Britain warned Sunday it might undercut the EU economically if it cannot obtain both single market access and immigration controls, as Prime Minister Theresa May prepared her big Brexit strategy speech.

Britain would be forced to &quot;change our economic model&quot; in order to remain competitive if it is shut out from access to the single market, finance minister Philip Hammond said.

His intervention came as newspapers said May was planning a clean divorce from the European Union when she sets out her Brexit strategy in a major speech on Tuesday.

May aims to launch two years of EU departure negotiations when she triggers the Article 50 exit process by the end of March, although a legal challenge is still pending before the country&#39;s Supreme Court.

She has been under pressure to reveal her proposals for the talks that will establish the future relationship between Britain and the EU.

Matching reports in several weekly newspapers said she was prepared to accept a so-called &quot;hard Brexit&quot;: pulling out of the single market, the European customs union and the European Court of Justice, in order to regain control of EU immigration.

Red line on immigration

Hammond, in an interview with Germany&#39;s Welt am Sonntag newspaper, said Britain could not compromise on the main message from the June referendum vote to leave the EU: stemming the flow of immigrants from the bloc.

EU citizens would be free to travel to Britain and do business there -- but the debate was over the right to work, settle and set up businesses, he said.

&quot;Clearly we need people to come and work in our economy to keep it functioning,&quot; the chancellor of the Exchequer said.

But as for having no control, &quot;that has to stop&quot;.

He hinted that London was ready to push through aggressive cuts to business taxes to ensure British-based firms remained competitive in the face of EU tariffs.

Hammond said he wanted Britain to remain a &quot;recognisably European-style economy with European-style taxation systems, European-style regulation systems.&quot;

However, London would have to change course &quot;if we are forced&quot;, in order to &quot;regain competitiveness&quot;.

&quot;The British people are not going to lie down and say, too bad,&quot; he said, adding &quot;we could be forced to change our economic model and we will have to change our model to regain competitiveness. And you can be sure we will do whatever we have to do&quot;.

Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told BBC television that the government&#39;s plans seemed like an unwise &quot;recipe for some kind of trade war with Europe&quot;.

Stop the &#39;insults&#39; plea

In Tuesday&#39;s speech, May will call for Britain to unite and get behind Brexit, pleading for an end to the &quot;insults&quot; and rancour between Leavers and Remainers, Downing Street said.

The speech would call on Britain to &quot;set aside old divisions, and unite to make a success of Brexit&quot;, said May&#39;s office.

May has revealed little so far on her negotiating position.

The Sunday Telegraph quoted a government source as saying: &quot;She&#39;s gone for the full works. People will know when she said &#39;Brexit means Brexit&#39;, she really meant it.&quot;

Hammond said he was expecting to start &quot;substantive negotiations&quot; just weeks after Article 50 is triggered.

&quot;We are ambitious to do this as quickly as possible,&quot; he said, and &quot;move seamlessly&quot; to the new arrangement in 2019, though there could be an &quot;interim period&quot; before it kicks in.

Bookmakers believe May will not trigger Article 50 by the end of March. The Supreme Court is considering an appeal against an earlier ruling that she cannot do so without the assent of parliament in London.

The EU&#39;s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier warned Saturday the bloc must be aware of the risk to financial stability during what are expected to be very tough talks with Britain.

(AFP)

Britain will change its economic model if it is shut out from access to the single market

Britain warned Sunday it might undercut the EU economically if it cannot obtain both single market access and immigration controls, as Prime Minister Theresa May prepared her big Brexit strategy speech. Britain would be forced to "change our economic model" in order to remain competitive if it is shut out from access to the single market, finance minister Philip Hammond said. His intervention came as newspapers said May was planning a clean divorce from the European Union when she sets out her Brexit strategy in a major speech on Tuesday. May aims to launch two years of EU departure negotiations when she triggers the Article 50 exit process by the end of March, although a legal challenge is still pending before the country's Supreme Court. She has been under pressure to reveal her proposals for the talks that will establish the future relationship between Britain and the EU. Matching reports in several weekly newspapers said she was prepared to accept a so-called "hard Brexit": pulling out of the single market, the European customs union and the European Court of Justice, in order to regain control of EU immigration. Red line on immigration Hammond, in an interview with Germany's Welt am Sonntag newspaper, said Britain could not compromise on the main message from the June referendum vote to leave the EU: stemming the flow of immigrants from the bloc. EU citizens would be free to travel to Britain and do business there -- but the debate was over the right to work, settle and set up businesses, he said. "Clearly we need people to come and work in our economy to keep it functioning," the chancellor of the Exchequer said. But as for having no control, "that has to stop". He hinted that London was ready to push through aggressive cuts to business taxes to ensure British-based firms remained competitive in the face of EU tariffs. Hammond said he wanted Britain to remain a "recognisably European-style economy with European-style taxation systems, European-style regulation systems." However, London would have to change course "if we are forced", in order to "regain competitiveness". "The British people are not going to lie down and say, too bad," he said, adding "we could be forced to change our economic model and we will have to change our model to regain competitiveness. And you can be sure we will do whatever we have to do". Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told BBC television that the government's plans seemed like an unwise "recipe for some kind of trade war with Europe". Stop the 'insults' plea In Tuesday's speech, May will call for Britain to unite and get behind Brexit, pleading for an end to the "insults" and rancour between Leavers and Remainers, Downing Street said. The speech would call on Britain to "set aside old divisions, and unite to make a success of Brexit", said May's office. May has revealed little so far on her negotiating position. The Sunday Telegraph quoted a government source as saying: "She's gone for the full works. People will know when she said 'Brexit means Brexit', she really meant it." Hammond said he was expecting to start "substantive negotiations" just weeks after Article 50 is triggered. "We are ambitious to do this as quickly as possible," he said, and "move seamlessly" to the new arrangement in 2019, though there could be an "interim period" before it kicks in. Bookmakers believe May will not trigger Article 50 by the end of March. The Supreme Court is considering an appeal against an earlier ruling that she cannot do so without the assent of parliament in London. The EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier warned Saturday the bloc must be aware of the risk to financial stability during what are expected to be very tough talks with Britain. (AFP)

Britain threatens to undercut EU if Brexit plans fail

Britain could change its economic model to regain competitiveness if it were to leave the European Union without an agreement on market access, British finance minister Philip Hammond said in a German newspaper interview published on Sunday.

In a thinly veiled threat that Britain could use its corporate tax as a form of leverage in Brexit negotiations, Hammond told Welt am Sonntag he hoped Britain would remain a European-style economy with corresponding tax and regulation systems.

&quot;But if we are forced to be something different, then we will have to become something different,&quot; Hammond said when asked directly about Britain&#39;s plans to lower corporate tax.

&quot;If we have no access to the European market, if we are closed off, if Britain were to leave the European Union without an agreement on market access, then we could suffer from economic damage at least in the short-term,&quot; he said.

&quot;In this case, we could be forced to change our economic model and we will have to change our model to regain competitiveness,&quot; Hammond said. &quot;We will change our model, and we will come back, and we will be competitively engaged.&quot;

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said the EU must consider limiting Britain&#39;s access to its market if London fails to accept the bloc&#39;s &#39;four freedoms&#39; in Brexit negotiations.

The EU&#39;s single market emerged from the 1992 Maastricht Treaty on European integration. This enshrines the EU&#39;s &quot;four freedoms&quot; - of movement of goods, capital, people, and services.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has repeatedly said she will not reveal her Brexit negotiating strategy before triggering Article 50 of the EU&#39;s Lisbon Treaty, a step expected by the end of March.

May has said she wants Britain to regain control over immigration, restore its sovereignty and also establish the best possible trading relations with the EU.

But senior EU leaders have warned Britain there could be no &quot;cherry picking&quot;, and Merkel has urged the 27 remaining EU states not to allow themselves to be divided.

Hammond said in the interview Britain had not taken a firm position yet on what form of immigration controls it wants.

&quot;But we are aware that the message from the referendum is that we must control our immigration policy,&quot; he added.

Hammond said Britain did not want to close its doors completely to EU citizens who wanted to work in the UK.

&quot;Clearly we need people to come and work in our economy to keep it functioning,&quot; Hammond said. &quot;But we must have overall control.&quot;

(Reuters)

Theresa May has repeatedly said she will not reveal her Brexit negotiating strategy before triggering Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty

Britain could change its economic model to regain competitiveness if it were to leave the European Union without an agreement on market access, British finance minister Philip Hammond said in a German newspaper interview published on Sunday. In a thinly veiled threat that Britain could use its corporate tax as a form of leverage in Brexit negotiations, Hammond told Welt am Sonntag he hoped Britain would remain a European-style economy with corresponding tax and regulation systems. "But if we are forced to be something different, then we will have to become something different," Hammond said when asked directly about Britain's plans to lower corporate tax. "If we have no access to the European market, if we are closed off, if Britain were to leave the European Union without an agreement on market access, then we could suffer from economic damage at least in the short-term," he said. "In this case, we could be forced to change our economic model and we will have to change our model to regain competitiveness," Hammond said. "We will change our model, and we will come back, and we will be competitively engaged." German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said the EU must consider limiting Britain's access to its market if London fails to accept the bloc's 'four freedoms' in Brexit negotiations. The EU's single market emerged from the 1992 Maastricht Treaty on European integration. This enshrines the EU's "four freedoms" - of movement of goods, capital, people, and services. British Prime Minister Theresa May has repeatedly said she will not reveal her Brexit negotiating strategy before triggering Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty, a step expected by the end of March. May has said she wants Britain to regain control over immigration, restore its sovereignty and also establish the best possible trading relations with the EU. But senior EU leaders have warned Britain there could be no "cherry picking", and Merkel has urged the 27 remaining EU states not to allow themselves to be divided. Hammond said in the interview Britain had not taken a firm position yet on what form of immigration controls it wants. "But we are aware that the message from the referendum is that we must control our immigration policy," he added. Hammond said Britain did not want to close its doors completely to EU citizens who wanted to work in the UK. "Clearly we need people to come and work in our economy to keep it functioning," Hammond said. "But we must have overall control." (Reuters)

Britain to change 'economic model' if it leaves EU without market access, says finance minister

British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday it was wrong to say she was talking about a &quot;hard Brexit&quot;, after the pound fell to two-month lows following an interview she gave on Sunday.

The pound dropped after traders felt May had indicated during the interview that Britain would dramatically rework trade ties with the EU after Brexit.

Asked if her comments had been interpreted wrongly, May said: &quot;I&#39;m tempted to say that the people who are getting it wrong are those who print things saying I`m talking about a hard Brexit, (that) it is absolutely inevitable there`s a hard Brexit.&quot;

&quot;I don`t accept the terms hard and soft Brexit. What we&#39;re doing is going to get an ambitious, good and best possible deal for the United Kingdom in terms of ... trading with and operating within the single European market,&quot; she added.

(Reuters)

The Pound fell to two-month lows after May's interview indicated that Britain will dramatically rework trade-ties with the European Union

British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Monday it was wrong to say she was talking about a "hard Brexit", after the pound fell to two-month lows following an interview she gave on Sunday. The pound dropped after traders felt May had indicated during the interview that Britain would dramatically rework trade ties with the EU after Brexit. Asked if her comments had been interpreted wrongly, May said: "I'm tempted to say that the people who are getting it wrong are those who print things saying I`m talking about a hard Brexit, (that) it is absolutely inevitable there`s a hard Brexit." "I don`t accept the terms hard and soft Brexit. What we're doing is going to get an ambitious, good and best possible deal for the United Kingdom in terms of ... trading with and operating within the single European market," she added. (Reuters)

British Prime Minister Theresa May seeks to allay fears about 'hard' Brexit

British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday she would set out her strategy for Brexit over the coming weeks, denying suggestions she was &quot;muddled&quot; in the pursuit of what she called the right relationship with the EU.

In her first interview of the year, May ignored growing calls from business leaders, lawmakers and opposition leaders for more detail on her strategy to leave the European Union, offering little beyond a pledge to get the best possible deal.

She repeated that what is a crucial issue on both sides of the EU debate - whether curbing immigration into Britain will be prioritised over preferential access to the bloc&#39;s single market - was not a &quot;binary choice&quot; and said that the country would not be keeping &quot;bits&quot; of EU membership.

&quot;First of all I will be setting out some more details in the coming weeks as we look ahead to triggering Article 50,&quot; she said, referring to the start of the formal divorce procedure that she will invoke before the end of March.

&quot;But what I am saying is that I think it is wrong to look at this as just a binary issue, as to either you have control of immigration or you have a good trade deal - I don&#39;t see it as a binary issue.&quot;

EU officials say Britain cannot have access to its single market of 500 million consumers without accepting the principle of free movement and have repeatedly warned May against trying to &quot;cherry pick&quot; the profitable parts of their union.

May said she was aiming for &quot;an ambitious deal&quot;, shrugging off a suggestion by Britain&#39;s former ambassador to the EU, Ivan Rogers, that her government was &quot;muddled&quot; in its approach to some of the most complicated negotiations the country has held since World War Two.

&quot;Our thinking on this isn&#39;t muddled at all,&quot; she said.

