8 Thursday, February 21, 2019 International 3 MPs abandon PM over Brexit as Britain political sands shift Eighth MP jumps ship in crisis for UK Labor LONDON: Three MPs quit the governing Conservative party over many years”. She noted Britain’s member- Party over Brexit yesterday, joining a mounting rebel- ship of the EU has been “a source of disagreement both lion in parliament this week against the two major par- in our party and our country for a long time” but the ties that is shaking the system in British politics. Anna MPs’ move would not stop her delivering on the refer- Soubry, Heidi Allen and Sarah Wollaston said they endum result. “Under my leadership, the Conservative planned to sit in parliament alongside eight former Party will always offer the decent, moderate and patri- Labor MPs who, also citing their opposition to Brexit, otic politics that the people of this country deserve,” have resigned from the main opposition party since she added. Monday to form the new Independent Group. The trio of Conservatives, who support Britain ‘Radical changes now afoot’ remaining in the European Union, said in a joint resig- Earlier yesterday, an eighth MP quit the Labor Party nation letter to Prime Minister Theresa May that Brexit in protest against its veteran socialist leader Jeremy had “re-defined” their party and was “undoing all the Corbyn, joining its own growing internal rebellion efforts to modernize it”. “The final straw for us has sparked by rows over Brexit and anti-Semitism. Joan been this government’s disastrous handling of Brexit,” Ryan told BBC radio that Corbyn had “introduced or they added, in stinging criti- allowed to happen in our par- cism of May’s leadership, ty this scourge of anti- noting they could “no longer Semitism. It has completely act as bystanders” to her EU Mounting infected the party”. exit strategy. “Following the The shake-up of seats EU referendum of 2016, no rebellion mean May’s centre-right genuine effort was made to Conservatives alone are now build a cross-party, let alone in British six votes short of a majority in a national consensus to deliv- parliament parliament’s lower House of er Brexit.” Commons. They can command The resignations posed a a working majority of eight LONDON: Former Conservative Party and now Independent MPs (left to right) Heidi Allen, Sarah fresh and embarrassing thanks to their confidence and Wollaston and Anna Soubry pose for a picture after a press conference in central London yesterday fol- headache for the prime minis- supply arrangement for sup- lowing their resignation from the Conservative Party in a joint letter. —AFP ter as she prepared to travel to Brussels for crucial talks port from Northern Ireland’s 10 Democratic Unionist with European Commission President Jean-Claude (DUP) lawmakers. Juncker. It also reinforced the view that Britain was Meanwhile The Independent Group now form the tant groups, driving out more moderate MPs.” own leader, whip and policy” they said. “We no longer plunging further into political turmoil as its MPs strug- joint fourth-biggest bloc in the Commons with 11 MPs- feel we can remain in the party of a government gle to agree a divorce deal just five weeks before it is the same as the centrist Liberal Democrats, with pre- ‘Country’s interests first’ whose policies and priorities are so firmly in the grip due to leave the bloc on March 29. The political dictions of further defections to come. The new group In their resignation statement, the three former of the ERG and DUP,” the lawmakers added. They impasse risks the country crashing out without an sat squashed together on the opposition backbenches Conservative MPs, who have voted against multiple noted that there was a wider dissatisfaction with the agreement, with the rising uncertainty blamed for a in the Commons during the prime minister’s weekly elements of the government’s Brexit legislation, state of British politics, with both the Conservatives string of car-makers and other businesses recently grilling, but did not ask May a question. Liberal blamed their decision on May’s “dismal failure” to and Labor moving “to the fringes, leaving millions of announcing job cuts and reduced investment in Britain. Democrat leader Vince Cable said: “There is clearly stand up to the “hard line” European Research Group people with no representation”. “We now feel honor May said she was “saddened” by the resignations some very radical changes now afoot as both the (ERG) of Brexiteers in her own party. The group bound to put our constituents’ and country’s interests and thanked the MPs for their “dedicated service to our Conservatives and Labor have been taken over by mili- “operates openly as a party within a party, with its first,” they added. —AFP deal through” parliament, he said on the News in brief Solving backstop day Prime Minister Theresa May was headed back to Brussels to renew her Judges, lawyers detained issue ‘only way to quest to reopen the