5 June 2019 | UK NEWS
Following a pronouncement during a joint press conference with Prime Minister Theresa May yesterday, in which Donald Drump appeared to suggest that the NHS would need to be “on the table” in any future US-UK free trade agreement, the US President stated in a television interview with ITV shortly afterwards that this had not been his intention.
Today, ministers have re-affirmed this at Prime Minister’s Questions, when David Lidington – who faced Rebecca Long-Bailey across the Dispatch Box as both Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn were celebrating the 75th anniversary of D-Day in Portsmouth – said: “The Prime Minister has been very clear and she spoke for everyone in the Government and on this side of the House – when it comes to trade negotiations, the NHS is not and will not be up for sale. “
In further comments today, Mr Trump, who has now departed the UK to visit the Republic of Ireland, told an impromptu press conference ahead of his meeting with the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, that the border between the UK and the RoI will “not be a problem at all” after Brexit. He then appeared to compare the situation to the US border with Mexico, saying there was “a border situation” too across the pond. He also said he would discuss the former matter with the Taoiseach, and re-affirmed America’s commitment to avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland.
Elsewhere on the UK political scene, Steve Baker, the deputy chairman of the European Research Group of eurosceptic Conservative MPs, has announced his potential candidacy for the Tory leadership election to deliver a “clean, managed” departure from the European Union. The comments were made as he launched a new paper that sets out his plan for delivering this, and he recommended that all of his colleagues back it.
He said, however, that if they did not, then he felt it would be for the ERG to submit its own candidate for the leadership contest, and that he would be willing for that candidate to be him if necessary. Mr Baker further added that he had already secured the required 16 nominations to confirm his candidacy following the 1922 Committee’s rule changes this week, including from former Conservative Party leader and later Work and Pensions Secretary, Iain Duncan Smith.
Mr Baker called on the next Tory leader – whoever they may be – to adopt a hardline stance against opposition to Brexit from pro-Remain voices, even suggesting that he would sack the current Chancellor, Philip Hammond, who had previously indicated that he might support a motion of no confidence in the Government if it attempted to push through a No Deal Brexit.
He further added: “A leader is going to have the courage, determination and resolve to say to some of our colleagues, ‘if you choose to threaten me with bringing down this government, I’m afraid I dare you.'”
In the newspapers today, we read that The Independent carries a story that Nigel Farage will join Brexit Party campaigners on the ground in Peterborough for tomorrow’s by-election, as bookmaker predictions indicate the fledgling party looks set to win the contest.
The Express reports that the European Commission is planning to demand at least £1 billion extra from the UK in 2020, quoting ERG MP Jacob Rees-Mogg as saying this would not be necessary if the UK left the EU without a deal at the end of October this year.
