Blair's Big Idea

The plight of “I THINK The Louvre Abu Dhabi the Rohingya ABOUT FOOD liberates France BRIEFING P 13 ALL THE TIME” BEST ARABIC ARTICLES P 14 ROBBIE WILLIAMS P 12 MAGAZINE OF THE YEAR 16-22 SEP 2017 | ISSUE 176 | AED 15 THE BEST OF INTERNATIONAL MEDIA Blair’s big idea Stopping Brexit at the border Page 21 RO 2.00 BD 2.00 KD 1.5 SR 20.00 A Motivate Publication ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT MATTERS 4 NEWS The main story… What happened What the editorials said Winning a vote by a majority of 36 is a decent result for a Battling over Brexit minority administration, said The Daily Telegraph. But this Britain’s departure from the EU came a step was just the “opening skirmish of what will be closer this week when the Government’s flagship a bruising series of set-piece clashes in both the Brexit bill cleared its first parliamentary hurdle. Commons and the Lords”. MPs have already Labour had threatened to lead a successful revolt tabled a raft of 157 amendments. The “key against the legislation, but in the event, Theresa battle” is likely to come at the end of this May cleared a second reading of the EU process, with “Labour pressing for any deal (Withdrawal) Bill by a comfortable majority of with the EU to be implemented through an act 36 votes. There was no Tory rebellion, and seven of Parliament”. In the meantime, Labour’s Labour MPs defied their party whip by voting cynical blocking tactics are “undermining the for the Bill. Formerly referred to as the Great chances of getting a good deal”. Repeal Bill, the legislation ends the supremacy of EU law in the UK, while at the same time Labour has every right to challenge the transposing all existing EU laws onto Britain’s Government’s Brexit plans, said The Observer. statute book to ensure there are no gaps in An exercise in cant? Besides, if anything is disrupting and slowing legislation on Brexit day. this process down, it’s infighting among the “inept” Tories. Thanks to the incoherent stance of their Brexit May heralded the Commons vote as a “historic decision to negotiators, there is now “almost no chance” that next back the will of the people”, and said it would give clarity and month’s EU summit will agree that sufficient progress has been certainty through the Brexit process. But critics called the Bill made in the Brexit talks to progress to the next stage. Little a “naked power grab”, arguing that it gave ministers too more than a year will then remain to renegotiate all aspects of much leeway, under so-called Henry VIII powers, to amend Britain’s relationship with the EU. Such are the “insuperable laws without consulting MPs. The Bill will now receive line- practical difficulties” of leaving the EU, said The Independent, by-line scrutiny in its committee stage, which will start when that we’re likely to abandon the plan in the end. “The Great MPs return to Parliament after their party conferences. Repeal Bill may one day itself have to be repealed.” What happened on Sunday, where an astonishing 6.3 million people had been evacuated to shelters and safe areas both inside and outside Irma’s trail of destruction the state. The Florida Keys bore the brunt of the storm: 25% of homes in the low-lying archipelago were destroyed, and Hurricane Irma, the most powerful ever 65% were damaged. But Irma had recorded in the Atlantic Ocean, swept weakened, from a maximum category five through the Caribbean and into the to a category three storm, by the time it United States last week, leaving a trail of reached the Florida mainland. Its path also destruction behind it. The storm, which avoided Miami and the heavily developed reached peak intensity in the middle of Atlantic seaboard. Nevertheless, heavy rain last week with sustained winds of more and storm surges brought flooding in than 185mph, killed at least 55 people, Miami and Jacksonville, and some 60% of and caused damage expected to run into homes in Florida were left without power. the tens of billions of dollars. The islands of the northeast Caribbean were worst The UK Government allocated £32m in aid A flattened building in St Martin hit, among them the British Virgin Islands to the British territories affected, and 1,250 and Anguilla, another British overseas territory. Nearby troops were deployed from warships to help with the relief Barbuda was left “barely habitable”, according to its prime effort and to maintain order; around 100 “very serious” minister Gaston Browne; 90% of structures on the island prisoners escaped from jail on the British Virgin Islands. The were destroyed. There were similar levels of damage on the UK response was criticised by the shadow foreign