Boris Johnson is expected to make another call for snap elections following his defeat in parliament on Wednesday.
After PM Johnson lost his majority and expelled 21 Tories from the Conservative party, Johnson’s brother, Jo Johnson announced his resignation, citing being “torn between family loyalty and the national interest.”
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence visited Johnson at his home and extended negotiations for a free trade agreement, claiming it would boost trade between the countries three to four times.
Johnson to Make Another Call for Elections
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to make another call for snap elections on Monday, following his failure on Wednesday to garner enough votes to hold elections.
Also on Wednesday, Johnson was first defeated when the House of Commons passed legislation that would bar the United Kingdom from executing a no-deal Brexit. Following that vote, Johnson then called for the elections that would open all 650 seats, including his own as prime minister.
The second vote, which ended 298 to 56, failed to attract the two-thirds majority needed to initiate the elections, which would occur three years before the term is over.
Opposition Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn has said he will vote for elections, but only after the bill blocking a no-deal becomes law.
After securing approval from the Commons, the bill moved to the House of Lords, which announced it will finish all related proceedings by Friday afternoon. If it passes, it will be sent back to the Commons for any amendments. If passed again in the Commons, it will then head to Queen Elizabeth II who will almost certainly sign it into law.
Johnson has argued that blocking a no-deal option would prevent him from negotiating a better deal with the European Union, though he has repeatedly said he would remove the U.K. from the EU “do or die.” On Wednesday, Johnson called the block a surrender bill, claiming it will kill any chance for him to secure a better deal.
For his part, Johnson believes the EU will only agree to a better deal if it suspects the U.K. might pull out without a deal. While experts forecast a no-deal would seriously rupture the U.K.’s economy, it would also be expected to damage the economies of other European countries.
Johnson also said he had made “substantial progress” in arguing for a new deal, but a spokesperson for the EU told reporters “there is nothing new” from London.
“It’s basically a policy that’s cloaked in mystery, like the emperor’s new clothes,” Corbyn said in the Commons. “There really is absolutely nothing there.”
Nonetheless, if the no-deal Brexit ban becomes law, Johnson may be forced to ask the EU for an extension to the October 31 deadline. Johnson has repeatedly stated he will not ask for another extension, following two granted to his predecessor Theresa May.
“I would rather be dead in a ditch,” he told reporters Thursday.
Johnson’s Brother Resigns from Parliament
In another blow to Johnson, his brother Jo Johnson announced his resignation on Twitter Thursday morning.
“It’s been an honour to represent Orpington for 9 years & to serve as a minister under three PMs,” Johnson wrote. “In recent weeks I’ve been torn between family loyalty and the national interest – it’s an unresolvable tension & time for others to take on my roles as MP & Minister. #overandout”
It’s been an honour to represent Orpington for 9 years & to serve as a minister under three PMs. In recent weeks I’ve been torn between family loyalty and the national interest – it’s an unresolvable tension & time for others to take on my roles as MP & Minister. #overandout
Some political commentators have speculated the resignation might stem from PM Johnson’s expulsion of 21 conservative members of parliament on Tuesday. In a reply, David Gauke — an MP who Johnson expelled — hinted at the tensions within the Conservative Party.
“Lots of MPs have had to wrestle with conflicting loyalties in recent weeks. None more so than Jo. This is a big loss to Parliament, the Government and the Conservative Party.”
Lots of MPs have had to wrestle with conflicting loyalties in recent weeks. None more so than Jo. This is a big loss to Parliament, the Government and the Conservative Party. https://t.co/UfZRxeoISk
A spokesperson for the prime minister later thanked Jo Johnson for his service and said his constituents “could not have asked for a better representative.”
Prime Minister Johnson faced questions from reporters later in the day, with many of them asking about his brother’s exit. PM Johnson then responded by saying that while they disagree on how to approach Brexit, his brother wants the government to solve Brexit and has been supportive of his domestic policies.
U.S. and U.K. Potential Free Trade Agreement
Amid the turmoil in the U.K., President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have offered their support for Brexit.
Pence met with the prime minister of Ireland on Wednesday, where he mentioned a potential free trade agreement with the U.K. post-Brexit. Previously, Trump had said he would sign a “very big trade deal, bigger than we’ve ever had.”
The following day, Pence met with Johnson at his home on 10 Downing Street, extending an invitation to discuss a free trade agreement and claiming it could increase trade between the two countries by three to four times.
“The president often says the US has the biggest economy in the world and we truly believe that a free trade agreement between the United States and the U.K. could increase trade between our country by three or four times,” Pence said to Johnson.
“Today I met US @VP Mike Pence in Downing Street where we spoke about his visit to Ireland, our mutual wish to negotiate an ambitious free trade deal after the UK leaves the EU, and other international issues.” – PM @BorisJohnson 🇬🇧🇺🇸https://t.co/0nZm7cu4xupic.twitter.com/c7bIf9xJyr
The officer involved was suspended with pay and charged with assault.
A 95-year-old Australian woman whom police tasered in a nursing home last week has reportedly died from her injuries.
Clare Nowland, who had dementia and required a walking frame to stand up and move, was living at the Yallambee Lodge in Cooma in southeastern Australia.