&quot;What I am talking about is getting the right relationship for the UK with the EU. We mustn&#39;t think about this as somehow we are coming out of membership but we want to keep bits of membership.&quot;

But beyond stating that she would provide more detail in the coming weeks, May offered little further insight into her strategy - something that the first minister for Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, described as &quot;unacceptable&quot;.

&quot;I don&#39;t feel as if I know any more about her negotiating objectives today than I did six months ago, and probably what&#39;s more worrying than that, I&#39;m not sure she knows more about her negotiating objectives than she did back then as well,&quot; Sturgeon told the BBC.

Increasingly under fire, May, appointed prime minister after Britain&#39;s EU referendum in June, will use a speech on Monday to try to switch the focus from Brexit to her vision of a &quot;shared society&quot; which protects those families who are just managing.

&quot;We must...deliver real social reform across every layer of society so that those who feel that the system is stacked against them - those just above the threshold that attracts the government&#39;s focus today yet those who are by no means rich or well off - are also given the help they need,&quot; she will say.

(Reuters)

May ignored growing calls from business leaders, lawmakers and opposition leaders for more detail on her Brexit strategy

British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday she would set out her strategy for Brexit over the coming weeks, denying suggestions she was "muddled" in the pursuit of what she called the right relationship with the EU. In her first interview of the year, May ignored growing calls from business leaders, lawmakers and opposition leaders for more detail on her strategy to leave the European Union, offering little beyond a pledge to get the best possible deal. She repeated that what is a crucial issue on both sides of the EU debate - whether curbing immigration into Britain will be prioritised over preferential access to the bloc's single market - was not a "binary choice" and said that the country would not be keeping "bits" of EU membership. "First of all I will be setting out some more details in the coming weeks as we look ahead to triggering Article 50," she said, referring to the start of the formal divorce procedure that she will invoke before the end of March. "But what I am saying is that I think it is wrong to look at this as just a binary issue, as to either you have control of immigration or you have a good trade deal - I don't see it as a binary issue." EU officials say Britain cannot have access to its single market of 500 million consumers without accepting the principle of free movement and have repeatedly warned May against trying to "cherry pick" the profitable parts of their union. May said she was aiming for "an ambitious deal", shrugging off a suggestion by Britain's former ambassador to the EU, Ivan Rogers, that her government was "muddled" in its approach to some of the most complicated negotiations the country has held since World War Two. "Our thinking on this isn't muddled at all," she said. "What I am talking about is getting the right relationship for the UK with the EU. We mustn't think about this as somehow we are coming out of membership but we want to keep bits of membership." But beyond stating that she would provide more detail in the coming weeks, May offered little further insight into her strategy - something that the first minister for Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, described as "unacceptable". "I don't feel as if I know any more about her negotiating objectives today than I did six months ago, and probably what's more worrying than that, I'm not sure she knows more about her negotiating objectives than she did back then as well," Sturgeon told the BBC. Increasingly under fire, May, appointed prime minister after Britain's EU referendum in June, will use a speech on Monday to try to switch the focus from Brexit to her vision of a "shared society" which protects those families who are just managing. "We must...deliver real social reform across every layer of society so that those who feel that the system is stacked against them - those just above the threshold that attracts the government's focus today yet those who are by no means rich or well off - are also given the help they need," she will say. (Reuters)

Britain will not keep 'bits' of EU membership: PM Theresa May

More than half a million South Koreans marked New Year&#39;s Eve with a massive protest Saturday calling for the immediate arrest and ouster of impeached President Park Geun-Hye.

Candle-carrying and banner-waving protestors marched towards key buildings in Seoul including the presidential Blue House and the prime minister&#39;s office.

Police figures were unavailable but organisers estimated crowd numbers to be more than 600,000.

&quot;Park Geun-Hye step down. Go to prison now,&quot; they chanted.

Parliament voted on December 9 to impeach Park over a corruption scandal in which she allegedly colluded with her friend, Choi Soon-Sil, to wrest donations from large conglomerates to two dubious foundations.

The case is now being considered by the Constitutional Court, which has up to 180 days to rule on the impeachment.

&quot;I came here to help usher in a new year that has no Park Geun-Hye&quot;, Kang Jae-Chun, who was at the protest with his two children, told AFP.

Demonstrators also planned to take part in a midnight ceremony in which a large bronze bell in the city centre is rung to herald in the new year.

It was the tenth protest calling for Park&#39;s immediate departure from office.

But Park, who has been suspended from her duties since the impeachment vote, has remained defiant, declaring she will wait until the Constitutional Court arrives at a decision.

Earlier on Saturday, former health minister Moon Hyung-Pyo was arrested under a court order in a widening probe to determine whether Park and Choi took bribes from businesses including Samsung.

Moon, who is now head of the National Pension Service (NPS), admitted to pressuring the state-run fund to back a controversial merger of two Samsung units &nbsp;-- &nbsp;Cheil Industries and Samsung C&amp;T -- last year when he served as health minister.

The acquisition was seen as a crucial step to ensure a smooth father-to-son power transfer to Lee Jae-Yong, scion of Samsung&#39;s founding family.

Critics said it undervalued Samsung C&amp;T stock but NPS -- the world&#39;s third largest public pension fund and a major Samsung shareholder -- backed the deal, allegedly incurring hundreds of millions of dollars in losses for NPS subscribers.

Investigators reportedly plan to question Lee next month to determine whether he told Samsung Electronics executives to funnel millions of dollars into questionable foundations and companies controlled by Choi in return for NPS&#39; backing.

Lee said at a parliamentary hearing this month he was not aware of the money transfers. 
 
(AFP)

Tim Barrow replaces Ivan Rogers who quit criticising Brexit preparation

More than half a million South Koreans marked New Year's Eve with a massive protest Saturday calling for the immediate arrest and ouster of impeached President Park Geun-Hye. Candle-carrying and banner-waving protestors marched towards key buildings in Seoul including the presidential Blue House and the prime minister's office. Police figures were unavailable but organisers estimated crowd numbers to be more than 600,000. "Park Geun-Hye step down. Go to prison now," they chanted. Parliament voted on December 9 to impeach Park over a corruption scandal in which she allegedly colluded with her friend, Choi Soon-Sil, to wrest donations from large conglomerates to two dubious foundations. The case is now being considered by the Constitutional Court, which has up to 180 days to rule on the impeachment. "I came here to help usher in a new year that has no Park Geun-Hye", Kang Jae-Chun, who was at the protest with his two children, told AFP. Demonstrators also planned to take part in a midnight ceremony in which a large bronze bell in the city centre is rung to herald in the new year. It was the tenth protest calling for Park's immediate departure from office. But Park, who has been suspended from her duties since the impeachment vote, has remained defiant, declaring she will wait until the Constitutional Court arrives at a decision. Earlier on Saturday, former health minister Moon Hyung-Pyo was arrested under a court order in a widening probe to determine whether Park and Choi took bribes from businesses including Samsung. Moon, who is now head of the National Pension Service (NPS), admitted to pressuring the state-run fund to back a controversial merger of two Samsung units -- Cheil Industries and Samsung C&T -- last year when he served as health minister. The acquisition was seen as a crucial step to ensure a smooth father-to-son power transfer to Lee Jae-Yong, scion of Samsung's founding family. Critics said it undervalued Samsung C&T stock but NPS -- the world's third largest public pension fund and a major Samsung shareholder -- backed the deal, allegedly incurring hundreds of millions of dollars in losses for NPS subscribers. Investigators reportedly plan to question Lee next month to determine whether he told Samsung Electronics executives to funnel millions of dollars into questionable foundations and companies controlled by Choi in return for NPS' backing. Lee said at a parliamentary hearing this month he was not aware of the money transfers. (AFP)

Britain's Prime Minister May appoints new EU envoy

Britain&#39;s ambassador to the European Union, Ivan Rogers, has resigned less than three months before the UK is due to trigger the process to leave the bloc, a source told AFP.

Last month, he reportedly told British ministers that other EU countries believed it could take up to 10 years to negotiate a new trade arrangements with the departing UK.&nbsp;But Prime Minister Theresa May&#39;s spokesman insisted a deal could be done within two years that would allow Britain to trade with and operate within the single European market.

Rogers headed the United Kingdom Permanent Representation to the European Union (UKRep), which represents Britain in negotiations that take place in the EU. &quot;His resignation is not a surprise for those who work with him,&quot; a European diplomat told AFP.

&quot;He was very competent, but not convinced by the Brexit decision and the British government line, leading the UK into an area of dangerous uncertainty.&quot;

In the June 2016 referendum, 52 per cent voted for Britain leave the EU.

May intends to trigger Article 50 of the EU&#39;s Lisbon Treaty, giving formal notification of Britain&#39;s intention to leave the bloc, by the end of March. This begins a two-year countdown after which Britain will leave all the institutions and the single market unless alternative arrangements have been agreed.

&nbsp;

&#39;Not a good thing&#39;

Rogers had been in his post since November 2013, having previously served as prime minister David Cameron&#39;s Europe adviser since 2011.

Aled Williams, the former spokesman for Britain&#39;s EU embassy, said Rogers&#39; departure was a &quot;big loss&quot; to the Brexit negotiations. &quot;Not many Brits know the ins and outs of Brussels better than Sir Ivan,&quot; he said.

&quot;Sir Ivan never sugar-coated his advice: had the credibility to tell his political bosses how he saw it in Brussels.&quot;

Hilary Benn, who chairs parliament&#39;s Brexit scrutiny committee, told BBC radio the resignation was &quot;not a good thing&quot;.

&quot;The government will have to get its skates on to make sure there is a replacement in place so he or she can work with Sir Ivan in the transition, the handover,&quot; he said.

&quot;But the hard work is going to start very soon, because if Article 50 is triggered, as the government says it wishes to, by the end of March, then negotiations will probably begin shortly thereafter. And having a handover in the middle of that, depending on when exactly he goes, is not ideal.&quot;

&nbsp;

&#39;Too much of a pessimist&#39;&nbsp;

The office of Michel Barnier, chief Brexit negotiator on behalf of the European Commission, did not wish to comment. However, Arron Banks, who chaired the Leave.EU campaign group in the referendum, welcomed the resignation.

&quot;This is a man who claimed it could take up to 10 years to agree a Brexit deal,&quot; he said. &nbsp;&quot;He is far too much of a pessimist and yet another of the establishment&#39;s pro-EU old guard. He has at least done the honourable thing in resigning.&nbsp;It&#39;s time now for someone who is optimistic about the future that lies ahead for Brexit Britain. Enough talk, we need to get on with getting out.&quot;

(AFP)

Ivan Rogers was not convinced by the Brexit decision and the British government line, a European diplomat said

Britain's ambassador to the European Union, Ivan Rogers, has resigned less than three months before the UK is due to trigger the process to leave the bloc, a source told AFP. Last month, he reportedly told British ministers that other EU countries believed it could take up to 10 years to negotiate a new trade arrangements with the departing UK. But Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman insisted a deal could be done within two years that would allow Britain to trade with and operate within the single European market. Rogers headed the United Kingdom Permanent Representation to the European Union (UKRep), which represents Britain in negotiations that take place in the EU. "His resignation is not a surprise for those who work with him," a European diplomat told AFP. "He was very competent, but not convinced by the Brexit decision and the British government line, leading the UK into an area of dangerous uncertainty." In the June 2016 referendum, 52 per cent voted for Britain leave the EU. May intends to trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty, giving formal notification of Britain's intention to leave the bloc, by the end of March. This begins a two-year countdown after which Britain will leave all the institutions and the single market unless alternative arrangements have been agreed. 'Not a good thing' Rogers had been in his post since November 2013, having previously served as prime minister David Cameron's Europe adviser since 2011. Aled Williams, the former spokesman for Britain's EU embassy, said Rogers' departure was a "big loss" to the Brexit negotiations. "Not many Brits know the ins and outs of Brussels better than Sir Ivan," he said. "Sir Ivan never sugar-coated his advice: had the credibility to tell his political bosses how he saw it in Brussels." Hilary Benn, who chairs parliament's Brexit scrutiny committee, told BBC radio the resignation was "not a good thing". "The government will have to get its skates on to make sure there is a replacement in place so he or she can work with Sir Ivan in the transition, the handover," he said. "But the hard work is going to start very soon, because if Article 50 is triggered, as the government says it wishes to, by the end of March, then negotiations will probably begin shortly thereafter. And having a handover in the middle of that, depending on when exactly he goes, is not ideal." 'Too much of a pessimist' The office of Michel Barnier, chief Brexit negotiator on behalf of the European Commission, did not wish to comment. However, Arron Banks, who chaired the Leave.EU campaign group in the referendum, welcomed the resignation. "This is a man who claimed it could take up to 10 years to agree a Brexit deal," he said. "He is far too much of a pessimist and yet another of the establishment's pro-EU old guard. He has at least done the honourable thing in resigning. It's time now for someone who is optimistic about the future that lies ahead for Brexit Britain. Enough talk, we need to get on with getting out." (AFP)

Britain's EU ambassador quits months before Brexit negotiations

Britain&#39;s ambassador to the European Union has criticised London&#39;s serious lack of negotiating experience ahead of Brexit talks, hours after announcing his resignation on Tuesday.

Ivan Rogers stepped down from his role less than three months before Britain is due to begin talks to leave the bloc, cutting short his term which was due to end in October.

