MONDAY, JUNE 24, 2019 12 UK’s Boris Johnson under pressure south London property, shortly He instead tried to focus on give an explanation.” been slashed from 27 per cent mer London mayor over Friday’s The paper said after Johnson had secured his his policies, saying “we need to Former Tory foreign office to nine percent since Friday, the domestic incident. • place in the final run-off to be- get Brexit done” and promising minister Alan Duncan -- anoth- poll suggested. Johnson’s partner come prime minister. to prepare Britain for a no-deal er Hunt supporter -- told the But only the Conservative Bannon claims Carrie Symonds could The paper said Johnson’s exit from the EU, if a deal cannot Guardian newspaper his former Party’s 160,000 members get to “Stuff happens at home all be heard telling the partner Carrie Symonds could be reached. boss now had a “big question choose between Johnson and the time... someone spills the former London mayor be heard telling the former Lon- mark over his head”. Johnson Hunt. And their support for wine, we can’t really be making don mayor to “get off me” and ‘Lack of discipline’ had shown a “lack of discipline” Johnson appeared undimmed on headlines out of that,” supporter to “get off me” and “get out of my flat”. Johnson’s leadership rival throughout his career, he added. Saturday, at the first of a series Hasnain Ahmed, 23, said. “get out of my flat” The former foreign minister Hunt told Sky News on Sunday According to the Survation of “hustings” -- internal party “What’s important is what’s refused to answer questions that “someone who wants to be poll in the Mail yesterday, Hunt debates to decide the new leader. this guy going to be delivering Johnson’s leadership about the incident on the first prime minister should answer is now the preferred candi - The Conservative mem- for you in Brexit.” rival• Hunt told Sky News day of the month-long contest questions on everything”. date to become prime min- bers in the central Eng- With Sunday marking the to win over Conservative Trade minister Liam Fox -- ister among voters for all lish city of Birming- three-year anniversary of the on Sunday that “someone grassroot members, who is backing Hunt for leader parties, as Johnson saw a ham gave Johnson a vote to leave the EU, the issue who wants to be prime saying “I don’t think -- told BBC1’s The An- seven-percent decline in standing ovation, and still dominates British politics. minister should answer people want to hear drew Marr Show: “I support. loudly heckled inter- Hunt also received a warm questions on everything” about that kind of think it is always His lead over Hunt with viewer Iain Dale as he reception, promising that if he thing.” easier to just Conservative voters had quizzed the for- couldn’t strike a Brexit deal with the EU, “then I will leave without • Johnson also a deal”. came under scrutiny “I was probably leaning to - on Sunday for his wards Boris but I was very im- relationship with pressed with what Jeremy Hunt said today,” Tory councillor Ka- Steve Bannon, the ren Shakespeare, told AFP. controversial former “He surprised me with his di- adviser to US President rectness and honesty so I have Donald Trump to say I am now leaning very heavily towards Jeremy Hunt.” Johnson also came under London, United Kingdom scrutiny on Sunday for his re- lationship with Steve Bannon, oris Johnson, the strong the controversial former adviser favourite to become Brit- to US President Donald Trump. Bain’s next prime minister, Footage published by the Ob- came under pressure from fig- server showed Bannon claiming ures in his own party yesterday that he had helped craft John- to explain reports of a domestic son’s resignation speech as for- “row” that led to a police visit. eign minister last year. Although still heavily backed The pair got to know each to beat Jeremy Hunt to become other when both were in office, Conservative Party leader, and and were reported to have met therefore prime minister, a snap again in an unofficial capacity poll published in the Mail on last summer. Sunday suggested that the inci- Johnson said at the time that dent had cut his support. “the so-called relationship” with The Guardian reported that Bannon was a “lefty delusion” police were alerted early on and his office dismissed the lat- Friday after a neighbour heard est claims of a working relation- a loud altercation involving ship as “totally preposterous to screams, shouts and bangs at the Boris Johnson the point of a conspiracy”. Jeremy Hunt Protectionism slammed as SE Asian leaders rally to trade pact Bangkok, Thailand “Bangkok Declaration” to com- hailand’s premier made bat maritime debris, including an impassioned plea plastic waste, in one of the most Tagainst protectionism on polluted waters in the world. Sunday at a meeting of Southeast But disputes in the flashpoint Asian leaders where the fallout South China Sea and Myanmar’s from the US-China tariff war has persecution of Rohingya Mus- dominated talks. lims are expected to be tussled A controversial repatriation over on Sunday. plan for the persecuted Rohing- ASEAN leaders often put out an ya Muslim minority and ongoing image of unity during the annual disputes over the South China summits, but the forum has been Sea will also be tackled by lead- criticised for allowing diplomat- ers at the final day of the Associ- ic niceties to outweigh concrete ation of Southeast Asian Nations action on the sharpest problems (ASEAN) summit. facing the region. But trade has topped the agen- But Malaysia on Saturday da at the Bangkok meeting, as called for the perpetrators of tit-for-tat tariffs between China the persecution of the Rohingya and the US cast a dark cloud over to be brought to “justice.” global growth. More than 740,000 of the Thailand, which is chairing stateless minority have fled My- ASEAN this year, rallied against anmar following a crackdown by global protectionism and called its security forces in 2017. for urgency in concluding talks Their repatriation to Myan- on RCEP -- a China-led trade mar “must include the citizen- pact, which once inked will be ship”, Malaysian Foreign Min- the world’s biggest. ister Saifuddin Bin Abdullah The Regional Comprehensive (L-R) Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, Myanmar’s State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, Philippines’ President Rodrigo Duterte, Singapore’s Prime said according to a tweet by his Economic Partnership (RCEP) Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha, Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Cambodia’s ministry. includes all 10 ASEAN economies, Prime Minister Hun Sen, Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo and Laos Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith pose for photos during the opening ceremony of the 34th That flies in the face of My- plus India, Japan, South Korea, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Bangkok anmar’s official policy, which Australia and New Zealand. denies the Rohingya full citi- “The winds of protectionism It will help off-set any impact Donald Trump’s administration. their differences before the sit- its massive consumer markets. zenship, instead labelling them are hurting our multilateral from the ongoing trade conflict.” The trade war between the uation spirals out of control”, Australia and New Zealand “Bengalis” - illegal migrants trading system,” Thailand’s jun- RCEP is seen as a mechanism world’s biggest two economies warned Duterte during an ASE- have also raised concerns over a from Bangladesh. ta leader-turned-premier Prayut for China to draft the rules of have sent reverberations across AN leaders meeting Saturday. lack of labour and environmen- The crisis has spread across Chan-O-Cha said Sunday. Asia-Pacific trade, following a the world, said Philippine Pres- But progress on RCEP has stut- tal safeguards. the region with boatloads of ref- “ASEAN must hold our hands US retreat from the region as it ident Rodrigo Duterte. tered in recent months, with ugees arriving on the shores of tightly in negotiating... on the withdrew from another trade The two countries “must both India digging in over fears the Plastic pollution Bangladesh, Malaysia and In- RCEP, so it is concluded this year. pact at the start of President take the high road and resolve cheap Chinese goods could flood The leaders also adopted a donesia. .