LONDON: The newly-formed Brexit Party, which wants a clean break from the EU, has doubled its lead over other British parties in an opinion poll out Sunday on the European Parliament elections. The Opinium survey in The Observer newspaper put the Brexit Party of eurosceptic figurehead Nigel Farage on 34%, doubling its lead over the main opposition Labour Party to 13 points in a fortnight – and on course to get more votes than Britain’s two main parties put together. Labour, on 21%, has dropped seven points while the anti-Brexit Liberal Democrats are in third place on 12%, up five points, on the corresponding poll from two weeks ago. Prime Minister Theresa May’s governing Conservatives are in fourth place on 11%. Had Britain left the European Union as planned on March 29, it would not be taking part in the European Parliament elections, which will be held in the UK on May 23. In the 2016 referendum on Britain’s EU membership, 52% voted to leave while 48% voted to … [Read more...] about Brexit Party doubles UK European election poll lead
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Let’s make a Brexit deal, UK PM May tells Labour opposition
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By Jill Lawless The Associated Press Sun., May 5, 2019 LONDON - Britain’s Conservative government and opposition Labour Party have a duty to strike a compromise Brexit agreement to end months of political deadlock over Britain’s exit from the European Union, Prime Minister Theresa May said Sunday. Writing in the Mail on Sunday newspaper, May told Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn: “Let’s do a deal.” The prospect of a cross-party compromise has alarmed many Conservatives, and May acknowledged that it was “not what I wanted, either.” “But we have to find a way to break the deadlock — and I believe the results of the local elections give fresh urgency to this,” she wrote. The Conservatives are desperate to move forward after losing hundreds of positions in last week’s local authority elections. Labour also suffered losses as voters punished both main parties for the Brexit impasse. Article Continued Below … [Read more...] about Let’s make a Brexit deal, UK PM May tells Labour opposition
Biggest UK parties take Brexit battering in local elections
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By Jill Lawless The Associated Press Fri., May 3, 2019 LONDON - Britain’s dominant political parties took a hammering in local elections as Brexit-weary voters expressed frustration over the country’s stalled departure from the European Union, according to updated results Friday. Almost three years after U.K. voters narrowly decided in a referendum to leave the EU, the date and terms of Brexit remain uncertain following months of gridlock in Parliament. The results from Thursday’s local elections suggested voters blamed both the governing Conservative Party and the opposition Labour Party for the impasse. With tallies in from almost all of the 259 local authorities that had positions up for grabs, the Conservatives had dropped more than 1,000 seats, about one-quarter of the ones it held. Left-of-centre Labour Party, which had hoped to increase the number of members serving as local councillors, lost more than 70 positions. Article Continued … [Read more...] about Biggest UK parties take Brexit battering in local elections
Main UK parties suffer Brexit battering in local elections
Prime Minister Theresa May's governing Conservatives lost control of several local authorities and hundreds of seats -- but the main opposition Labour Party also lost ground, with voters instead turning to smaller parties and independents in Thursday's polls. "There was a simple message from yesterday's elections to both us and the Labour Party: just get on and deliver Brexit," May said. Britain's bitterly-divided MPs have been unable to agree on a divorce deal with the EU, with the two main parties in talks on breaking the impasse that have produced little fruit so far. "This is a difficult time for our party and these election results are a symptom of that," May told the Welsh Conservative Conference, having faced down a heckler calling for her to quit. The results do not bode well for the Conservatives and Labour ahead of the European Parliament elections, set to take place in Britain on May 23. After voting in June 2016 to leave the European Union, Britain was meant to … [Read more...] about Main UK parties suffer Brexit battering in local elections
No end date for Brexit talks between government and Labour: UK May’s spokesman
LONDON: The British government wants talks with the opposition Labour Party on a Brexit compromise to reach a conclusion by the middle of next week, several British journalists reported on Tuesday citing unnamed sources.Prime Minister Theresa May's government are seeking to forge a consensus with Labour to help get a Brexit deal approved by parliament and deliver the result of the 2016 referendum vote to leave the European Union.Reporters from the BBC, the Guardian and Politics Home tweeted that the government wanted the talks to be concluded by the middle of next week. The tweet from Politics Home was later deleted.Earlier, May's spokesman had declined to set an end date for the talks, and described the latest round of talks as "serious and constructive"."Further talks will now be scheduled in order to bring the process toward a conclusion," he added.Sterling had earlier risen to a one-week high back above US$1.30 after media reports that the tone of Brexit talks between the … [Read more...] about No end date for Brexit talks between government and Labour: UK May’s spokesman