A highly-regarded diplomat, Rogers was criticised last month for saying it would take 10 years for Britain to conclude a trade deal with the EU.

In a lengthy resignation email to staff at UKRep, the office which represents Britain in negotiations in the EU, he urged colleagues to speak up even when their views were not welcome.

&quot;I hope you will continue to challenge ill-founded arguments and muddled thinking and that you will never be afraid to speak the truth to those in power.&nbsp;

&quot;I hope that you will support each other in those difficult moments where you have to deliver messages that are disagreeable to those who need to hear them,&quot; Rogers said in the note, published by The Times newspaper&#39;.

Rogers, who has held the post since November 2013 and previously served as prime minister David Cameron&#39;s Europe adviser, also criticised the British government&#39;s lack of preparation for the divorce proceedings.&nbsp;

&quot;Serious multilateral negotiating experience is in short supply in Whitehall, and that is not the case in the Commission or in the Council,&quot; said Rogers, pinpointing a gap in preparedness for Brexit talks between the British government and EU institutions.

Britain voted 52 per cent in favour of leaving the bloc in the country&#39;s June 23 referendum and anti-EU campaigners have since claimed Rogers has a pessimistic view of Brexit.

But supporters of the outgoing EU envoy have meanwhile praised him for being a realist, with credibility gained from his lengthy experience.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

(AFP)

Ivan Rogers stepped down from his role less than three months before Britain is due to begin talks to leave the EU

Britain's ambassador to the European Union has criticised London's serious lack of negotiating experience ahead of Brexit talks, hours after announcing his resignation on Tuesday. Ivan Rogers stepped down from his role less than three months before Britain is due to begin talks to leave the bloc, cutting short his term which was due to end in October. A highly-regarded diplomat, Rogers was criticised last month for saying it would take 10 years for Britain to conclude a trade deal with the EU. In a lengthy resignation email to staff at UKRep, the office which represents Britain in negotiations in the EU, he urged colleagues to speak up even when their views were not welcome. "I hope you will continue to challenge ill-founded arguments and muddled thinking and that you will never be afraid to speak the truth to those in power. "I hope that you will support each other in those difficult moments where you have to deliver messages that are disagreeable to those who need to hear them," Rogers said in the note, published by The Times newspaper'. Rogers, who has held the post since November 2013 and previously served as prime minister David Cameron's Europe adviser, also criticised the British government's lack of preparation for the divorce proceedings. "Serious multilateral negotiating experience is in short supply in Whitehall, and that is not the case in the Commission or in the Council," said Rogers, pinpointing a gap in preparedness for Brexit talks between the British government and EU institutions. Britain voted 52 per cent in favour of leaving the bloc in the country's June 23 referendum and anti-EU campaigners have since claimed Rogers has a pessimistic view of Brexit. But supporters of the outgoing EU envoy have meanwhile praised him for being a realist, with credibility gained from his lengthy experience. (AFP)

Britain's EU ambassador quits, criticises Brexit preparations

While most of Scotland voted against leaving the European Union, whisky makers have quietly been raising a wee dram to a side-effect of the Brexit vote -- a plunge in the value of the Pound.

The currency devaluation has made exports cheaper, generating a bump since 90 per cent of Scotch whisky is sold outside Britain, although the industry warns the longer-term outlook is far more cloudy.

David Williamson, communications director for the Scotch Whisky Association, said: &quot;Because of the relative strength of the pound we&#39;re certainly getting anecdotal reports back from our member companies that has helped to boost exports.&quot;

And Tony Reeman-Clark, who runs the Strathearn Distillery in Perthshire -- a relative newcomer to the market -- said: &quot;I have been talking to people from bigger distilleries who said there has been a lot of interest, and a lot of sales, because of the weak pound.&quot;

Reeman-Clark, who is also the founder of the Scottish Craft Distillers Association, said Strathearn began producing whisky three years ago and its first 100 bottles were auctioned off on 1 December.

The first sold for 4,150 pounds to an Italian buyer, far exceeding Reeman-Clark&#39;s expectations.

He said he had received bids from as far away as &quot;Auckland, Beijing, Hong Kong, Israel, Germany, America, all over the world&quot;.

Since the shock June vote the Pound has tumbled about 15 per cent against the greenback and Graham Hutcheon, the operations director of distiller Edrington, said the industry was having a &quot;jamboree time&quot;. However, he urged the government to provide clarity on Brexit, Bloomberg news agency reported.

&quot;We don&#39;t know the questions to ask, let alone answer,&quot; said Hutcheon, whose company makes whiskies such as Macallan and The Famous Grouse.

More than 10,000 people are now directly employed in the industry -- up six per cent in the past three years - while a further 30,000 people are employed in its supply chain from bottling to distribution.

The main markets in the first half of this year were the US (357.4 million pounds), France (193.1 million pounds) and Singapore (99.6 million pounds), with total exports equivalent to 533 million bottles of whisky.

More than 500 million bottles worth around 1.7 billion pounds are exported from Britain every year. The full impact of Brexit is not expected to be revealed until distillers complete their annual returns in early 2017.

(AFP)

The Pound's devaluation has made exporting Scotch whisky cheaper, and 90% is sold outside Britain, but the long-term forecast is uncertain

While most of Scotland voted against leaving the European Union, whisky makers have quietly been raising a wee dram to a side-effect of the Brexit vote -- a plunge in the value of the Pound. The currency devaluation has made exports cheaper, generating a bump since 90 per cent of Scotch whisky is sold outside Britain, although the industry warns the longer-term outlook is far more cloudy. David Williamson, communications director for the Scotch Whisky Association, said: "Because of the relative strength of the pound we're certainly getting anecdotal reports back from our member companies that has helped to boost exports." And Tony Reeman-Clark, who runs the Strathearn Distillery in Perthshire -- a relative newcomer to the market -- said: "I have been talking to people from bigger distilleries who said there has been a lot of interest, and a lot of sales, because of the weak pound." Reeman-Clark, who is also the founder of the Scottish Craft Distillers Association, said Strathearn began producing whisky three years ago and its first 100 bottles were auctioned off on 1 December. The first sold for 4,150 pounds to an Italian buyer, far exceeding Reeman-Clark's expectations. He said he had received bids from as far away as "Auckland, Beijing, Hong Kong, Israel, Germany, America, all over the world". Since the shock June vote the Pound has tumbled about 15 per cent against the greenback and Graham Hutcheon, the operations director of distiller Edrington, said the industry was having a "jamboree time". However, he urged the government to provide clarity on Brexit, Bloomberg news agency reported. "We don't know the questions to ask, let alone answer," said Hutcheon, whose company makes whiskies such as Macallan and The Famous Grouse. More than 10,000 people are now directly employed in the industry -- up six per cent in the past three years - while a further 30,000 people are employed in its supply chain from bottling to distribution. The main markets in the first half of this year were the US (357.4 million pounds), France (193.1 million pounds) and Singapore (99.6 million pounds), with total exports equivalent to 533 million bottles of whisky. More than 500 million bottles worth around 1.7 billion pounds are exported from Britain every year. The full impact of Brexit is not expected to be revealed until distillers complete their annual returns in early 2017. (AFP)

In pro-EU Scotland, whisky makers cheer Brexit boon

A young British Muslim woman was forced to the ground&nbsp;in a crowded shopping area in London and dragged along by her hijab by two men last week.

Scotland Yard has appealed for information about the two teenage white males involved in the hate crime.&nbsp;

The woman, in her 20s was walking alone in east London&#39;s Chingford when she was attacked.&nbsp;

&quot;The London Ambulance Service attended and treated the victim, aged in her 20s, for her injuries at the scene. It was reported that two unknown males approached the victim from the side, pulled off her headscarf and then pushed her to the floor,&quot; Metropolitan Police said.&nbsp;

&quot;The suspects are described as two white males, aged 17 to 19. They were wearing all black clothing. No arrests have been made,&quot; it said.

A Met police spokesperson said: &quot;The service has long since recognised the impact of hate crime on communities and the hidden nature of this crime, which remains largely under-reported.&quot;

&quot;Positive action is taken to investigate all hate crime allegations, support victims and their families and bring perpetrators to justice.&quot;&nbsp;

UK&#39;s anti-Islamophobia group, Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks) called the attack &quot;horrific&quot; and alleged that women were being disproportionately targeted in attacks on Muslims.

Data released by the UK National Police chief&#39;s council reported hate crimes rose to 58 per cent a week after Brexit.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from PTI)

Scotland Yard appealed for information about the two teenage white males involved in the hate crime

A young British Muslim woman was forced to the ground in a crowded shopping area in London and dragged along by her hijab by two men last week. Scotland Yard has appealed for information about the two teenage white males involved in the hate crime. The woman, in her 20s was walking alone in east London's Chingford when she was attacked. "The London Ambulance Service attended and treated the victim, aged in her 20s, for her injuries at the scene. It was reported that two unknown males approached the victim from the side, pulled off her headscarf and then pushed her to the floor," Metropolitan Police said. "The suspects are described as two white males, aged 17 to 19. They were wearing all black clothing. No arrests have been made," it said. A Met police spokesperson said: "The service has long since recognised the impact of hate crime on communities and the hidden nature of this crime, which remains largely under-reported." "Positive action is taken to investigate all hate crime allegations, support victims and their families and bring perpetrators to justice." UK's anti-Islamophobia group, Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks) called the attack "horrific" and alleged that women were being disproportionately targeted in attacks on Muslims. Data released by the UK National Police chief's council reported hate crimes rose to 58 per cent a week after Brexit. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Muslim woman dragged by Hijab in London shopping area

In a symbolic victory, British Prime Minister Theresa May today won a vote in Parliament backing her timetable for negotiating Britain&#39;s exit from the European Union (EU).

MPs voted in the House of Commons 461 to 89 in favour of May triggering Article 50 by the end of March 2017, which will begin the formal process of exit negotiations from the 28-member economic bloc.

The win followed a compromise between Opposition Labour and the ruling Conservatives, which saw May committing to revealing the official plan for Brexit before the actual process begins, without committing to any detailed account.

The vote also supported a Labour motion calling for Parliament to &quot;properly scrutinise&quot; the government in its proposals for leaving the EU by 448 votes to 75 - a margin of 373.

Labour&#39;s Brexit spokesman, Sir Keir Starmer, has said his party would continue to challenge the government if its plan was &quot;not detailed enough&quot;.

He said: &quot;I think it&#39;s got to be pretty detailed, they&#39;ve got to set out what those objectives are. I don&#39;t think it needs to be in a particular form, but if it&#39;s not detailed enough they can expect further challenge.&quot;

Brexit Secretary David Davis responded: &quot;The simple fact is that the mandate (in June&#39;s referendum) was to leave the European Union - full stop. We need to keep that in mind when we are going through that process.

&quot;This is a negotiation; it&#39;s not a policy statement. And, therefore, where you are aiming for may not be the exact place you end up.&quot;

The debate today came after a procedural battle between the parties over the wording of the motion to be put to MPs. Mrs May had been refusing to provide a &quot;running commentary&quot; on Brexit after the UK voted to leave the EU in a referendum in June.

As the Supreme Court in London continues to hear a case to establish the extent of British PM?s power in launching into a Brexit without parliamentary approval, Downing Street put forward an amendment agreeing to publish a plan before triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.

Starmer described it as &quot;a welcome and hugely significant climbdown&quot;, while the government believes receiving this parliamentary backing for the timetable would avoid delays to the Brexit process.

The government&#39;s amendment was opposed by 23 Labour MPs and one Conservative - former chancellor Ken Clarke. Five Liberal Democrat MPs, three Welsh Plaid Cymru MPs and 51 SNP MPs also voted against it.

&nbsp;

(PTI)

Lawmakers voted 461 to 89 in favour of May triggering article 50 by end of March 2017, beginning the formal process of exit negotiations

In a symbolic victory, British Prime Minister Theresa May today won a vote in Parliament backing her timetable for negotiating Britain's exit from the European Union (EU). MPs voted in the House of Commons 461 to 89 in favour of May triggering Article 50 by the end of March 2017, which will begin the formal process of exit negotiations from the 28-member economic bloc. The win followed a compromise between Opposition Labour and the ruling Conservatives, which saw May committing to revealing the official plan for Brexit before the actual process begins, without committing to any detailed account. The vote also supported a Labour motion calling for Parliament to "properly scrutinise" the government in its proposals for leaving the EU by 448 votes to 75 - a margin of 373. Labour's Brexit spokesman, Sir Keir Starmer, has said his party would continue to challenge the government if its plan was "not detailed enough". He said: "I think it's got to be pretty detailed, they've got to set out what those objectives are. I don't think it needs to be in a particular form, but if it's not detailed enough they can expect further challenge." Brexit Secretary David Davis responded: "The simple fact is that the mandate (in June's referendum) was to leave the European Union - full stop. We need to keep that in mind when we are going through that process. "This is a negotiation; it's not a policy statement. And, therefore, where you are aiming for may not be the exact place you end up." The debate today came after a procedural battle between the parties over the wording of the motion to be put to MPs. Mrs May had been refusing to provide a "running commentary" on Brexit after the UK voted to leave the EU in a referendum in June. As the Supreme Court in London continues to hear a case to establish the extent of British PM?s power in launching into a Brexit without parliamentary approval, Downing Street put forward an amendment agreeing to publish a plan before triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. Starmer described it as "a welcome and hugely significant climbdown", while the government believes receiving this parliamentary backing for the timetable would avoid delays to the Brexit process. The government's amendment was opposed by 23 Labour MPs and one Conservative - former chancellor Ken Clarke. Five Liberal Democrat MPs, three Welsh Plaid Cymru MPs and 51 SNP MPs also voted against it. (PTI)

British PM Theresa May wins Brexit timetable vote in parliament

Britain&#39;s Supreme Court began a&nbsp;historic hearing on Monday to decide whether parliament has to approve the government&#39;s Brexit negotiations, in a highly-charged case that could delay the country&#39;s EU exit.&nbsp;

For the first time ever, all 11 Supreme Court judges convened to hear a challenge by the government against a ruling that Prime Minister Theresa May must seek lawmakers&#39; approval before starting the process to leave the European Union.

