How Covid-19 poured cold water on Netherlands’ EU romance

Dutch opposition to recovery spending has overtones of British disillusionment

Isolated in a recent European Union council of ministers, with attitudes described by European leaders past and present as “repugnant”.

It sounds like an old script of Britain in the EU. Yet it is the Netherlands that has found itself at the heart of the union’s most bitter row during the coronavirus pandemic. As EU leaders meet on Thursday for their fourth virtual crisis summit in seven weeks, the Dutch will once again be in the vanguard of opposition to plans for big spending on the recovery.

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Brexit: blow to May’s authority as MPs reject her motion by 303 votes to 258 – Politics live

Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen, including the latest Commons debate and votes on what should happen next with Brexit

Anna Soubry, the Conservative pro-European, described the result as a “body blow” to Theresa May. Soubry said:

The prime minister has been dealt yet another body blow. This is really serious stuff.

What is happening is a profound lack of leadership from the very top of government.

We have a Conservative party - the party of business, of economic competence and prosperity - gambling with the real lives of my constituents, their futures, their jobs, their children and grandchildren.

This is outrageous and, from the Conservative Party in particular, it is not acceptable any longer.

How MPs voted on the government motion.

For (258)

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