minister French island of St Barts and on St Martin, which is split Emily Thornberry as “too little and too late”. On both French between Dutch and French control. Saint-Martin and Dutch Sint Maarten, widespread looting was reported, in the face of severe food and water shortages. The Last Friday, Irma raked the north coast of Cuba, where it territories’ respective governments stepped up their relief killed at least ten people, before making landfall in Florida efforts in response. It wasn’t all bad A 13-year-old who died of a brain A crater on Pluto has been aneurysm has helped save a record named after the British woman Britain’s Arctic tern population is number of lives by donating her who christened the dwarf booming, thanks to intense organs. Just two weeks before she planet, 87 years ago. The Burney conservation efforts. In 2016, suddenly collapsed in 2012, crater honours Venetia Burney, only two of the birds that Jemima Layzell (pictured), from who was 11 when her hatched in one of their largest Horton in Somerset, had told her grandfather, an Oxford librarian, breeding grounds, on the parents that were she to die, she mentioned that the newly Northumberland coast, left their would want to donate her organs. discovered planet still didn’t nests: the rest fell victim to high Her organs had eight recipients, have a name. Venetia, who died tides, marine pollution and five of whom were children. in 2009, suggested to him that predators. But last year, the According to the NHS Blood and Pluto, the god of the underworld, National Trust bought a further Transplant Unit, no donor in the would be an apt fit for such a 200 acres of land, at Tughall Mill. UK has helped more people: dark and remote place. He Rangers set up tents on the site, typically, a donation results in one passed the idea to an Oxford monitored the birds around the or two transplants. “Everyone astronomer, who in turn sent a clock – and this year, 500 left wants their child to be unique,” said Jemima’s mother, Sophy. telegram to Clyde Tombaugh, their nests unscathed. “This, among other things, makes us very proud.” the discoverer of Pluto. COVER CARTOON: HOWARD MCWILLIAM HOWARD CARTOON: COVER THE WEEK 16 SEPTEMBER 2017 …and how it was covered NEWS 5 What the commentators said What next? Spare me all the “cant” about Henry VIII clauses, said Iain Dale on ConservativeHome.com. May is reportedly preparing Labour MPs are suddenly aghast at the thought of being bypassed, yet the whole purpose of to make a major speech on this Bill is “to repeal a single giant Henry VIII clause”, the European Communities Act of 1972, Brexit next Thursday, says which implemented our membership of the Common Market, and which, for the past 44 years, BBC News Online. The media has allowed EU law to become binding on UK citizens without Parliament having any right to have dubbed it Lancaster amend or reject it. But MPs are quite right to be worried about the scope of the executive House 2.0, in reference to the powers in the new Bill, said Nick Dearden in The Independent. Such powers would enable speech she made in London ministers not just to make minor technical changes, but also, potentially, to dilute workers’ in January. In that address – rights or environmental standards. The Government has promised not to scrap any such laws, widely regarded as the Tories’ but you “don’t have to scrap them in order to render them useless”. Brexit blueprint – she confirmed the UK’s intention Ministers will almost certainly have to give some ground to get this Bill through to leave the single committee stage, said James Forsyth in The Spectator – indeed, they’ve already market and indicated that they’re open to amendments curtailing the Henry VIII powers. But a customs union. leaked letter from some Tory MPs last week, warning against a transition deal that kept the UK in the EU “by stealth”, is a reminder that if May gives too much Tory officials have ground to supporters of a soft Brexit, “she’ll have trouble on her right flank”. also signalled that Labour is also vulnerable. For months, it has been able to maintain a studied May will use a ambiguity on Brexit. But it will now be attacked for voting against leaving the EU. “robust” Tory conference speech Britain’s politicians face a gruelling 18 months of late-night Brexit votes, said in Manchester on 4 George Parker and Robert Wright in the FT. Tories have taken some heart from “We weren’t warned October to reassure the fact that “Labour’s own divisions on the issue are starting to show”, but they that voting Brexit would activists that she have few other reasons for cheer.

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