The High Court ruled last month that the government did not have the executive power alone to invoke Article 50 of the EU&#39;s Lisbon Treaty, formally starting an exit talks which could take two years.

The decision enraged Brexit supporters and some newspapers who accused judges of thwarting the will of the 52 percent who voted &quot;Leave&quot; in the June 23 referendum.

The vote for Britain to become the first country to leave the 28-nation bloc sent shockwaves across the world and emboldened populists in Europe and the United States.

Supreme Court president David Neuberger said people involved in the case had received threats and abuse and stressed that the judges would rule without any political bias after criticism from Brexit backers.

A parliamentary vote on Article 50 could open the door to pro-EU lawmakers delaying or softening Britain&#39;s withdrawal from the bloc.

&#39;Threats of violence&#39;

Neuberger said the judges were &quot;aware of the strong feelings&quot; surrounding Brexit but &quot;those wider political questions are not the subject of this appeal&quot;.&nbsp;

&quot;This appeal is concerned with legal issues, and, as judges, our duty is to consider those issues impartially, and to decide the case according to the law. That is what we shall do,&quot; he told the court.

He said some parties involved in the case had received threats of &quot;serious violence and unpleasant abuse&quot;, warning that there were &quot;legal powers&quot; to deal with such threats.

Attorney General Jeremy Wright, the government&#39;s chief legal advisor, outlined the government&#39;s case at the start of the four-day, live-broadcast hearing, with a judgment expected in January.

In his opening statement, he said there was a &quot;universal expectation&quot; that the government would implement the referendum result.

He argued that the government had constitutional authority over foreign affairs, including the right to withdraw from treaties, under so-called &quot;royal prerogative powers&quot;.

The royal prerogative is &quot;not an ancient relic but a contemporary necessity,&quot; he said.

If it loses, the government is expected to introduce a short bill -- reportedly comprising just three lines of text -- which it will seek to push rapidly through parliament to authorise the triggering of Article 50.

&#39;Slowing down&#39; Brexit

May, who became Conservative prime minister after the Brexit vote, has insisted a parliamentary vote on the legislation would not disrupt her plans to trigger Article 50 by the end of March 2017.

However, the opposition Labour Party delivered a blow to the government Saturday when it announced it would seek to amend any bill, potentially delaying the process.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the amendment would ensure that Britain retains access to the European single market and protect workers&#39; and environmental rights.

&quot;When the Article 50 debate comes up, we will put forward an amendment to it, which will be on the issues of market access and protections. We want those to be part of the negotiation,&quot; Corbyn told Sky News.

A spokesman for May&#39;s Conservative Party accused Labour of attempting to &quot;frustrate the will of the British people by slowing down the process... and trying to tie the government&#39;s hands&quot; in Brexit negotiations.

May faces a further potential complication at this week&#39;s hearing from representatives of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland who will argue that Article 50 also needs to be approved by the devolved parliaments.

Such a ruling could further derail the prime minister&#39;s timetable and set up a stand-off between the nations.

Claimants in the case, led by investment fund manager Gina Miller, argue that triggering Article 50 would strip British citizens of certain rights established under European law -- which they say only parliament has the power to do.

Britain&#39;s foreign minister, Boris Johnson, voiced confidence in the government&#39;s case Sunday, telling the BBC: &quot;There is no history in any EU negotiations or any EU treaty talks of the House of Commons doing anything to fetter the discretion of the government.&quot;

However, legal expert Michael Zander, a professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), said the government had little chance of winning, describing the original ruling as &quot;unanimous and very strong&quot;.

&quot;In my view, the government could be looking at losing 11-0,&quot; he wrote in legal magazine Counsel.

(AFP)

All 11 Supreme Court judges convened to hear the government's challenge against a ruling that PM May must seek lawmakers approval for Brexit

Britain's Supreme Court began a historic hearing on Monday to decide whether parliament has to approve the government's Brexit negotiations, in a highly-charged case that could delay the country's EU exit. For the first time ever, all 11 Supreme Court judges convened to hear a challenge by the government against a ruling that Prime Minister Theresa May must seek lawmakers' approval before starting the process to leave the European Union. The High Court ruled last month that the government did not have the executive power alone to invoke Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty, formally starting an exit talks which could take two years. The decision enraged Brexit supporters and some newspapers who accused judges of thwarting the will of the 52 percent who voted "Leave" in the June 23 referendum. The vote for Britain to become the first country to leave the 28-nation bloc sent shockwaves across the world and emboldened populists in Europe and the United States. Supreme Court president David Neuberger said people involved in the case had received threats and abuse and stressed that the judges would rule without any political bias after criticism from Brexit backers. A parliamentary vote on Article 50 could open the door to pro-EU lawmakers delaying or softening Britain's withdrawal from the bloc. 'Threats of violence' Neuberger said the judges were "aware of the strong feelings" surrounding Brexit but "those wider political questions are not the subject of this appeal". "This appeal is concerned with legal issues, and, as judges, our duty is to consider those issues impartially, and to decide the case according to the law. That is what we shall do," he told the court. He said some parties involved in the case had received threats of "serious violence and unpleasant abuse", warning that there were "legal powers" to deal with such threats. Attorney General Jeremy Wright, the government's chief legal advisor, outlined the government's case at the start of the four-day, live-broadcast hearing, with a judgment expected in January. In his opening statement, he said there was a "universal expectation" that the government would implement the referendum result. He argued that the government had constitutional authority over foreign affairs, including the right to withdraw from treaties, under so-called "royal prerogative powers". The royal prerogative is "not an ancient relic but a contemporary necessity," he said. If it loses, the government is expected to introduce a short bill -- reportedly comprising just three lines of text -- which it will seek to push rapidly through parliament to authorise the triggering of Article 50. 'Slowing down' Brexit May, who became Conservative prime minister after the Brexit vote, has insisted a parliamentary vote on the legislation would not disrupt her plans to trigger Article 50 by the end of March 2017. However, the opposition Labour Party delivered a blow to the government Saturday when it announced it would seek to amend any bill, potentially delaying the process. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the amendment would ensure that Britain retains access to the European single market and protect workers' and environmental rights. "When the Article 50 debate comes up, we will put forward an amendment to it, which will be on the issues of market access and protections. We want those to be part of the negotiation," Corbyn told Sky News. A spokesman for May's Conservative Party accused Labour of attempting to "frustrate the will of the British people by slowing down the process... and trying to tie the government's hands" in Brexit negotiations. May faces a further potential complication at this week's hearing from representatives of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland who will argue that Article 50 also needs to be approved by the devolved parliaments. Such a ruling could further derail the prime minister's timetable and set up a stand-off between the nations. Claimants in the case, led by investment fund manager Gina Miller, argue that triggering Article 50 would strip British citizens of certain rights established under European law -- which they say only parliament has the power to do. Britain's foreign minister, Boris Johnson, voiced confidence in the government's case Sunday, telling the BBC: "There is no history in any EU negotiations or any EU treaty talks of the House of Commons doing anything to fetter the discretion of the government." However, legal expert Michael Zander, a professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), said the government had little chance of winning, describing the original ruling as "unanimous and very strong". "In my view, the government could be looking at losing 11-0," he wrote in legal magazine Counsel. (AFP)

UK top court begins hearing on Brexit challenge

Britain&#39;s anti-EU&nbsp;UK Independence party (UKIP) elected a new leader Paul Nuttal to replace Brexit firebrand Nigel Farage.

A former history lecturer, Nuttal defeated former deputy chairwoman Suzanne Evans and former soldier John Rees-Evans.

Nuttal pledged unity in the party and said he would make it the &quot;the voice of patriotic Britain&quot;.

&quot;The country needs a strong UKIP more now than ever before,&quot; he said, urging the party to keep pressuring the government for &quot;real Brexit&quot;.

Nuttall&nbsp;joined the UKIP in 2004 and was the party&#39;s deputy leader from 2010. He has been a Member of European Parliament (MEP) since 2009.

The 39-year-old from Liverpool played football&nbsp;for Tranmere Rovers in his youth.&nbsp;

He went on to be a lecturer at Liverpool Hope University.

The UKIP, a driving force behind the Brexit campaign, has been struggling with infighting for the last few months. Tensions within the party came out in the open after newly-elected party leader Diane James stepped down in October days after winning the leadership.

Farage had acted as interim leader in the intervening period.

Will not be backseat driver: Farage

In his farewell speech, Farage promised he would not be a &quot;backseat driver&quot; in the party but would complete his term as a European Parliament lawmaker till 2019.

Farage also claimed that the European project was now &quot;fatally weakened&quot; and said the UKIP was the leading eurosceptic group across the continent.

&quot;Be in no doubt that it is UKIP that is seen as the leading eurosceptic group across the entire continent,&quot; he said at a conference in London after the result of the party election was announced.

Since announcing his resignation following the EU referendum in June, Farage has ridden the wave of his campaign&#39;s success to the United States where he appeared at a Trump rally in Mississippi.

He was the first British politician to meet Trump after he was elected president. Trump even suggested his name for British ambassador to the US, ruffling feathers in 10 Downing Street, with British Prime Minister Theresa May retorting there was &quot;no vacancy.&quot;

UKIP emerged from the fringes of British politics after playing a key role in the push for a referendum on EU membership.

Advocating an anti-mass immigration agenda, the party scored the third-highest number of votes in the 2015 general election, taking 12.7 per cent of the vote.

(WION with inputs from AFP) 
&nbsp;

Paul Nuttal asked the party to keep pressuring the government for 'real Brexit'

Britain's anti-EU UK Independence party (UKIP) elected a new leader Paul Nuttal to replace Brexit firebrand Nigel Farage. A former history lecturer, Nuttal defeated former deputy chairwoman Suzanne Evans and former soldier John Rees-Evans. Nuttal pledged unity in the party and said he would make it the "the voice of patriotic Britain". "The country needs a strong UKIP more now than ever before," he said, urging the party to keep pressuring the government for "real Brexit". Nuttall joined the UKIP in 2004 and was the party's deputy leader from 2010. He has been a Member of European Parliament (MEP) since 2009. The 39-year-old from Liverpool played football for Tranmere Rovers in his youth. He went on to be a lecturer at Liverpool Hope University. The UKIP, a driving force behind the Brexit campaign, has been struggling with infighting for the last few months. Tensions within the party came out in the open after newly-elected party leader Diane James stepped down in October days after winning the leadership. Farage had acted as interim leader in the intervening period. Will not be backseat driver: Farage In his farewell speech, Farage promised he would not be a "backseat driver" in the party but would complete his term as a European Parliament lawmaker till 2019. Farage also claimed that the European project was now "fatally weakened" and said the UKIP was the leading eurosceptic group across the continent. "Be in no doubt that it is UKIP that is seen as the leading eurosceptic group across the entire continent," he said at a conference in London after the result of the party election was announced. Since announcing his resignation following the EU referendum in June, Farage has ridden the wave of his campaign's success to the United States where he appeared at a Trump rally in Mississippi. He was the first British politician to meet Trump after he was elected president. Trump even suggested his name for British ambassador to the US, ruffling feathers in 10 Downing Street, with British Prime Minister Theresa May retorting there was "no vacancy." UKIP emerged from the fringes of British politics after playing a key role in the push for a referendum on EU membership. Advocating an anti-mass immigration agenda, the party scored the third-highest number of votes in the 2015 general election, taking 12.7 per cent of the vote. (WION with inputs from AFP)

UK Independence Party elects new leader to replace Nigel Farage

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson dismissed suggestions on Saturday that Britain&#39;s exit from the European Union and the election of Donald Trump as US&nbsp;president would lead to Western powers withdrawing from engagement with the rest of the world.

Speaking during an overnight visit to Kabul that included meetings with President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, Johnson said Britain remained committed to Afghanistan &quot;for the long haul&quot;.

As well as continued support for the NATO-led Resolute Support mission to train Afghan security forces, it was doing &quot;a hell of a lot&quot; for aid and development in Afghanistan, in areas like education, he said.

&quot;None of those will be affected by our relations with the treaties of the European Union, as you would expect,&quot; he said.

Britain&#39;s June 23 vote for &#39;Brexit&#39; and Trump&#39;s backing for an &quot;America First&quot; foreign policy have triggered alarm among some commentators who see signs of increasing isolationism among Western powers. However Johnson, one of the leaders of the pro-Brexit camp, rejected such fears.

