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Melinda DOCTOR WHO Has Don Jr Gates’s BECOMES destroyed Catholic A WOMAN his father? conscience TALKING POINTS P21 BEST AMERICAN COLUMNISTS P15 PEOPLE P8 22TH JULY 2017 | ISSUE 1134 | £3.30 EWTHE BEST OF THE BRITISHEEK AND INTERNATIONAL MEDIA Page 2 ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT MATTERS www.theweek.co.uk 2 NEWS The main stories… What happened What the editorials said Day after day, the bad news keeps on coming, said The The negotiations begin Observer. The National Audit Office predicts a “horror show” Brexit Secretary David Davis declared that it was if the UK leaves the EU customs union without time to “get down to business” this week, as he a new customs system in place; data from led his team of officials to Brussels for the first Eurostat shows Britain at the bottom of the round of substantive talks on Britain’s departure EU growth league, below even Greece; foreign from the EU. The negotiations are tackling three student applications are down; City jobs are main issues: the rights of EU citizens living in the migrating to Paris and Frankfurt. “We are UK, Northern Ireland’s borders, and the starting to get a glimpse of the hard Brexit question of how much money the UK owes the future.” Meanwhile, it is becoming increasingly EU. Last week, the UK formally conceded that it evident that our leading Brexiteers have “no did have financial “obligations” to the bloc – to workable plan, no realistic, realisable vision”, the relief of Brussels diplomats. They had feared but are simply making it up as they go along. a collapse in the talks after Boris Johnson, the “Slowly but surely, they are being found out.” Foreign Secretary, declared that the EU was demanding an “extortionate” amount and could “It’s deafening,” said The Sun: “the din of “go whistle”. In response, the EU’s chief Remainers hysterically whipping up fear again negotiator, Michel Barnier, said: “I’m not Davis and Barnier: ticking clock to terrify us into bottling out of Brexit.” Our hearing any whistling, just the clock ticking.” Cabinet ministers are apparently all “thick chancers”, while the EU negotiators are all strategic geniuses. On the eve of the talks, a series of critics warned that the Critics “never mention the financial disasters of the eurozone, Government had unrealistic expectations about Brexit and its mass unemployment, or the bitter and rising resentment of was hopelessly ill-prepared for the negotiations. Tony Blair the EU across the Continent”. As for Blair’s claim that the EU also intervened, suggesting that EU leaders might be prepared is suddenly keen to accommodate our concerns about free to “meet us halfway” on restricting the free movement of movement, said The Daily Telegraph, that’s a joke. EU leaders people if we opted to drop the Brexit plan and stay in the EU. have made it very clear that such reforms are off the table. What happened What the editorials said The Cabinet shoot-out Full marks to Theresa May for insisting on Cabinet discipline, said The Times. With the Brexit negotiations now under way, A spate of hostile briefings and Cabinet leaks Britain’s whole future is at stake: this is no time this week prompted Theresa May to demand for the kind of vicious squabbles that could that ministers show more “strength and scuttle her minority government and plunge the unity”. The Prime Minister had earlier told country into “political chaos”. Rival ministers backbench Tory MPs that the “backbiting” may be “bickering”, but the Prime Minister can and “carping” by future rivals for the party at least depend on the “vast majority” of her leadership risked bringing down the MPs, said The Sun. The powerful 1922 Government and handing victory to Labour. Committee of Tory backbenchers this week Media accounts spoke of deep divisions promised its support and urged May to sack between Chancellor Philip Hammond, ministers who rock the boat. She must act now Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Brexit to “take back control” of her Government. Secretary David Davis over Brexit strategy and limits on public sector pay. As if she could, said The Guardian. When Cabinet ministers take to leaking against each According to the leaks, Hammond claimed Hammond: charisma-free? other, it’s a sure sign of “deep prime in Cabinet that public sector workers were ministerial and Cabinet weakness”. The fact “overpaid”, and that driving a train was now so easy that is that May’s drubbing at the polls has robbed her of all “even women” could do it. One minister also reportedly authority. She lacks the clout to get rid of the “Downing