Welcome to Bremain in Spain’s second Brexit/Election update on the week’s news. We have given a “snippet” of each article and if you would like to read the whole story please click on the link.
Tory general election manifesto: 6 bits of bad news buried in the small print
The devil is in the detail – and in this case, the details are pretty devilish. Here’s our round up of the small print of Boris Johnson’s election blueprint – and what they’ve left out altogether. Boris Johnson launched his first manifesto as leader of the Conservative Party today ahead of December’s General Election. Some of the headline promises have already started to fall apart – notably the pledge to recruit 50,000 new nurses, which isn’t strictly true.
(Mikey Smith & Dan Bloom Mirror 24 November updated 25 November)
How Britain could still face a cliff-edge Brexit
Even if Johnson wins next month’s election and takes Britain out of the bloc on Jan. 31, his government and the other 27 member states of the EU will have an 11-month transition period to negotiate a future relationship. If they fail to hammer out a new trade deal by the end of 2020, which experts say is likely, and they fail to agree to extend the transition period for more negotiations, Britain will effectively be facing a disorderly no-deal Brexit again.
If Tories win UK elections, Johnson’s ‘preposterous’ Brexit plans threaten no-deal
The British prime minister and Conservative leader is centring his campaign on the mantra “Get Brexit Done” – promising to take the UK out of the EU on the January 31 deadline after passing his withdrawal agreement, then end the transition period (under which Britain would remain in the single market and customs union) on the scheduled date of December 31, 2020.
Nurse refuses to shake Boris’s hand until he delivers promise of 50,000 new nurses
Boris Johnson got a grilling from staff at a hospital in Penzance over his election promises for the NHS. The Prime Minister was asked if he had a ‘nurses tree’ as well as a magic money tree after pledging to deliver 50,000 new nurses for the NHS. He was accused of ‘deceit’ over the pledge after it emerged nearly half of the nurses promised already work for the NHS.
(Zoe Drewett Metro 27 November)
General election 2019: Why Labour’s ‘red wall’ could be about to crumble – and how the party is dealing with it
Even in the worst of times, Labour could count on a “red wall” stretching across North Wales and England which remained loyal to the party. From the Mersey to the Humber, taking in the big cities of Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield and Hull and their surrounding areas, supporting Labour was ingrained in generations of working-class voters. But that wall could be about to crumble. A detailed YouGov analysis released on Wednesday will send a chill down Labour spines because it predicts a succession of previous party strongholds falling into Boris Johnson’s hands. (Nigel Morris inews 28 November)
The legacy of Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker
It’s a relationship that has had its rows and rocky periods, but after five years as the couple in charge of the European Union, Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker will no doubt leave with a sigh of relief that the EU show is still on the road. Even if one of the lead players wants to leave. (Mark Webster CGTN 29 November)
Boris Johnson’s lead halved, putting UK in ‘hung parliament territory’, latest poll reveals
The Conservative lead in the general election campaign has been more than halved in just one week, putting the UK in “hung parliament territory”, an exclusive poll for The Independent shows. Boris Johnson’s party is now only six points ahead of Labour, it has found – matching other surveys suggesting the race is tightening dramatically, amid growing Tory nervousness. (Rob Merrick The Independent 30 Nov)
We hope you have enjoyed reading the above extracts from important news stories published over the last 7 days and would welcome any comments you may have on how we are bringing the latest news to you.