&quot;If the question is do I think that the western world is going to start withdrawing or turning in on itself, then the answer is emphatically no, I don&#39;t think so,&quot; Johnson told reporters. &quot;That certainly won&#39;t be the situation with the United Kingdom.&quot;

&quot;We intend to be more engaged with the world, more outward-looking than ever before,&quot; he said.

&quot;I think we&#39;ll have to see how things pan out in Washington but I think that the interest of the United States in the security and stability of this part of the world will remain fundamental.&quot;

Johnson visited Kabul University, where he attended a performance of a scene from Shakespeare&#39;s tragedy Macbeth in Dari, as well as the British cemetery, with its memorial to more than 450 British soldiers killed in Afghanistan.

He said Britain could be proud of the sacrifices and achievements of its troops, despite the deteriorating situation in areas like Helmand, now in large part under Taliban control, where more British soldiers died than in any other province.

&quot;No one is sitting here and pretending that things are perfect but they are better by far than they were,&quot; he said.

&quot;There are many ways that in spite of all the difficulties and all the challenges, this place is better for the help that we have tried to give it over the years,&quot; he said.

(Reuters)

Johnson said Britain's exit from the European Union will have no impact on its commitment with Afghanistan

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson dismissed suggestions on Saturday that Britain's exit from the European Union and the election of Donald Trump as US president would lead to Western powers withdrawing from engagement with the rest of the world. Speaking during an overnight visit to Kabul that included meetings with President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, Johnson said Britain remained committed to Afghanistan "for the long haul". As well as continued support for the NATO-led Resolute Support mission to train Afghan security forces, it was doing "a hell of a lot" for aid and development in Afghanistan, in areas like education, he said. "None of those will be affected by our relations with the treaties of the European Union, as you would expect," he said. Britain's June 23 vote for 'Brexit' and Trump's backing for an "America First" foreign policy have triggered alarm among some commentators who see signs of increasing isolationism among Western powers. However Johnson, one of the leaders of the pro-Brexit camp, rejected such fears. "If the question is do I think that the western world is going to start withdrawing or turning in on itself, then the answer is emphatically no, I don't think so," Johnson told reporters. "That certainly won't be the situation with the United Kingdom." "We intend to be more engaged with the world, more outward-looking than ever before," he said. "I think we'll have to see how things pan out in Washington but I think that the interest of the United States in the security and stability of this part of the world will remain fundamental." Johnson visited Kabul University, where he attended a performance of a scene from Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth in Dari, as well as the British cemetery, with its memorial to more than 450 British soldiers killed in Afghanistan. He said Britain could be proud of the sacrifices and achievements of its troops, despite the deteriorating situation in areas like Helmand, now in large part under Taliban control, where more British soldiers died than in any other province. "No one is sitting here and pretending that things are perfect but they are better by far than they were," he said. "There are many ways that in spite of all the difficulties and all the challenges, this place is better for the help that we have tried to give it over the years," he said. (Reuters)

In Afghanistan, Britain's Johnson sees no sign of global retreat

Scotland has published legal documents to be sent to the British high court asking for a separate vote for Britain&#39;s withdrawal from the European Union, Reuters reported.&nbsp;

In its 58-page legal submissions, Scotland has argued that any parliamentary vote on Brexit will have a major impact on Scotland&#39;s devolution arrangements and will hamper Scotland&#39;s access to the European Union&#39;s single market.

In its legal publications, Scotland has asked the court that it be allowed to vote for its consent before British Prime Minister Theresa May triggers Article 50 to initiate the legal process of Brexit.&nbsp;

&quot;A bill brought before the UK Parliament to withdraw the UK from the EU would engage the constitutional convention in terms of which that Parliament does not normally legislate with regard to devolved matters without the consent of the Scottish Parliament,&quot; the document said, Reuters reported.&nbsp;

Earlier this month, the high court had specified that the government must seek the approval of the British parliament before official proceedings are made for Brexit.&nbsp;The British government is appealing the&nbsp;judgement in the Supreme Court.

The case of the Scottish parliament will be heard in early December, said Reuters.&nbsp;

Although 52 per cent of Britons voted to leave the bloc during a referendum in June, 62 per cent of Scots voted to stay in the EU.&nbsp;

Single Market Status&nbsp;

Meanwhile, the first ministers of Scotland and Wales, Nicola Sturgeon and &nbsp;Carwyn Jones today met with&nbsp;in the Welsh capital to hold discussions over maintaining an &ldquo;unfettered access to the EU&#39;s single market&rdquo;, where Sturgeon warned that she will bid for a second referendum to sever ties with Britain, if Brexit deal is not suitable for Scotland.&nbsp;

EU&#39;s single market refers to the bloc&nbsp;as one territory without any internal borders or other regulatory obstacles for the free movement of goods and services&nbsp;

&quot;Both Scotland and Wales have spoken loud and clear -- Single Market status is simply the only way to protect the economy not only of Scotland and Wales respectively, but the UK as a whole. Anything else risks us falling off a hard-Brexit cliff edge, and we are united in our call to ensure the UK government does all it can to ensure that happens,&quot;&nbsp;Sturgeon asserted.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

Scotland's 58-page legal document argued that Brexit should require a separate vote in its own devolved parliament

Scotland has published legal documents to be sent to the British high court asking for a separate vote for Britain's withdrawal from the European Union, Reuters reported. In its 58-page legal submissions, Scotland has argued that any parliamentary vote on Brexit will have a major impact on Scotland's devolution arrangements and will hamper Scotland's access to the European Union's single market. In its legal publications, Scotland has asked the court that it be allowed to vote for its consent before British Prime Minister Theresa May triggers Article 50 to initiate the legal process of Brexit. "A bill brought before the UK Parliament to withdraw the UK from the EU would engage the constitutional convention in terms of which that Parliament does not normally legislate with regard to devolved matters without the consent of the Scottish Parliament," the document said, Reuters reported. Earlier this month, the high court had specified that the government must seek the approval of the British parliament before official proceedings are made for Brexit. The British government is appealing the judgement in the Supreme Court. The case of the Scottish parliament will be heard in early December, said Reuters. Although 52 per cent of Britons voted to leave the bloc during a referendum in June, 62 per cent of Scots voted to stay in the EU. Single Market Status Meanwhile, the first ministers of Scotland and Wales, Nicola Sturgeon and Carwyn Jones today met with in the Welsh capital to hold discussions over maintaining an “unfettered access to the EU's single market”, where Sturgeon warned that she will bid for a second referendum to sever ties with Britain, if Brexit deal is not suitable for Scotland. EU's single market refers to the bloc as one territory without any internal borders or other regulatory obstacles for the free movement of goods and services "Both Scotland and Wales have spoken loud and clear -- Single Market status is simply the only way to protect the economy not only of Scotland and Wales respectively, but the UK as a whole. Anything else risks us falling off a hard-Brexit cliff edge, and we are united in our call to ensure the UK government does all it can to ensure that happens," Sturgeon asserted. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Scotland lays out legal documents to have say on Brexit trigger

Thyssenkrupp has personal assurances from the new management of Tata that the Indian conglomerate is still interested in merging its European steel business with that of the German group, Thyssenkrupp&#39;s chief executive said.

Tata Sons this month put in place a new management team for the $100 billion steel-to-software group, days after its board ousted Chairman Cyrus Mistry and disbanded his advisory council, triggering a public spat between him and patriarch Ratan Tata.

&quot;The new management has told us personally it still sees the rationale,&quot; Heinrich Hiesinger told a news conference after Thyssenkrupp reported 2015/16 results on Thursday.

Thyssenkrupp and Tata Steel had been in talks to merge their European steel units - which include assets in Britain, Germany and the Netherlands - but the negotiations were disrupted by Britain&#39;s vote to leave the European Union and then thrown into question by the management turmoil at Tata.

(Reuters)

Thyssenkrupp and Tata Steel had been in talks to merge their European steel units but the negotiations were disrupted by Brexit

Thyssenkrupp has personal assurances from the new management of Tata that the Indian conglomerate is still interested in merging its European steel business with that of the German group, Thyssenkrupp's chief executive said. Tata Sons this month put in place a new management team for the $100 billion steel-to-software group, days after its board ousted Chairman Cyrus Mistry and disbanded his advisory council, triggering a public spat between him and patriarch Ratan Tata. "The new management has told us personally it still sees the rationale," Heinrich Hiesinger told a news conference after Thyssenkrupp reported 2015/16 results on Thursday. Thyssenkrupp and Tata Steel had been in talks to merge their European steel units - which include assets in Britain, Germany and the Netherlands - but the negotiations were disrupted by Britain's vote to leave the European Union and then thrown into question by the management turmoil at Tata. (Reuters)

Thyssenkrupp CEO says new Tata management still wants steel deal

Prime Minister Theresa May sought to reassure business leaders nervous about the &quot;cliff-edge scenario&quot; of Britain leaving the EU on Monday, as she announced a boost in research investment.

May made the announcement at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) annual conference, shortly after industry leaders warned her about the impact of an abrupt departure from the EU and its customs union.

&quot;Businesses are inevitably considering the cliff-edge scenario -- a sudden and overnight transformation in trading conditions,&quot; Paul Drechsler, CBI president, said Monday.&nbsp;&quot;If this happens, firms could find themselves stranded in a regulatory no man&#39;s land.&quot;

In comments widely interpreted as referring to a possible transitional arrangement with Brussels, May said: &quot;We don&#39;t want a cliff-edge&quot;.

Businesses &quot;want to know with some certainty how things are going to go forward. That will be part of the work we do in terms of the negotiation,&quot; she said.

But companies at the gathering voiced their concerns.

&quot;I&#39;m not too optimistic about Brexit,&quot; a representative from German engineering firm Bosch told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. &quot;I don&#39;t see things moving in the right direction&quot;.

Some business leaders have called for a temporary deal to set the terms of trade between Britain and the EU if a full deal cannot be reached in the two-year window available to arrange Britain&#39;s divorce from the bloc. &quot;It&#39;s really about making sure that we have a transition in term of regulatory regime,&quot; Rain Newton-Smith, CBI chief economist, told AFP.&nbsp;

Research boost &#39;important&#39;&nbsp;

The prime minister has so far refused to outline what she will demand from EU leaders, but promised to update business on plans.

&quot;If we approach the difficult negotiations to come in the right way, with the right spirit, we can strike a deal that&#39;s right for Britain and right for the rest of Europe too.&quot;

One of her government&#39;s top priorities would be to secure an &quot;early agreement&quot; on the status of British nationals in Europe and EU nationals in Britain. The continued availability of a European workforce is a key concern for British businesses.

May also announced her government would invest an extra &pound;2 billion a year ($2.5 billion, 2.3 billion euros) in science research and development by 2020 and committed to the plans of the previous government to introduce the lowest corporate tax rates in the G20.

&quot;Today, Britain has firms and researchers leading in some of the most exciting fields of human discovery,&quot; she said. &quot;We need to back them and turn research strengths into commercial success.&quot;

Mark Lloyd Davies, senior director of Johnson &amp; Johnson, called the announcement &quot;very positive&quot;. &nbsp;&quot;We can always want more but it&#39;s not trivial,&quot; he said. &quot;It&#39;s not a gesture, it&#39;s actually important&quot;.

May spooked some industry leaders last month when she slammed &quot;dysfunctional&quot; markets and warned tax-avoiding multinationals she was &quot;coming after&quot; them during her first keynote speech as leader. However, she struck a softer tone on Monday, saying her government &quot;will always believe&quot; in free markets, capitalism and business but insisted they needed to serve the interests of everyone.

Other speakers at the one-day conference included Paul Kahn, president of Airbus Group UK, and Nicola Mendelsohn, Facebook&#39;s vice president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The social networking site on Monday became the latest US tech giant to announce new investment in Britain with 500 extra jobs.

The British economy has remained resilient in the face of post-referendum uncertainty, but finance minister Philip Hammond is expected to announce a downgrade in future growth prospects when he presents the government&#39;s first major post-Brexit financial statement on Wednesday. 
 
