The Commons Easter break is finally upon us. It’s traditionally a time of rebirth, renewal and recovery. And on the unresolved issue of Brexit, will MPs follow Theresa May’s advice and “use the opportunity of the recess to reflect on the decisions that will have to be made swiftly on our return”? Indeed, will May follow her own advice? The term ‘break’ is a fluid one, as some ministers carry on talks with Labour today in Whitehall, and many MPs work in their constituencies.
Watching the PM in the chamber yesterday, what really struck me was the almost withering contempt with which she handled her Brexiteer critics, whether they were in her own party or the DUP. She openly laughed at Bill Cash’s call for her to resign, brushed aside Peter Bone’s Brexit delay attack, and angrily rounded on Sammy Wilson for suggesting she had not got a single concession from Brussels. Dressed in funereal black, May felt like she was reading the last rites on her tolerance of hard Brexiteer dissent.
May slapped down Steve Baker for suggesting her talks with Labour were a dangerous move. And shortly after her two-hour statement, she then rammed home her determination to carry on without the DUP and hardcore Eurosceptics, by meeting Jeremy Corbyn for more talks. The meeting lasted just 10 minutes in her office I’m told, but it was enough for them both to authorise more talks today between a small group of ministers and their shadows.
The PM knows that ratification of any Brexit deal has to clear two legal hurdles: a fresh version of a ‘meaningful vote’ and the passing of legislation to enact the ‘divorce’ from Brussels. Yesterday she signalled that with Labour help she could sort both, through a new set of binding votes and the publication of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill. The bill would be a ‘useful forum’ to insert changes to the political declaration that Labour has been insisting on, she suggested.
Both sides will be wary in the talks today, with Labour keen to avoid a ‘blind Brexit’ and the government conscious of the dangers of the term ‘customs union’. May pointedly ducked a question from Yvette Cooper (‘Is she now willing to consider a common external tariff with the EU?’). But she did say “there is more agreement in relation to a customs union than is often given credit when different language is used”. I’m told even some Brexiteer ministers are now open to a customs union. If May allows the Cabinet a free vote, it could squeak a majority.
Under Tory rules, May can’t face another party confidence vote until December. But some MPs are so furious with her latest ‘Brexit betrayal’ that they are plotting a crunch meeting of the backbench 1922 Committee on their return, a week on Tuesday. May and Corbyn will probably both get a few days away before then - and the WaughZone will certainly be taking a break next week (I know, I know, how will you cope?) In the meantime, as those Lab-Con talks continue, maybe all MPs and hacks should read this Tortoise piece by Gaby Hinsliff on why really listening to others’ opinions is a good idea.
May yesterday said she wanted to “press on at pace” and act “swiftly” after MPs return on April 23. For all the talk about the EU’s new Halloween deadline, for May and Corbyn the real pressure is to cobble together a Commons majority before the May 22 cut-off for the Euro elections that nobody wants. They have roughly four weeks to get it sorted.
After so many delays and false dawns, a large swath of the public won’t want to even hear the B-word again until Parliament has finally made its mind up. That’s why Tory candidates are dreading the idea of asking people to vote for them in any Strasbourg elections. ConservativeHome has been warning of Tory grassroots anger and the Guardian todayquotes one MP saying: “I wouldn’t campaign in an EU elections, God no, we will get lynched – metaphorically speaking. We cannot waste local party finances on this.”
Today, Nigel Farage is basking again in media attention ahead of the launch of his Brexit Party Euro election campaign at 11am in Coventry. Many Tory and Leave voters could easily lend their votes to Farage, just as many Remainers could see the Euros as a proxy for a People’s Vote. Whether they lend their votes to Change UK (which is fielding a full slate of candidates) or to Labour may depend on whether the party includes in its Euros manifesto a pledge for a new referendum.
What will further push some Tory MPs towards endorsing (or hinting at endorsing) the Brexit Party is the latest row over no-deal planning being wound down. SkyNews’ scoop last night sparked anger from Steve Baker (“sheer spite”) and others, though new Brexit minister James Cleverly pointed out on Twitter: “World of difference between ongoing no-deal preparation (which continues) and imminent no-deal Brexit planning (which stops because of the extension)”.
Jeremy Corbyn’s defence of Julian Assange has led the morning news, and in the process made some of his MPs uneasy. The Labour leader urged the government to oppose any extradition to the US, stating that the Wikileaks founder was being punished for exposing evidence of atrocities in Iraq and Afghanistan.
There have been close links between Corbyn’s team and Assange’s team and as a backbencher Corbyn was very much on his side. Yesterday, Diane Abbott made a staunch defence of Assange in relation to the US request. But backbench Labour MPs like Clive Effort and Diana Johnson made clear they wanted him to face justice in Sweden over rape charges. When Abbott was confronted on Today over the rape case, Abbott said: “The allegations were made but the charges were never brought.”
The former Guardian and Wikileaks staffer James Ball has written that you don’t have to like Assange to see his arrest as an attack on free media. Some on the Left also think it’s possible to both object to the US’s desire to lock up a ‘whistleblower’ and to feel queasy about the sexual assault allegations. The next question is whether Swedish prosecutors will now reinstate their charges - and whether any Swedish extradition request would mean he was sent there before being sent to the US. For a real insight into what Assange is like, read this London Review of Books piece.
Meanwhile, Nigel Farage has some serious questions to answer about why he visited Assange in the Embassy. When asked on the day what they talked about, he replied “I can’t remember”. This morning on the Today programme, Farage (like Trump) seemed to want to forget it all. Farage said: “I do believe in openness but ultimately the state has to have some secrets..What operatives like Assange have done actually endangers many people’s lives.”
Protests continue in Sudan, with some worried the military coup has allowed some of the regime to stay in place. But here’s one Sudanese soldier celebrating the downfall of president Omar al-Bashir, by playing the saxophone.
Johnny Mercer, seen by some as a Tory leadership contender, revealed yesterday that the whips had been asking former military colleagues to dig ‘dirt’ on him. Meanwhile, the Times reveals that the DUP’s Arlene Foster met Boris and his team yesterday in the Commons. Given the DUP seemed particularly let down by Johnson recently over his decision to back May’s deal, he has some work to do.
From today, ‘upskirting’ is now a criminal offence in England and Wales – with the new law meaning perpetrators now face up to two years in jail and/or being added to the sex offenders register. Campaigners say the next step is to get a new law against ‘cyberflashing’, a practice HuffPost UK has exposed in recent months.
COMMONS PEOPLE
Our latest CommonsPeople podcast features a rare event - me as the host. But don’t worry, our regular host Arj Singh was on hand to tell us about his exploits in Brussels. We chat through what next for May and Corbyn on Brexit. And have a quiz on EU summits gone by. Click HERE to listen on Audioboom or below for iTunes.
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Got something you want to share? Please send any stories/tips/quotes/pix/plugs/gossip to Paul Waugh(paul.waugh@huffingtonpost.com), Ned Simons (ned.simons@huffingtonpost.com), Rachel Wearmouth (rachel.wearmouth@huffpost.com) and Jasmin Gray (jasmin.gray@huffpost.com) and Arj Singh (arj.singh@huffpost.com)