At about 4:15 a.m. on May 17, police and paramedics responded to a report of a woman standing outside her room with a steak knife.
They encountered Nowland, then reportedly tried to negotiate with her for several minutes, but she didn’t drop the knife.
The five-foot-two, 95-pound woman walked toward the two officers “at a slow pace,” police said at a news conference, so one of them tasered her.
She fell to the floor and reportedly suffered a fractured skull and a severe brain bleed, causing her to be hospitalized in critical condition.
Nowland passed away in a hospital surrounded by her family, the New South Wales police confirmed in a statement today.
After a week-long investigation, the police force also said that the senior constable involved would appear in court next week to face charges of recklessly causing grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and common assault.
NSW police procedure states that tasers should not be used against elderly or disabled people absent exceptional circumstances.
Following the incident, community members, activists, and disability rights advocates expressed bewilderment and anger at what they called an unnecessary use of force, and some are now questioning why law enforcement took so long to prosecute the officer involved.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said that some of the arrests “raise questions” and “investigations are ongoing.”
The Public Order Act
A controversial protest crackdown law in the U.K. is facing criticism after dozens of anti-monarchy protesters were arrested during the coronation ceremony in London over the weekend.
The law, dubbed the “Public Order Act” was passed roughly a week ahead of the coronation for King Charles III. It gives police more power to restrict protesters and limits the tactics protesters can use in public spaces. It was condemned by human rights groups upon its passing, and is facing a new round of heat after 52 people were arrested over coronation protests on Saturday.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said protesters were arrested for public order offenses, breach of the peace and conspiracy to cause a public nuisance. The group said it gave advance warning that its “tolerance for any disruption, whether through protest or otherwise, will be low and that we would deal robustly with anyone intent on undermining the celebration.”
It is currently unclear how many of those arrested were detained specifically for violating the Public Order Act, however, some of those arrested believe the new law was used against them.
I’m now out of the police station. Still waiting for my colleagues.
Make no mistake. There is no longer a right to peaceful protest in the UK.
I have been told many times the monarch is there to defend our freedoms. Now our freedoms are under attack in his name.
— Graham Smith 🇺🇦 🏳️🌈 (@GrahamSmith_) May 6, 2023
“Make no mistake. There is no longer a right to peaceful protest in the UK,” Graham Smith, the CEO of anti-monarchy group Republic tweeted after getting arrested. “I have been told many times the monarch is there to defend our freedoms. Now our freedoms are under attack in his name.”
An Attempt to “Diminish” Protests
During a BBC Radio interview, Smith also said he believes the dozens of arrests were premeditated.
“There was nothing that we did do that could possibly justify even being detained and arrested and held,” Smith claimed.
“The whole thing was a deliberate attempt to disrupt and diminish our protest.”
Yasmine Ahmed, the U.K. Director of Human Rights Watch, also tweeted that the arrests were “disgraceful.”
All the while people are being arrested on the streets of London for peacefully protesting against the monarchy. @RishiSunak ppl in 🇬🇧 also take pride in our democracy & democratic rights. These are scenes you’d expect to see in Russia not the UK. It’s disgraceful not dazzling! https://t.co/2Ukd4gIKPS
“These are scenes you’d expect to see in Russia not the UK,” she wrote.
When asked about the controversy, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told reporters officers should do “what they think is best” in an apparent show of support for the Metropolitan Police.
For his part, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he is looking into the matter.
Some of the arrests made by police as part of the Coronation event raise questions and whilst investigations are ongoing, I've sought urgent clarity from Met leaders on the action taken. 2/2
— Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan (@MayorofLondon) May 7, 2023
“Some of the arrests made by police as part of the Coronation event raise questions and whilst investigations are ongoing, I’ve sought urgent clarity from Met leaders on the action taken,” Khan tweeted.
The conflict’s death toll has surpassed 420, with nearly 4,000 people wounded.
As the 10-day-long power struggle between rival generals tore Sudan apart, foreign governments with citizens in the country scrambled to evacuate them over the weekend.
On Sunday, U.S. special forces landed in the capital Khartoum and carried out nearly 100 American diplomats along with their families and some foreign nationals on helicopters.
An estimated 16,000 Americans, however, remain in the country and U.S. officials said in a statement that a broader evacuation mission would be too dangerous.
Christopher Maier, the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity warfare, said in a statement that the Pentagon may assist U.S. citizens find safe routes out of Sudan.
“[The Defense Department] is at present considering actions that may include use of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities to be able to observe routes and detect threats,” he said.
Germany and France also reportedly pulled around 700 people out of the country.
More countries followed with similar efforts, including the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Canada, China, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Indonesia.
Yesterday, a convoy carrying some 700 United Nations, NGO, and embassy staff drove to Port Sudan, a popular extraction point now that the airport in Khartoum has closed due to fighting.
Reports of gunmen prowling the capital streets and robbing people trying to escape, as well as looters breaking into abandoned homes and shops, have persuaded most residents to stay indoors.
Heavy gunfire, airstrikes, and artillery shelling have terrorized the city despite several proposed ceasefires.
Over the weekend, the reported death toll topped 420, with nearly 4,000 people injured, though both numbers are likely to be undercounted.
