UK
UK Brexit chaos continues as PM plans Brussels trip
(CNS): British Prime Minister Theresa May is planning to return to Brussels next week in an effort to renegotiate the Brexit withdrawal deal without the controversial ‘backstop’, which relates to avoiding a hard border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland after the UK leaves the European Union. But the goal is a tough […]
May still in job but refuses to rule out ‘no deal Brexit’
(CNS): British Prime Minister Theresa May refused to rule out a ‘no deal Brexit’ Thursday, in the wake of surviving a no confidence vote on Wednesday. Just over two months before the UK will leave the European Union after some 45 years, May has now decided to invite cross-party discussions about a revised deal after […]
British PM faces no confidence vote after Brexit deal defeat
(CNS): Theresa May sustained a resounding defeat in the British House of Commons, Tuesday, when MPs voted against her much disliked Brexit deal 432 to 202, in the heaviest parliamentary defeat of any British prime minister in modern history. Given what he described as “a catastrophic defeat” for the prime minister, Opposition Leader Jeremy Corbyn […]
UK PM makes last-minute plea for votes on Brexit deal
(CNS): The British House of Commons is still on track to vote on the deal that Prime Minister Theresa May has presented as the country’s only path to Brexit. Speaking in the Commons on Monday, May made a last-ditch effort to rally the votes she needs but is very unlikely to get in order to […]
Queen calls for respect over opposing views
(CNS): In her annual Christmas broadcast to the Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth II, now aged 92, said the Christmas message of “peace on earth and goodwill to all” was needed more than ever, as she urged people to treat each other with respect, even when they have opposing views, and urged the nation to come together. […]
UK prime minister hangs on to job after party vote
(CNS): A vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Theresa May’s leadership of the Conservative Party was defeated Wednesday, allowing the beleaguered British leader to hang on to her job in the face of continuing chaos in UK politics circulating around the country’s attempts to leave the European Union. However, although her leadership cannot be […]
UK government to co-chair LGBT rights coalition
(CNS): The governments of Britain and Argentina have been chosen to co-chair the Equal Rights Coalition, an international body created to protect the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people around the world. Lord Ahmad, who is the UK’s minister for human rights, said Britain will use its role to lobby countries to decriminalise same-sex […]
Brexit chaos rolls on in wake of cancelled vote
(CNS): The former British prime minister, David Cameron, said he had no regrets about calling the referendum asking British voters if they wanted to remain or leave the European Union, even as the political chaos created by the result mounted Tuesday. The current PM, Theresa May, cancelled the parliamentary vote, which had been due today, […]
Former UK health minister takes over FCO
(CNS): British Prime Minister Theresa May selected Jeremy Hunt to replace Boris Johnson as foreign secretary in Monday’s Cabinet reshuffle, which was triggered by the resignations of both Johnson and Brexit Secretary David Davis. Backbencher Dominic Raab has finally made it to the front bench as the new Brexit secretary, and Geoffrey Cox QC, who […]
Boris third minister to quit UK government
(CNS): Boris Johnson has walked out of his top job as British foreign secretary, becoming the third minister to leave Prime Minister Theresa May’s Cabinet following a weekend at Chequers, the PM’s country retreat, where the Conservative government’s Brexit plan was hammered out. Johnson reportedly said that selling the compromise that emerged from her deeply divided cabinet […]
BOT minister to promote religious freedom
(CNS): The UK’s Foreign Office minister who has responsibility for the British Overseas Territories, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, has been appointed as the Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief. The role was described in a release from the Foreign Office as supporting Prime Minister Theresa May’s commitment to religious tolerance, not just in […]