accused the Chancellor of deliberately trying to “f*** up” Street cat, much less to sack a disloyal minister”. The Brexit, while an unnamed Davis ally was said to be parliamentary recess will “cover over but cannot conceal” spreading lurid stories about Johnson’s private life. deep divisions that look set to persist. A teenager who grew up A cyclist from Bristol got her It wasn’t all bad in the slums of Nairobi revenge on a thief by stealing Two polar field guides have has been awarded a full back her own bike in an become the first couple to scholarship at the audacious sting operation. marry in British Antarctic English National Ballet Just hours after her £800 bike Territory. Julie Baum, 34, and School. Raised in a one- was taken, Jenni Morton- Tom Sylvester, 35, tied the knot bedroom shack in the Humphreys, 30, put out an alert at the Rothera Research Station, Kuwinda slum, Joel online, and discovered that the in front of their 18 colleagues. Kioko, 17, only took up bike was already for sale on For her “something old”, the dancing when he was Facebook. The police declined bride wore a dress made from 11. He went with a to help, so – via an intermediary tent fabric. Light was low, and cousin to her ballet – she arranged to meet the the temperature was -9°C, but class, in a local school, seller. At the rendezvous, on a they insisted the setting was intending “to make a nuisance of himself”, he said. “But when we street corner, she asked if she perfect all the same. “Antarctica did the men’s class and I could jump and turn, I knew this is what could test the bike, and handed is an incredibly beautiful place I wanted to do with my life.” He quickly became known as Kenya’s the seller a defunct set of and we have made such great most promising young dance star, and received training in the US house keys as security; then friends here,” said Sylvester. before winning his scholarship to study ballet in England. she quickly pedalled away. COVER CARTOON: HOWARD MCWILLIAM THE WEEK 22 July 2017 …and how they were covered NEWS 3 What the commentators said What next? The hope is growing in many quarters that we might, after all, be able to avert the “nightmare” Labour has threatened to of leaving the EU, said John Harris in The Guardian. “I know in my heart that Brexit can be defeat the repeal bill ending stopped,” says Blair’s former spin doctor, Alastair Campbell. “We’ll stop Brexit,” insists the the supremacy of EU law, philosopher A.C. Grayling. The combination of Labour’s election surge and Tory disarray has complaining that it gives encouraged the belief that “we can somehow pretend 23 June 2016 never happened. The ministers sweeping powers problem is that it did.” What’s more, it seems that the vast majority of people who voted to to tweak laws without full leave the EU still feel the same way, so wouldn’t take very kindly to a U-turn. parliamentary scrutiny. The Bill – which was published There’s no chance of reversing the Article 50 process now, said Daniel Hannan in The Sunday last week and will be debated Telegraph. Consider what would need to happen. Two-thirds of MPs would have to vote for in the autumn – will transfer an early dissolution of Parliament. Then Remainers would need to win the subsequent election all EU laws onto the British on a pro-EU platform. Then they’d need to win a new referendum. Finally, they’d have to statute book, providing legal persuade the other 27 EU nations to take us back. “And they’d need to do all of this within continuity and enabling any 20 months.” There is little doubt that Britain is going to leave the EU in March 2019, agreed measures to be subsequently Philip Collins in The Times. Trying to thwart the process risks merely ensuring that we “crash reformed at leisure. out on the least favourable terms”. Remainers should redirect their energies into helping the UK reach a deal that does as little damage to our country as possible. A round of Brexit talks will take place each month until But it’s too early to give up yet, said Gideon Rachman in the FT. There remains “a distinct October, by which time both possibility that there will be revelatory moments in the next two years” that create an sides hope to have finalised irresistible demand for a second vote. “A serious breakdown in negotiations with the risk of the terms of Britain’s divorce. a ‘no deal Brexit’ would be one such scenario.” As they witness the flailing efforts of the May If “sufficient progress” has Government, the British people may conclude “that the Brexiters have had their chance – and been made on this front, failed”.

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