Ireland’s Leo Varadkar says PM’s pledge of no hard border contradicts written proposal
Jean-Claude Juncker has called on the British government to publish its Brexit plan in full after Boris Johnson was accused by Ireland’s prime minister of misleading parliament over the impact on the Irish border.
The move came on a dramatic day during which Johnson’s hopes of securing a deal by the time of a crunch summit appeared to unravel:
Continue reading...Leading MEP says it is ‘nearly impossible’ to see how Irish border plan can be basis of deal
The European parliament has told Boris Johnson that his proposals for the Irish border do not “even remotely” amount to an acceptable deal for the EU, in comments echoed by Ireland’s prime minister.
The committee of MEPs representing the parliament’s views on Brexit said the prime minister’s proposals could not form the basis for an agreement, describing them as a “last-minute” effort. The European parliament will have a veto on any withdrawal agreement.
Continue reading...More than 20 people including senior security force personnel and ex-IRA members may be considered for prosecution
The agent code named “Stakeknife” was one of British military intelligence’s most valued assets, operating inside the Provisional IRA. Recruited in the late 1970s, the spy rose through the IRA’s ranks in Belfast to become head of the paramilitary group’s informer-hunting unit known as “the nutting squad”. He had the power of life and death over IRA members accused of being informers for the security forces during the Troubles. His unit used torture methods to extract admissions from those in the IRA accused of treachery. Often their so-called “confessions” were taped and on occasion played to their close relatives to convince them that the victim had been “guilty” of treachery.
Continue reading...Belfast prosecutors considering action against ‘Stakeknife’ and his British army handlers
A police inquiry into one of the biggest spy scandals in the history of British intelligence has recommended that more than 20 people including senior security force personnel and ex-IRA members be considered for prosecution, the Guardian has learned.
Operation Kenova, the multimillion-pound investigation into “Stakeknife” – the army agent at the heart of the IRA during the Northern Ireland Troubles – has now sent files identifying military commanders and at least one IRA veteran with a so-called “get-out-of-jail” card to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) in Belfast.
Continue reading...All the day’s political news, including Johnson’s speech to Tory party conference in Manchester and UK offer to EU for alternative to backstop
The government has just published its plan.
Here it is... UK proposal pic.twitter.com/IBD247Fyht
The absence of a “take it or leave it” demand in Boris Johnson’s conference speech has offered some hope in Brussels of a prime ministerial U-turn on what EU officials have described as unworkable proposals for the Irish border, my colleague Daniel Boffey reports.
Related: Boris Johnson speech gives EU hope he will rethink Irish plan
Continue reading...Boris Johnson agrees pact with Northern Irish party as details emerge of ‘two borders’ plan
Boris Johnson has struck a secret deal with the Democratic Unionist party involving radical proposals for a Belfast-Dublin “bilateral lock” on post-Brexit arrangements on the island of Ireland.
Details have emerged of the prime minister’s final Brexit offer that he will lay out on Wednesday, with Northern Ireland staying under EU single market regulations for agri-food and manufactured goods until at least 2025, at which point its assembly in Stormont will decide whether to continue alignment with EU or UK standards.
Continue reading...Hard border concerns heightened after media reports but PM refuses to explain his ‘very good’ Brexit plan
Boris Johnson has denied the UK government was proposing to install customs clearance zones several miles away from the Irish border after Brexit to get around the controversial backstop arrangement.
The leaked plan, which appeared in the Irish media and has heightened concerns over a return to a hard border, was described as “not quite right” by the prime minister. But in a series of media interviews on Tuesday he would not explain what kind of Brexit plan he would be delivering to Brussels in the coming days, describing it only as “very good”.
Continue reading...North Antrim MP accused Sam McBride of lying as part of agenda to destroy DUP
Ian Paisley Jr has been strongly criticised by the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) for personal comments he made about a reporter in Belfast.
The North Antrim MP accused the News Letter’s political editor, Sam McBride, of lying as part of “an agenda to attempt to undermine and destroy the DUP”. In a 750-word Facebook post, since removed, Paisley described the journalist as “incredibly immature, intellectually weak and a simplistic fellow”.
Continue reading...Stephen Barclay and Priti Patel insist focus is on achieving agreement before 31 October
Two of Boris Johnson’s senior cabinet ministers have talked up the possibility of securing a Brexit deal through some divergence on the rules in Northern Ireland, as the government’s rhetoric showed fresh signs of shifting ahead of crucial talks next week.
With Johnson due to meet Jean-Claude Juncker, the European commission president, on Monday, Stephen Barclay, the Brexit secretary, and the home secretary, Priti Patel, accepted the Irish border was likely to be a key to any potential agreement.