terms of the Brexit divorce. VILNIUS: Lithuanian prosecutors yesterday detained sever- Brexiteers in May’s own Conservative al veteran judges and lawyers suspected of receiving bribes, avoid hard Brexit’ party see the backstop as a “trap” to as more than a hundred police investigators conducted raids BERLIN: Britain can only avoid a hard keep Britain in a form of union indefi- at dozens of addresses. “Today 26 individuals were detained, Brexit on March 29 if it reaches a deal nitely, and have demanded a time limit or including eight judges and five well-known lawyers,” prose- with the EU to resolve the tricky Irish a unilateral exit clause. This would be cutor general Evaldas Pasilis told reporters. He gave no backstop issue, Foreign Secretary seen in Brussels as a betrayal of EU details on the other 13 people held. Prosecutors suspect the Jeremy Hunt said yesterday. “This is member Ireland, and it has consistently individuals-who include one Supreme Court justice-received really the only way through the current got short shrift from EU officials. Hunt, bribes ranging from 1,000 euros ($1,130) to 100,000 euros situation,” he said in a speech in Berlin, speaking on the question of a possible in various criminal, civil and administrative cases. “Huge harm adding that pushing back the Brexit extension on Britain leaving the bloc, was done to the state,” said Pasilis, the most senior prosecu- deadline would leave both the UK and questioned whether that “really solves tor in this Baltic EU state. “It wasn’t just the sum of the EU in “paralysis”. The infamous “Irish anything”. “I think the last thing that alleged bribes but also that trust in the justice system was backstop” clause provides for Britain to people in the UK and indeed the rest of undermined,” he added. Zydrunas Bartkus, head of the anti- remain in the EU customs union until a the EU want is Brexit paralysis with this corruption agency STT, said that from the early morning its way is found-such as a future free trade issue hanging over Europe like a shad- agents and police officers had carried out searches at more deal-to ensure that Ireland’s border with ow,” he said. than 100 addresses. —AFP “I think people want to move on and LONDON: Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street in cen- Northern Ireland remains open. tral London yesterday ahead of Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs). —AFP Resolving the issue would allow the they want to demonstrate that we can have a Brexit that respects the referen- Egypt denies NYT journo entry government to gain parliamentary sup- port for the EU divorce deal and also dum result but also that we remain best at a summit on November 25 last year, met EU leaders and their negotiator of friends with our neighbors in Europe.” but the British leader’s own parliament Michel Barnier to urge them to reopen CAIRO: Egyptian authorities have denied entry to a veteran guarantee the 1998 Belfast peace agree- May and the other 27 EU leaders rejected it on January 15. Since then, the text to find a way to appease New York Times journalist, the US-based newspaper reported ment, he predicted. “If we can make that approved a Brexit withdrawal agreement May and her ministers have repeatedly eurosceptic MPs. —AFP on Tuesday. David Kirkpatrick arrived at Cairo airport on change, we are confident we can get the Monday but was barred from entering the country, the news- paper said. Security officials held him “incommunicado for hours before forcing him onto a flight back to London without prices. The protests led to mass arrests Thomson Reuters Foundation that the explanation,” the New York Times reported. Kirkpatrick was ‘No place to sell’; and a security crackdown. Zimbabwe law clearly stated where people could Alabama editor the newspaper’s Cairo bureau chief from 2011 to 2015 and last has been on edge ever since, with resi- trade, and citizens should comply in year authored a book on the Arab Spring uprisings. His writings Zimbabwe targets dents and other witnesses saying police order to protect public health. He added have long stirred controversy and pro-government media in and soldiers conducted night-time raids that notice of the evictions in Harare was under fire over Egypt have previously criticized his reporting. In 2018, pro- on many homes and removed and beat given ahead of time and traders had government newspaper “Youm7” accused Kirkpatrick of street vendors alleged protesters. Meya denied the been offered new locations. However, KKK editorial “deliberately distorting Egypt’s (image)” after he reported on exercise was politically motivated, say- traders said that was not the case, CHITUNGWIZA: When police backed Egyptian officials’ “tacit acceptance” of the United States’ ing it affected all vendors and did not according to Samuel Wadzai, the direc- WASHINGTON: The publisher of a by armed soldiers arrived at the market recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.