Category Archives: Northern Ireland

EU looks to Northern Ireland-only backstop to break Brexit deadlock

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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.

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Brexit: Boris Johnson poised to suspend parliament – live news

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Last day of parliament also sees prime minister forced to publish no-deal plans

Opposition MPs were holding up signs in parliament saying “silenced”.

pic.twitter.com/Tvtk2yHhMq

“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.

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DUP’s Arlene Foster rules out seeking Westminster seat

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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.

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Nora Quoirin: body found in Malaysia confirmed as missing girl

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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.

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Belfast bonfire goes ahead after clashes between youths and police

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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.

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Boris Johnson’s UK tour: did he show he could save the union?

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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?

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Top lawyer hired to bring IRA double agent to justice

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Appointment of Jonathan Laidlaw QC seen as sign of ‘serious intent’ to put spy known as Stakeknife in dock

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.

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UK on course for no-deal Brexit as Johnson rejects EU agreement

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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.

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UK weather: heatwave to come after storm and gales

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Met Office issues yellow warning for Scotland before sunshine breaks through later in week

Britain will experience a brief heatwave this week, but not before a storm brings torrential rain and strong gales to some areas.

The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for western parts of Scotland on Sunday and Monday, with thunderstorms, heavy rain and a risk of flooding. Rain and strong winds were also forecast to hit parts of Northern Ireland, north-west England and Wales on Sunday.

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Northern Irish unionists fear post-Brexit land grabs

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Report identifies Zimbabwe-style seizures as key concern in the event of a united Ireland

Some unionists in Northern Ireland fear Zimbabwe-style land seizures by Irish nationalists if the region joins a united Ireland, according to a report that lays bare anxieties about any Brexit-fuelled breakup of the UK.

Farmers and others with Protestant and unionist backgrounds worry that Catholic and nationalist neighbours would claim their land in a cultural, economic and political takeover by Dublin – “the mother of all fears”, the report found.

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EU expected to reject outright Johnson and Hunt’s backstop plan

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Next PM will be told in ‘no uncertain terms’ that axing backstop amounts to no deal

Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt’s Brexit plan to axe the Irish border backstop from the withdrawal agreement will be rejected outright by the European Union, EU sources have said.

Informed sources say that it is doomed to failure and if the next prime minister goes to Brussels with such a plan, he will be told in “no uncertain terms” that it amounts to a declaration of no deal.

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Ursula von der Leyen signals she will not reopen Brexit talks

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Nominee to lead European commission also says ‘precious’ backstop must be defended

Ursula von der Leyen, the nominee to lead the European commission, has signalled she will not reopen Brexit talks with the next British prime minister and stressed the “precious” Irish backstop must be defended.

She said she still hoped the UK would remain in the European Union, while indicating she had no intention to renegotiate the withdrawal deal agreed by Theresa May and EU leaders.

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MPs vote in favour of extending same-sex marriage to Northern Ireland by 383 to 73 – live news

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Rolling coverage of the day’s political news, including the row over the UK ambassador’s leaked memos and latest on Tory leadership contest

Jeremy Hunt, the underdog in the Tory leadership contest, has told President Trump on Twitter his comments about Theresa May “disrespectful and wrong”.

1/2 @realDonaldTrump friends speak frankly so I will: these comments are disrespectful and wrong to our Prime Minister and my country. Your diplomats give their private opinions to @SecPompeo and so do ours! You said the UK/US alliance was the greatest in history and I agree... https://t.co/hNeBWmyyVN

2/2...but allies need to treat each other with respect as @theresa_may has always done with you. Ambassadors are appointed by the UK government and if I become PM our Ambassador stays.

MPs have voted to introduce same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland, unless the power-sharing executive is revived by 21 October, by 383 votes to 73 - a majority of 310.

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MPs vote to extend same-sex marriage to Northern Ireland

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Government has said it will honour resounding result despite ministerial doubts

MPs have voted resoundingly to extend same-sex marriage to Northern Ireland, a plan the government has said it will honour despite ministerial doubts.

The Commons voted 383 to 73 to pass the amendment to a largely technical bill on the stalled Northern Ireland assembly, tabled by the Labour MP Conor McGinn, a longstanding campaigner for equal marriage in Northern Ireland.

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Ireland to charge suspect for murder of British spy in IRA

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Prosecutors obtain warrant to arrest man over Denis Donaldson shooting in 2006

Irish authorities are preparing to charge a man for the murder of Denis Donaldson, a British spy within the IRA who was shot dead in 2006.

The news emerged on Wednesday when an Irish police officer told an inquest in Letterkenny, County Donegal, that prosecutors had obtained a warrant to arrest and charge the suspect with murder.

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Brexit: alternative to Irish backstop ‘feasible in three years’

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Report on keeping border open, backed by Nicky Morgan and Greg Hands, suggests special economic zones

Alternative arrangements for keeping the Irish border open in the event of a no-deal Brexit or the collapse of future trade talks with the EU could be up and running within three years, a report concludes.

The interim report by a non-government organisation calling itself the Alternative Arrangements Commission will be unveiled at a special conference on the Irish border in London on Monday.

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Republicanism and the royal family | Letters

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Readers respond to Larry Elliott’s stance on the republican cause in Britain and debate the possibility of radical change

I was a little surprised by Larry Elliott’s suggestion that the republican movement has rarely been weaker (How the House of Windsor saw off British republicanism, 13 June). In his analysis he ignores opinion polling, which shows no growth in support for the monarchy, and he ignores the perilous and imminent succession of King Charles.

A YouGov poll commissioned by Republic at the time of Prince Harry’s wedding last year showed widespread indifference to the royals. As expected, a clear majority (60%) said they liked the Queen, but only a third said they liked her “a great deal”. Meanwhile, only 37% wanted Charles to succeed the Queen; 46% said they would prefer “someone else”.

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Varadkar: removing Irish backstop would be as bad as no-deal Brexit

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Taoiseach wants to keep a guarantee there will be no return to hard borders

Leo Varadkar has said that removing the border backstop would be as bad for Ireland as a no-deal Brexit.

Some contenders to replace Theresa May as prime minister, including frontrunner Boris Johnson, have proposed changes to the policy.

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Ex-soldier denied jury trial over Northern Ireland killing

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Dennis Hutchings faces prosecution for alleged attempted murder during the Troubles

A 78-year-old former soldier facing prosecution for alleged attempted murder over a Northern Ireland killing during the Troubles will face trial without a jury, the supreme court has ruled.

Dennis Hutchings, a former member of the Life Guards regiment, has been charged in relation to the 1974 fatal shooting of John Pat Cunningham, a man with learning difficulties who was running away from a patrol in County Tyrone.

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