have been keen to...

    Theresa May has warned Conservative MPs they risk handing Jeremy Corbyn the keys to Number 10 unless they back her Brexit deal. The prime minister added that failure to approve her agreement also brings a very real risk of the UK not leaving the European Union. Mrs May is fighting to save her Brexit deal ahead of a crucial Commons vote on Tuesday, with her leadership also in jeopardy amid a mounting Tory revolt. Brexiteers Boris Johnson, David Davis and Priti Patel all addressed grassroots Conservative activists on Saturday at the National Conservative Convention, fuelling speculation about their ambitions. Mrs May has insisted she is still the best leader for the Conservatives, and spoke of her hope that the Brexit deal would be secured by Christmas. The prime m...