(AFP)

Theresa May said her government would avoid the 'cliff-edge' scenario that business leaders are worried about

Prime Minister Theresa May sought to reassure business leaders nervous about the "cliff-edge scenario" of Britain leaving the EU on Monday, as she announced a boost in research investment. May made the announcement at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) annual conference, shortly after industry leaders warned her about the impact of an abrupt departure from the EU and its customs union. "Businesses are inevitably considering the cliff-edge scenario -- a sudden and overnight transformation in trading conditions," Paul Drechsler, CBI president, said Monday. "If this happens, firms could find themselves stranded in a regulatory no man's land." In comments widely interpreted as referring to a possible transitional arrangement with Brussels, May said: "We don't want a cliff-edge". Businesses "want to know with some certainty how things are going to go forward. That will be part of the work we do in terms of the negotiation," she said. But companies at the gathering voiced their concerns. "I'm not too optimistic about Brexit," a representative from German engineering firm Bosch told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. "I don't see things moving in the right direction". Some business leaders have called for a temporary deal to set the terms of trade between Britain and the EU if a full deal cannot be reached in the two-year window available to arrange Britain's divorce from the bloc. "It's really about making sure that we have a transition in term of regulatory regime," Rain Newton-Smith, CBI chief economist, told AFP. Research boost 'important' The prime minister has so far refused to outline what she will demand from EU leaders, but promised to update business on plans. "If we approach the difficult negotiations to come in the right way, with the right spirit, we can strike a deal that's right for Britain and right for the rest of Europe too." One of her government's top priorities would be to secure an "early agreement" on the status of British nationals in Europe and EU nationals in Britain. The continued availability of a European workforce is a key concern for British businesses. May also announced her government would invest an extra £2 billion a year ($2.5 billion, 2.3 billion euros) in science research and development by 2020 and committed to the plans of the previous government to introduce the lowest corporate tax rates in the G20. "Today, Britain has firms and researchers leading in some of the most exciting fields of human discovery," she said. "We need to back them and turn research strengths into commercial success." Mark Lloyd Davies, senior director of Johnson & Johnson, called the announcement "very positive". "We can always want more but it's not trivial," he said. "It's not a gesture, it's actually important". May spooked some industry leaders last month when she slammed "dysfunctional" markets and warned tax-avoiding multinationals she was "coming after" them during her first keynote speech as leader. However, she struck a softer tone on Monday, saying her government "will always believe" in free markets, capitalism and business but insisted they needed to serve the interests of everyone. Other speakers at the one-day conference included Paul Kahn, president of Airbus Group UK, and Nicola Mendelsohn, Facebook's vice president for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The social networking site on Monday became the latest US tech giant to announce new investment in Britain with 500 extra jobs. The British economy has remained resilient in the face of post-referendum uncertainty, but finance minister Philip Hammond is expected to announce a downgrade in future growth prospects when he presents the government's first major post-Brexit financial statement on Wednesday. (AFP)

Theresa May reassures business leaders against abrupt Brexit

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is expected to announce her bid for a&nbsp;fourth term in next year elections at a surprise news conference announced by her conservative party on Friday.

Merkel, 62, will address reporters at 1800 GMT Sunday after a meeting of leaders of her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, news agency AFP reported.

German media and senior conservatives have speculated for weeks that Merkel will declare her candidacy ahead of her party&#39;s annual congress starting December 6.

Her candidature will be welcome after the instability from Brexit and Donald Trump&#39;s win in US elections. Polls show that a Merkel re-election bid has a strong chance of succeeding, AFP reported.&nbsp;Merkel is widely considered Europe&#39;s most powerful leader.

Merkel has said that she will announce her bid for the&nbsp;general election expected in Sept or Oct 2017 &quot;at the appropriate time&quot;.

She repeated the line with a smile at a joint news conference with outgoing US President Barack Obama in Berlin Thursday, AFP said.

Obama praised her as an &quot;outstanding partner&quot; and said he &quot;might&quot; have supported her if he was German and had a vote.

&quot;It&#39;s up to her whether she wants to stand again... but if I were here and I were German and I had a vote, I might support her,&quot; he said.

Despite her popularity, Merkel has been criticised for her decision of letting more than one million asylum seekers in Germany over the last two years. However, observers hold Merkel as the defender of Western values, some even calling her the new &quot;leader of the free world&quot;, as Barack Obama prepares to hand over White House to president-elect Trump.

Right-wing Alternative for Germany party (AfD) has gained more popularity due to Germans&#39; anxiety about migration and Merkel&#39;s policies.

A poll released Friday showed that Merkel`s conservatives would draw 32 per cent of the vote if the election were held this weekend, AFP reported.

(WION with inputs from AFP)

Considered Europe's most powerful leader, Merkel's re-election bid will be welcome news after the instability from Brexit

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is expected to announce her bid for a fourth term in next year elections at a surprise news conference announced by her conservative party on Friday. Merkel, 62, will address reporters at 1800 GMT Sunday after a meeting of leaders of her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party, news agency AFP reported. German media and senior conservatives have speculated for weeks that Merkel will declare her candidacy ahead of her party's annual congress starting December 6. Her candidature will be welcome after the instability from Brexit and Donald Trump's win in US elections. Polls show that a Merkel re-election bid has a strong chance of succeeding, AFP reported. Merkel is widely considered Europe's most powerful leader. Merkel has said that she will announce her bid for the general election expected in Sept or Oct 2017 "at the appropriate time". She repeated the line with a smile at a joint news conference with outgoing US President Barack Obama in Berlin Thursday, AFP said. Obama praised her as an "outstanding partner" and said he "might" have supported her if he was German and had a vote. "It's up to her whether she wants to stand again... but if I were here and I were German and I had a vote, I might support her," he said. Despite her popularity, Merkel has been criticised for her decision of letting more than one million asylum seekers in Germany over the last two years. However, observers hold Merkel as the defender of Western values, some even calling her the new "leader of the free world", as Barack Obama prepares to hand over White House to president-elect Trump. Right-wing Alternative for Germany party (AfD) has gained more popularity due to Germans' anxiety about migration and Merkel's policies. A poll released Friday showed that Merkel`s conservatives would draw 32 per cent of the vote if the election were held this weekend, AFP reported. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Merkel could announce bid for fourth term this week: Conservative party

The British government has no overarching plan for Brexit and may take another six months to agree&nbsp;to a negotiating strategy, according to a leaked memo on Tuesday.

Civil servants are struggling to cope with more than 500 Brexit-related projects and an extra 30,000 extra staff may be needed to handle the workload, according to the memo published by The Times, reportedly prepared for the government by a consultant.

The document, dated November 7 and titled &quot;Brexit update&quot;, says &quot;no common strategy has emerged&quot; for leaving the European Union, despite lengthy debate among senior officials.

The government of Prime Minister Theresa May denied the claims and said it did not commission the report.

&quot;This is not a government report and we don&#39;t recognise the claims made in it,&quot; a spokesman for May&#39;s office said.

&quot;We are focused on getting on with the job of delivering Brexit and making a success of it,&quot; he said.

It could take another six months for the British government to agree on its priorities for Brexit, the memo, also seen by the BBC, suggests.

Although each government department has developed plans to cope with the departure, &quot;this falls considerably short of having a &#39;Government plan for Brexit&#39; because it has no prioritisation and no link to the overall negotiation strategy,&quot; the memo reportedly states.

It criticises May&#39;s approach, accusing her of &quot;drawing in decisions and details to settle matters herself&quot;.

May has promised to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty by the end of March next year to formally start the process of leaving the EU, but she has so far given few details of her strategy.

The leaked memo also says big businesses are expected to &quot;point a gun at the government&#39;s head&quot; after the government assured carmaker Nissan that it would not lose out on investment after Britain leaves the EU.

May used a key address in the City of London late yesterday to say that Britain will seize on Brexit to become a global leader on free trade and &quot;forge new and dynamic trading agreements&quot;.

(AFP)

The document titled 'Brexit update' said it could take another six months for the British government to agree on its priorities for Brexit

The British government has no overarching plan for Brexit and may take another six months to agree to a negotiating strategy, according to a leaked memo on Tuesday. Civil servants are struggling to cope with more than 500 Brexit-related projects and an extra 30,000 extra staff may be needed to handle the workload, according to the memo published by The Times, reportedly prepared for the government by a consultant. The document, dated November 7 and titled "Brexit update", says "no common strategy has emerged" for leaving the European Union, despite lengthy debate among senior officials. The government of Prime Minister Theresa May denied the claims and said it did not commission the report. "This is not a government report and we don't recognise the claims made in it," a spokesman for May's office said. "We are focused on getting on with the job of delivering Brexit and making a success of it," he said. It could take another six months for the British government to agree on its priorities for Brexit, the memo, also seen by the BBC, suggests. Although each government department has developed plans to cope with the departure, "this falls considerably short of having a 'Government plan for Brexit' because it has no prioritisation and no link to the overall negotiation strategy," the memo reportedly states. It criticises May's approach, accusing her of "drawing in decisions and details to settle matters herself". May has promised to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty by the end of March next year to formally start the process of leaving the EU, but she has so far given few details of her strategy. The leaked memo also says big businesses are expected to "point a gun at the government's head" after the government assured carmaker Nissan that it would not lose out on investment after Britain leaves the EU. May used a key address in the City of London late yesterday to say that Britain will seize on Brexit to become a global leader on free trade and "forge new and dynamic trading agreements". (AFP)

Britain has no Brexit plan, leaked memo claims

Having spent his football career at centre-forward, Gary Lineker&#39;s outspoken stance in the aftermath of Britain&#39;s Brexit referendum has seen him proclaimed as the country&#39;s most prominent left-winger.

Lineker, renowned as English football&#39;s Mr Nice during his playing days, said he was &quot;ashamed of my generation&quot; after Britain voted to leave the European Union on June 23.

He has called people questioning the age of child migrants &quot;hideously racist&quot;, ridiculed Nigel Farage, leader of the pro-Brexit UK Independence Party, and branded America&#39;s new president-elect Donald Trump &quot;a joke&quot;.

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<h5>Lineker&#39;s Twitter posts have been attacked by centre-right tabloid The Sun, which has labelled him a &#39;leftie luvvie&#39; and called for him to lose his high-profile BBC presenting job for not being impartial</h5>
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centre-right tabloid The Sun, which has labelled him a &quot;leftie luvvie&quot; and called for him to lose his high-profile BBC presenting job for not being impartial.

But people have rallied to the former England striker&#39;s defence on social media, with some mischievously dubbing him &quot;the Leader of the Opposition&quot;.

&quot;I didn&#39;t do this to start some sort of campaign, although it&#39;s turned out that way,&quot; Lineker told AFP.

Lineker, who has 5.38 million Twitter followers, describes his politics as &quot;humanitarian&quot;, rather than left-wing, but it has not stopped him becoming an unlikely poster boy for Britain&#39;s centre-left.

The actual leader of the opposition, Jeremy Corbyn, is fighting to appease rival factions in the Labour Party and has been criticised for not being more vocal in his attacks on the Conservative government.

&quot;We tend to assume footballers are a bit on the conservative side, or they&#39;re completely stupid and apolitical, and here&#39;s Gary Lineker saying all this,&quot; says Steven Fielding, Professor of Political History at the University of Nottingham.

&quot;You would expect the Labour Party to be taking a lead on that, but no-one&#39;s really paying attention to what the Labour Party&#39;s saying about anything.&quot;

Lineker, 55, was renowned for his squeaky-clean image during a distinguished playing career in which he scored 48 goals for England and did not receive a single booking.

Figurehead

Since retiring in 1994, he has been best known for advertising a popular brand of crisps and fronting the BBC&#39;s long-running &#39;Match of the Day&#39; football highlights programme.

But in Britain&#39;s polarised post-Brexit political climate, his confrontational comments have attracted the ire of the right-wing media, which has begun to publish critical stories about his private life.

The former Leicester City, Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur player has described the support he has received on social media as &quot;overwhelming&quot;.

Lineker&#39;s pronouncements are unusual, as British footballers tend to be reluctant to discuss political matters.

Asked how he felt about Brexit on the day the historic result was announced, Tottenham and England striker Harry Kane confessed: &quot;I don&#39;t think any of us know too much about it to comment on it.&quot;

While Britain&#39;s footballers are overwhelmingly drawn from working-class communities, traditionally seen as bastions of Labour support, few openly align themselves with left-wing politics.

One of the rare exceptions, former Newcastle United midfielder Joey Barton, described Premier League footballers as &quot;pretty uniformly right wing&quot; in his recent autobiography due to their vast wealth.

Lineker is yet to fully outline his own political views (and politely declined an opportunity to do so for this article), but he has emerged as an improbable figurehead.

&quot;He manages to articulate the nub of the issue in a way that the Labour Party is not doing,&quot; says Philip Cowley, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London.

&quot;What he has done is give heart to people who voted Remain, sit on the left, are socially liberal and didn&#39;t like the referendum result.