Continue reading...Downing Street has no plans to publish proposals despite chance of border compromise
Downing Street has played down the prospect of an early breakthrough in Brexit talks despite hopes of a compromise on the Irish backstop, as Boris Johnson prepares to meet the European commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker.
There has been a renewed drive in No 10 for an agreement since parliamentarians passed a law aimed at blocking a no-deal Brexit on 31 October and twice rejected Johnson’s demand for a snap general election.
Continue reading...Leaked resolution says it will use veto against any Brexit deal without an insurance policy
The European parliament is to criticise the British government’s treatment of EU citizens living in the UK and insist it will refuse to ratify a deal that fails to include an Irish backstop or provisions that tie the UK into EU standards after Brexit.
A leaked copy of a resolution of the parliament due to be voted on next week lays out a series of concerns about the conduct of Boris Johnson’s government. The parliament has a veto on any deal agreed.
Continue reading...EU trade commissioner says he believes ‘penny is finally dropping’ for Boris Johnson
The EU is pinning hopes on British negotiators reverting to the Northern Ireland-only backstop that was previously rejected by Theresa May as a threat to the constitutional integrity of the UK.
With Boris Johnson facing a choice between breaking his word and extending the UK’s EU membership beyond 31 October or bringing back a tweaked deal for a last-gasp vote in parliament, officials and diplomats have expressed hope that the prime minister will make a U-turn.
Continue reading...Last day of parliament also sees prime minister forced to publish no-deal plans
Opposition MPs were holding up signs in parliament saying “silenced”.
“Silent acquiescence in the face of tyranny is no better than outright agreement.”#OurParliamentSilenced pic.twitter.com/DxlVXXWWjR
Bercow was loudly applauded by opposition MPs as he left the chamber. Labour MPs then chanted “shame on you!” to Conservatives as they exited.
Bercow being applauded by the Opposition. Labour MPs screaming “shame on you!” to ministers. These are absolutely extraordinary scenes.
Continue reading...Moves follows speculation Northern Irish party leader could stand in snap election
Arlene Foster, the leader of the Democratic Unionist party, has ruled out standing as an MP if a general election is called.
She is currently an MLA – member of the legislative assembly – at Stormont but the seat of Northern Ireland’s devolved government has been suspended since 2017 after the collapse of a power-sharing deal between the DUP and Sinn Féin.
Continue reading...Victim, believed to be a loyalist, found in car in village of Waringstown
A man has been shot dead at a petrol station in County Down, police have said.
The shooting took place on Main Street in the village of Waringstown on Monday night.
Continue reading...Postmortem examination to determine whether further police investigation needed
A postmortem examination will be carried out to determine the cause of death of Nora Quoirin, 15, whose body has been found in the Malaysian jungle.
The London girl’s body was discovered on Tuesday by a local team of hikers just over a mile from the resort where she had been on holiday with her family. The find brought to an end a 10-day search which had involved more than 350 volunteers and drawn offers of support from around the world.
Continue reading...Three officers injured as officers are forced to retreat from pyre to mark 1971 mass internment
Youths in north Belfast have attacked riot police in a standoff over an unauthorised republican bonfire.
The officers withdrew in their Land Rovers from the New Lodge area on Thursday afternoon after coming under a hail of bottles, bricks, fireworks and other projectiles that injured three officers.
Continue reading...PM set out to prove his pledge to the ‘awesome foursome’ but not everything went to plan
Boris Johnson pledged his commitment to the “awesome foursome” of the UK when he was elected Conservative leader, and has since embarked on a whistlestop tour taking in the north of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. But how successful were the trips? Visits that involved keeping the prime minister away from booing protesters and, in some cases, journalists? Have they allayed fears that Johnson’s hardline Brexit strategy and the continuation of the union could be mutually exclusive?
Continue reading...One of Britain’s most prominent criminal lawyers has become the legal adviser for detectives investigating an army agent operating in the top ranks of the IRA, the Observer can reveal.
The spy, known as “Stakeknife” and once described as the “jewel in the crown” of British military intelligence, allegedly was implicated in acts of murder and torture while he ran the IRA’s internal security squad during the Troubles.
Continue reading...Crashing out could make a united Ireland more likely, Irish PM says
Boris Johnson has set the UK on an apparent course towards a no-deal Brexit by playing down the likelihood of any talks with the EU unless Brussels agrees to scrap the existing withdrawal agreement and Irish backstop, both of which it has ruled out.
The seemingly intransigent tone prompted Leo Varadkar, the Irish prime minister, to warn that a no-deal departure could lead more people in Northern Ireland to seek a united Ireland.
Continue reading...