&quot;They&#39;re a decent-sized minority and they feel slightly disenfranchised because they don&#39;t quite know who to vote for. There is no obvious champion. He cheers them up and gives them a bit of hope.&quot;

(AFP)

The former England striker said he was 'ashamed of my generation' after Britain voted to leave the European Union on June 23

Having spent his football career at centre-forward, Gary Lineker's outspoken stance in the aftermath of Britain's Brexit referendum has seen him proclaimed as the country's most prominent left-winger. Lineker, renowned as English football's Mr Nice during his playing days, said he was "ashamed of my generation" after Britain voted to leave the European Union on June 23. He has called people questioning the age of child migrants "hideously racist", ridiculed Nigel Farage, leader of the pro-Brexit UK Independence Party, and branded America's new president-elect Donald Trump "a joke". Lineker's Twitter posts have been attacked by centre-right tabloid The Sun, which has labelled him a 'leftie luvvie' and called for him to lose his high-profile BBC presenting job for not being impartial × centre-right tabloid The Sun, which has labelled him a "leftie luvvie" and called for him to lose his high-profile BBC presenting job for not being impartial. But people have rallied to the former England striker's defence on social media, with some mischievously dubbing him "the Leader of the Opposition". "I didn't do this to start some sort of campaign, although it's turned out that way," Lineker told AFP. Lineker, who has 5.38 million Twitter followers, describes his politics as "humanitarian", rather than left-wing, but it has not stopped him becoming an unlikely poster boy for Britain's centre-left. The actual leader of the opposition, Jeremy Corbyn, is fighting to appease rival factions in the Labour Party and has been criticised for not being more vocal in his attacks on the Conservative government. "We tend to assume footballers are a bit on the conservative side, or they're completely stupid and apolitical, and here's Gary Lineker saying all this," says Steven Fielding, Professor of Political History at the University of Nottingham. "You would expect the Labour Party to be taking a lead on that, but no-one's really paying attention to what the Labour Party's saying about anything." Lineker, 55, was renowned for his squeaky-clean image during a distinguished playing career in which he scored 48 goals for England and did not receive a single booking. Figurehead Since retiring in 1994, he has been best known for advertising a popular brand of crisps and fronting the BBC's long-running 'Match of the Day' football highlights programme. But in Britain's polarised post-Brexit political climate, his confrontational comments have attracted the ire of the right-wing media, which has begun to publish critical stories about his private life. The former Leicester City, Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur player has described the support he has received on social media as "overwhelming". Lineker's pronouncements are unusual, as British footballers tend to be reluctant to discuss political matters. Asked how he felt about Brexit on the day the historic result was announced, Tottenham and England striker Harry Kane confessed: "I don't think any of us know too much about it to comment on it." While Britain's footballers are overwhelmingly drawn from working-class communities, traditionally seen as bastions of Labour support, few openly align themselves with left-wing politics. One of the rare exceptions, former Newcastle United midfielder Joey Barton, described Premier League footballers as "pretty uniformly right wing" in his recent autobiography due to their vast wealth. Lineker is yet to fully outline his own political views (and politely declined an opportunity to do so for this article), but he has emerged as an improbable figurehead. "He manages to articulate the nub of the issue in a way that the Labour Party is not doing," says Philip Cowley, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London. "What he has done is give heart to people who voted Remain, sit on the left, are socially liberal and didn't like the referendum result. "They're a decent-sized minority and they feel slightly disenfranchised because they don't quite know who to vote for. There is no obvious champion. He cheers them up and gives them a bit of hope." (AFP)

Britain's voice of post-Brexit outrage? 'Leftie' Lineker

Britain&#39;s top court has set four days starting December 5 for the government&#39;s appeal against a ruling that requires the parliament&#39;s approval to trigger the Brexit process.

A court statement said that 11 Supreme Court judges will hear the case and deliver their judgement &quot;probably in the New Year&quot;, AFP reported.

A high court ruled last week that Prime Minister Theresa May&#39;s government alone cannot trigger Article 50 of Lisbon treaty, which begins Britain&#39;s exit from the European Union (EU).

The Conservative government is appealing against the ruling that could delay Britain&#39;s withdrawal from the EU.

The judgement prompted outrage among people and the justice minister was forced to issue a statement defending the independence of the judiciary.

On Friday, May asserted in phone calls to EU leaders that the Brexit process will go ahead as planned regardless of the court&#39;s decision.

&quot;This timetable remains consistent with our aim to trigger Article 50 by the end of March next year,&quot; Brexit minister David Davis said on Monday.

&quot;We won&#39;t achieve a good negotiation outcome if this is a negotiation being run by 650 people in this House of Commons or nearly 900 in the Lords,&quot; Davis repeated the government&#39;s refusal to set out its strategy to MPs in advance, saying it would &quot;wreck the negotiation&quot;.

&quot;Indeed, if parliament insists on setting out a detailed minimum negotiating position, that will quickly become the maximum possible offer from the negotiating partners.&quot;

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has stressed on Scotland Parliament&#39;s consent in triggering Article 50. She said that her government will join to seek the court case to secure a vote for the Scottish parliament.

&quot;Let me be clear -- I recognise and respect the right of England and Wales to leave the European Union. This is not an attempt to veto that process,&quot; Sturgeon told reporters. &quot;But the democratic wishes of the people of Scotland and the national parliament of Scotland cannot be brushed aside as if they do not matter.&quot;

Scotland had voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU bloc in the June 23 referendum.

The Supreme Court noted that length of next month&#39;s hearing &quot;will depend on further submissions received from the parties on the precise legal arguments to be considered, the number of interveners and whether any other related cases are joined to this one&quot;.

(With inputs from AFP)

All 11 Supreme Court judges will hear the case and deliver their judgement 'probably in the New Year'

Britain's top court has set four days starting December 5 for the government's appeal against a ruling that requires the parliament's approval to trigger the Brexit process. A court statement said that 11 Supreme Court judges will hear the case and deliver their judgement "probably in the New Year", AFP reported. A high court ruled last week that Prime Minister Theresa May's government alone cannot trigger Article 50 of Lisbon treaty, which begins Britain's exit from the European Union (EU). The Conservative government is appealing against the ruling that could delay Britain's withdrawal from the EU. The judgement prompted outrage among people and the justice minister was forced to issue a statement defending the independence of the judiciary. On Friday, May asserted in phone calls to EU leaders that the Brexit process will go ahead as planned regardless of the court's decision. "This timetable remains consistent with our aim to trigger Article 50 by the end of March next year," Brexit minister David Davis said on Monday. "We won't achieve a good negotiation outcome if this is a negotiation being run by 650 people in this House of Commons or nearly 900 in the Lords," Davis repeated the government's refusal to set out its strategy to MPs in advance, saying it would "wreck the negotiation". "Indeed, if parliament insists on setting out a detailed minimum negotiating position, that will quickly become the maximum possible offer from the negotiating partners." Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has stressed on Scotland Parliament's consent in triggering Article 50. She said that her government will join to seek the court case to secure a vote for the Scottish parliament. "Let me be clear -- I recognise and respect the right of England and Wales to leave the European Union. This is not an attempt to veto that process," Sturgeon told reporters. "But the democratic wishes of the people of Scotland and the national parliament of Scotland cannot be brushed aside as if they do not matter." Scotland had voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU bloc in the June 23 referendum. The Supreme Court noted that length of next month's hearing "will depend on further submissions received from the parties on the precise legal arguments to be considered, the number of interveners and whether any other related cases are joined to this one". (With inputs from AFP)

Brexit appeal: UK top court to hear case in December

British Prime Minister Theresa May offered India a possible improved visa deal on Monday, as the two countries kicked off talks on boosting trading links ahead of Britain&#39;s departure from the European Union.

May, making her first bilateral trip outside Europe since Britons voted on June 23 to quit the bloc, described as &quot;limitless&quot; the potential of the relationship with India and its market of 1.3 billion people.

She attached a condition to a better deal, however: progress in sending home Indians who have outstayed their visas. That harked back to her tough line as interior minister and the mandate she says the Brexit vote gave on curbing immigration.

&quot;The UK will consider further improvements to our visa offer if, at the same time, we can step up the speed and volume of returns of Indians with no right to remain,&quot; May told reporters in New Delhi after talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

A source in May&#39;s office said any improvements would be about the visa process, such as cost and speed, rather than criteria applicants must meet.

In Modi, May found a host keen to link market access to freedom of movement - the very issue that will complicate her own efforts to extract Britain from the EU without being cut off from the bloc&#39;s lucrative single market.

&quot;We believe that such a group should not only focus on ways to increase trade in goods, but also on the expansion of services trade, including through greater mobility of skilled professionals,&quot; Modi told reporters.

His comments highlighted the interests of India&#39;s burgeoning IT services sector whose main base is Bengaluru. May visits the south Indian city, known as the world&#39;s back office, on Tuesday.

Aspirational India

May endorsed India&#39;s aspirations as a rising 21st-century power, backing its bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council and promising to cooperate on cyber security to counter violent extremists.

But she did not go as far as her predecessor, David Cameron, who on a 2010 visit said that Pakistan, India&#39;s regional arch rival, should not &quot;promote the export of terrorism&quot;.

Modi said he had conveyed to May his deep concern regarding cross-border terrorism and the need for the international community to take strong action against states that support and sponsor it.

He did not refer directly to Pakistan but tension has been running high for months, after street protests in Indian-ruled Kashmir, an attack on an Indian army base near the frontier in September, and a series of ensuing border clashes.

Post-Brexit Britain

Looking ahead to a post-Brexit world, May said she wanted Britain to be a committed advocate of free trade.

&quot;It&#39;s why - as Britain leaves the EU - we&#39;re determined not to turn our backs on the world but to forge a new, global, outward-looking role for ourselves,&quot; she earlier told an India-UK Tech Summit.

&quot;Because we know from history what happens when countries do not embrace the opportunities of the world. They stagnate. They get poorer. They don&#39;t protect their people. They get worse off.&quot;

Britain will offer new services to improve business travel for Indian visitors, including faster clearance through UK border controls. A select group of high-net-worth Indians, nominated by New Delhi, will also gain access to a &quot;bespoke&quot; visa and immigration service, May&#39;s office said.

May also said that more 1 billion pounds ($1.24 billion) in deals would be signed during her trip, and by partnering with Modi&#39;s initiative to build 100 &quot;smart&quot; cities, British business could unlock a further 2 billion pounds over five years.

Sticking points

Modi, addressing the tech summit, called for &quot;greater mobility and participation of young people in educational and research opportunities&quot; - a reference to the sharp fall in the number of Indian nationals studying in Britain.

In the five years that May was interior minister, the number of Indian students in Britain fell to 11,864 in June 2015 from 68,238.

Some of May&#39;s cabinet colleagues and business leaders in both countries have urged May to exclude foreign students from Britain&#39;s statistics on net migration, which May has vowed to bring below 100,000 a year, from 336,000 in 2015.

Responding, the head of the Indian government&#39;s policy think tank said that, while India was opening up its manufacturing and defence sectors to foreign investors, its professionals faced restrictions on working in Britain and other Western countries.

&quot;There is no such thing as selective free trade,&quot; Amitabh Kant, best known as the originator of the &quot;Incredible India&quot; tourism promotion, told the tech summit, when asked about May&#39;s emphasis on striking a free trade deal with India.

($1=0.8054 pounds)

(Reuters)

A source in May's office said any improvements would be about the visa process, such as cost and speed, rather than criteria

British Prime Minister Theresa May offered India a possible improved visa deal on Monday, as the two countries kicked off talks on boosting trading links ahead of Britain's departure from the European Union. May, making her first bilateral trip outside Europe since Britons voted on June 23 to quit the bloc, described as "limitless" the potential of the relationship with India and its market of 1.3 billion people. She attached a condition to a better deal, however: progress in sending home Indians who have outstayed their visas. That harked back to her tough line as interior minister and the mandate she says the Brexit vote gave on curbing immigration. "The UK will consider further improvements to our visa offer if, at the same time, we can step up the speed and volume of returns of Indians with no right to remain," May told reporters in New Delhi after talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A source in May's office said any improvements would be about the visa process, such as cost and speed, rather than criteria applicants must meet. In Modi, May found a host keen to link market access to freedom of movement - the very issue that will complicate her own efforts to extract Britain from the EU without being cut off from the bloc's lucrative single market. "We believe that such a group should not only focus on ways to increase trade in goods, but also on the expansion of services trade, including through greater mobility of skilled professionals," Modi told reporters. His comments highlighted the interests of India's burgeoning IT services sector whose main base is Bengaluru. May visits the south Indian city, known as the world's back office, on Tuesday. Aspirational India May endorsed India's aspirations as a rising 21st-century power, backing its bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council and promising to cooperate on cyber security to counter violent extremists. But she did not go as far as her predecessor, David Cameron, who on a 2010 visit said that Pakistan, India's regional arch rival, should not "promote the export of terrorism". Modi said he had conveyed to May his deep concern regarding cross-border terrorism and the need for the international community to take strong action against states that support and sponsor it. He did not refer directly to Pakistan but tension has been running high for months, after street protests in Indian-ruled Kashmir, an attack on an Indian army base near the frontier in September, and a series of ensuing border clashes. Post-Brexit Britain Looking ahead to a post-Brexit world, May said she wanted Britain to be a committed advocate of free trade. "It's why - as Britain leaves the EU - we're determined not to turn our backs on the world but to forge a new, global, outward-looking role for ourselves," she earlier told an India-UK Tech Summit. "Because we know from history what happens when countries do not embrace the opportunities of the world. They stagnate. They get poorer. They don't protect their people. They get worse off." Britain will offer new services to improve business travel for Indian visitors, including faster clearance through UK border controls. A select group of high-net-worth Indians, nominated by New Delhi, will also gain access to a "bespoke" visa and immigration service, May's office said. May also said that more 1 billion pounds ($1.24 billion) in deals would be signed during her trip, and by partnering with Modi's initiative to build 100 "smart" cities, British business could unlock a further 2 billion pounds over five years. Sticking points Modi, addressing the tech summit, called for "greater mobility and participation of young people in educational and research opportunities" - a reference to the sharp fall in the number of Indian nationals studying in Britain. In the five years that May was interior minister, the number of Indian students in Britain fell to 11,864 in June 2015 from 68,238. Some of May's cabinet colleagues and business leaders in both countries have urged May to exclude foreign students from Britain's statistics on net migration, which May has vowed to bring below 100,000 a year, from 336,000 in 2015. Responding, the head of the Indian government's policy think tank said that, while India was opening up its manufacturing and defence sectors to foreign investors, its professionals faced restrictions on working in Britain and other Western countries. "There is no such thing as selective free trade," Amitabh Kant, best known as the originator of the "Incredible India" tourism promotion, told the tech summit, when asked about May's emphasis on striking a free trade deal with India. ($1=0.8054 pounds) (Reuters)

May offers improved visa deal as India, UK launch trade talks

British Prime Minister Theresa May&#39;s three-day visit to India will begin Sunday night in an attempt to strengthen trade ties with the country in her first bilateral trade trip since taking office.

May&#39;s office said the visit would focus on breaking down barriers to trade and investment and paving the way for a free trade deal as soon as possible after Brexit, news agency Reuters reported.

&quot;It matters now more than ever. India is the fastest-growing major economy,&quot; an Indian government official said, explaining why India was chosen.

&quot;One of our most important and closest friends has to be India, a leading power in the world, with whom we share so much history, culture and so may values, and which is led by a Prime Minister who is undertaking a far-reaching programme of reform,&quot; May wrote in an article published in the Sunday Telegraph.

&quot;This is a partnership about our shared security and shared prosperity. It is a partnership of potential. And on this visit I intend to harness that potential, rebooting an age-old relationship,&quot; she said in a statement ahead of the visit, reported Reuters.

The British premier will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi tomorrow. May, accompanied by trade ministers Liam Fox and Greg Hands and around 40 business representatives mainly from small- and medium-sized technology and healthcare firms, will address a technology summit, have a working lunch with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and meet businesses, Reuters said.

&quot;I will be using this visit to reaffirm the importance of the strategic partnership we already have, which delivers huge benefits for both our countries, and to work with Prime Minister Modi to agree concrete steps to realise our shared vision of going even further in our cooperation across trade, investment, defence and security,&quot; said the 60-year-old leader of the conservative party, Press Trust of India reported.

Britain cannot sign trade deals with third countries until it exits from the European Union. However, the government is keen to hold preparatory discussions.

&quot;There is a great deal we can do right now to break down barriers to trade, open up new markets for British businesses and prepare the ground for ambitious free trade agreements once we have left the EU,&quot; May said.&nbsp;

A British official refuted the arguement that Britain can sign deals only if it leaves the EU.

&quot;Turkey is in the customs union but has trade agreements with third countries,&quot; the official said.

May will visit New Delhi and Bengaluru during her visit. A total of 1,370 jobs in the UK are expected to be created through the commercial deals signed during the trip, may&#39;s office said.

Turkey has free trade agreements with 18 countries including in Asia, north Africa and South America, while another 12 including Japan and Mexico are actively under discussion, according to the Turkish economy ministry website, reported Reuters.

(With inputs from agencies)

May's office said the visit would focus on breaking down barriers to trade and paving the way for a free trade deal soon after Brexit

British Prime Minister Theresa May's three-day visit to India will begin Sunday night in an attempt to strengthen trade ties with the country in her first bilateral trade trip since taking office. May's office said the visit would focus on breaking down barriers to trade and investment and paving the way for a free trade deal as soon as possible after Brexit, news agency Reuters reported. "It matters now more than ever. India is the fastest-growing major economy," an Indian government official said, explaining why India was chosen. "One of our most important and closest friends has to be India, a leading power in the world, with whom we share so much history, culture and so may values, and which is led by a Prime Minister who is undertaking a far-reaching programme of reform," May wrote in an article published in the Sunday Telegraph. "This is a partnership about our shared security and shared prosperity. It is a partnership of potential. And on this visit I intend to harness that potential, rebooting an age-old relationship," she said in a statement ahead of the visit, reported Reuters. The British premier will meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi tomorrow. May, accompanied by trade ministers Liam Fox and Greg Hands and around 40 business representatives mainly from small- and medium-sized technology and healthcare firms, will address a technology summit, have a working lunch with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and meet businesses, Reuters said. "I will be using this visit to reaffirm the importance of the strategic partnership we already have, which delivers huge benefits for both our countries, and to work with Prime Minister Modi to agree concrete steps to realise our shared vision of going even further in our cooperation across trade, investment, defence and security," said the 60-year-old leader of the conservative party, Press Trust of India reported. Britain cannot sign trade deals with third countries until it exits from the European Union. However, the government is keen to hold preparatory discussions. "There is a great deal we can do right now to break down barriers to trade, open up new markets for British businesses and prepare the ground for ambitious free trade agreements once we have left the EU," May said. A British official refuted the arguement that Britain can sign deals only if it leaves the EU. "Turkey is in the customs union but has trade agreements with third countries," the official said. May will visit New Delhi and Bengaluru during her visit. A total of 1,370 jobs in the UK are expected to be created through the commercial deals signed during the trip, may's office said. Turkey has free trade agreements with 18 countries including in Asia, north Africa and South America, while another 12 including Japan and Mexico are actively under discussion, according to the Turkish economy ministry website, reported Reuters. (With inputs from agencies)

British PM Theresa May to boost trade ties with India during three-day-visit

British Prime Minister Theresa May warned lawmakers Sunday not to block Brexit, after the High Court ruled this week that the UK&#39;s leaving of the European Union would have to be approved by Parliament.

In a statement published ahead of a trade mission to India, May cautioned members of parliament against using the ruling to undermine the result of the June referendum, reported AFP.

&quot;The result was clear. It was legitimate. MPs and peers who regret the referendum result need to accept what the people decided,&quot; she said in the statement.

The Conservative government has said it will appeal Thursday&#39;s court decision.

The High Court ruled: &ldquo;The government does not have power under the crown&rsquo;s prerogative to give notice pursuant to article 50 for the UK to withdraw from the European Union.&rdquo;&nbsp;

The High Court decision has also fuelled speculation that May might call an early election to strengthen her support in the House of Commons before the EU vote.

(WION with inputs from AFP)

'The result was clear. It was legitimate. MPs and peers who regret the referendum result need to accept what the people decided,' she said

British Prime Minister Theresa May warned lawmakers Sunday not to block Brexit, after the High Court ruled this week that the UK's leaving of the European Union would have to be approved by Parliament. In a statement published ahead of a trade mission to India, May cautioned members of parliament against using the ruling to undermine the result of the June referendum, reported AFP. "The result was clear. It was legitimate. MPs and peers who regret the referendum result need to accept what the people decided," she said in the statement. The Conservative government has said it will appeal Thursday's court decision. The High Court ruled: “The government does not have power under the crown’s prerogative to give notice pursuant to article 50 for the UK to withdraw from the European Union.” The High Court decision has also fuelled speculation that May might call an early election to strengthen her support in the House of Commons before the EU vote. (WION with inputs from AFP)

British PM Theresa May warns lawmakers against blocking Brexit

British Prime Minister Theresa May will lead a major business delegation to India this week, using her first trip outside Europe since the Brexit vote to push for more trade with the world&#39;s fastest-growing major economy.

While her government cannot yet formally open negotiations with the Indians on a trade deal, observers say May wants to send a message that Britain is already on the lookout for new bilateral accords outside the European Union.&nbsp;

After flying into New Delhi late Sunday, May is due to address a conference of Indian industrialists before holding talks with her counterpart Narendra Modi who is also keen to ramp up bilateral trade.

The two leaders spoke by phone earlier this week when May sent greetings for the Hindu festival of Diwali.

&quot;Both leaders agreed there is substantial scope for further strengthening of bilateral cooperation across a range of sectors, including science and technology, finance, trade and investment,&quot; Indian foreign ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said of the call.

May will be accompanied by dozens of businessmen, including the inventor James Dyson who was a vocal supporter of the campaign to pull Britain out of the European Union.

Liam Fox, another prominent figure in the Brexit camp who now heads a new department for international trade, will also be part of the delegation which will travel to the southern tech hub of Bangalore on Tuesday.

Fox is to hold talks with his Indian opposite number Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday which will specifically focus on bilateral trade issues.

Britain &mdash; which voted to leave the EU in a June referendum &mdash;&nbsp;cannot officially begin negotiations on any bilateral trade deals until after it has actually left the bloc, something unlikely to happen before 2019.

Dhruva Jaishankar, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings India thinktank, said that should not prevent the two countries from seeking common ground, pointing out how Delhi has been frustrated in its efforts to seal its own free trade deal with the EU.

&quot;India&#39;s importance for Britain is from the fact that it is one of the world&#39;s fastest growing economies and a huge market,&quot; Jaishankar told AFP.

&quot;And India sees an opportunity post-Brexit as the long pending India-EU free trade agreement hasn&#39;t seen much movement and so there is an opportunity for it to get more favourable (trade) terms from the UK.&quot;

&#39;Shrewd destination&#39;

The Spectator, a right-wing British magazine that is influential in the governing Conservative party, said May&#39;s visit had &quot;huge significance&quot; and the premier had &quot;chosen her destination shrewdly&quot;.

&quot;For the first time in four decades, a British Prime Minister can discuss doing trade deals &mdash;&nbsp;something which we have until now been forced to contract out to officials in Brussels,&quot; it wrote in an editorial.

&quot;Britain&#39;s historic links with India make it an ideal place to begin forging our post-Brexit relationship with the world. We share a common language and there is a huge Indian diaspora in the UK.&quot;

India has the added attraction of being the world&#39;s fastest growing major economy, having outpaced China for more than a year.

Although growth has slowed recently, the International Monetary Fund has forecast GDP will expand by 7.6 percent in the 2016-17 financial year.

Despite their historical ties from the colonial era, bilateral trade is at a relative low level, measuring 14 billion dollars last year &mdash;&nbsp;smaller than the volume of trade between India and Germany.&nbsp;

And ties have not been helped by Britain&#39;s imposition of visa restrictions on Indian students wanting to stay on after completing university courses.

The restrictions, brought in by May in her previous job as interior minister, have led to a near 50 percent fall in the number of Indian students enrolling in British universities, according to Swarup.

The analyst Jaishankar said May would have to tread carefully, knowing the Indian government would like to see an easing of the restrictions but aware that immigration is now a toxic political issue among British voters.

&quot;She will have to navigate these issues carefully, at least in public. Anything she speaks on visa regime that appeals to public in India won&#39;t resonate well with Brexit voters,&quot; he said.

(AFP)

This will be PM Theresa May's first trip outside Europe since the Brexit vote to push for more trade

British Prime Minister Theresa May will lead a major business delegation to India this week, using her first trip outside Europe since the Brexit vote to push for more trade with the world's fastest-growing major economy. While her government cannot yet formally open negotiations with the Indians on a trade deal, observers say May wants to send a message that Britain is already on the lookout for new bilateral accords outside the European Union. After flying into New Delhi late Sunday, May is due to address a conference of Indian industrialists before holding talks with her counterpart Narendra Modi who is also keen to ramp up bilateral trade. The two leaders spoke by phone earlier this week when May sent greetings for the Hindu festival of Diwali. "Both leaders agreed there is substantial scope for further strengthening of bilateral cooperation across a range of sectors, including science and technology, finance, trade and investment," Indian foreign ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup said of the call. May will be accompanied by dozens of businessmen, including the inventor James Dyson who was a vocal supporter of the campaign to pull Britain out of the European Union. Liam Fox, another prominent figure in the Brexit camp who now heads a new department for international trade, will also be part of the delegation which will travel to the southern tech hub of Bangalore on Tuesday. Fox is to hold talks with his Indian opposite number Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday which will specifically focus on bilateral trade issues. Britain — which voted to leave the EU in a June referendum — cannot officially begin negotiations on any bilateral trade deals until after it has actually left the bloc, something unlikely to happen before 2019. Dhruva Jaishankar, a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings India thinktank, said that should not prevent the two countries from seeking common ground, pointing out how Delhi has been frustrated in its efforts to seal its own free trade deal with the EU. "India's importance for Britain is from the fact that it is one of the world's fastest growing economies and a huge market," Jaishankar told AFP. "And India sees an opportunity post-Brexit as the long pending India-EU free trade agreement hasn't seen much movement and so there is an opportunity for it to get more favourable (trade) terms from the UK." 'Shrewd destination' The Spectator, a right-wing British magazine that is influential in the governing Conservative party, said May's visit had "huge significance" and the premier had "chosen her destination shrewdly". "For the first time in four decades, a British Prime Minister can discuss doing trade deals — something which we have until now been forced to contract out to officials in Brussels," it wrote in an editorial. "Britain's historic links with India make it an ideal place to begin forging our post-Brexit relationship with the world. We share a common language and there is a huge Indian diaspora in the UK." India has the added attraction of being the world's fastest growing major economy, having outpaced China for more than a year. Although growth has slowed recently, the International Monetary Fund has forecast GDP will expand by 7.6 percent in the 2016-17 financial year. Despite their historical ties from the colonial era, bilateral trade is at a relative low level, measuring 14 billion dollars last year — smaller than the volume of trade between India and Germany. And ties have not been helped by Britain's imposition of visa restrictions on Indian students wanting to stay on after completing university courses. The restrictions, brought in by May in her previous job as interior minister, have led to a near 50 percent fall in the number of Indian students enrolling in British universities, according to Swarup. The analyst Jaishankar said May would have to tread carefully, knowing the Indian government would like to see an easing of the restrictions but aware that immigration is now a toxic political issue among British voters. "She will have to navigate these issues carefully, at least in public. Anything she speaks on visa regime that appeals to public in India won't resonate well with Brexit voters," he said. (AFP)

British PM heads to India to lay groundwork for post-Brexit trade deals

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