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John Rentoul
@JohnRentoul
, 8 tweets, 5 min read Read on Twitter
#PMQs about to begin. Lidington vs Thornberry. Independent politics team standing by to comment on Facebook video afterwards
Interesting exchanges re Irish border after Lyra McKee's death. Andrew Grice and @LizzyBuchan will be commenting here after #PMQs facebook.com/pg/indypolitic…
Going live now
Video: @LizzyBuchan and Andrew Grice on a serious #PMQs in Brexit limbo facebook.com/indypolitics/v…
Most significant moment in #PMQs, I thought, was Lidington asking if Labour's customs union plan would get a majority in Commons parliamentlive.tv/event/index/3d…
He knows it's a #QTWTAIN. If govt proposed customs union, most Tory & many Lab MPs would oppose it independent.co.uk/voices/theresa…
Lidington's full answer hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2019-0…
David Lidington's answer to Kevin Hollinrake at end of #PMQs also interesting: "We want to retain the benefits of a customs union.."
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More from @JohnRentoul see all

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John Rentoul
@JohnRentoul
Interesting chart from @YouGov via @MattChorley @timesredbox nuk-tnl-deck-email.s3.amazonaws.com/2/daf719b7ee19…
But Con could be added to "Leave", taking it to 46% vs "Remain" 32%, with Labour ("Don't Know") 22%
If we assume Labour splits three quarters in favour of Remain, that would produce Leave 52%, Remain 48% #familiar
Read 3 tweets
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John Rentoul
@JohnRentoul
“Nigel Farage has been more successful than any politician, other than Margaret Thatcher, of getting his agenda through, and he has done it from outside Parliament”: Ann Widdecombe, Brexit Party candidate, on @GMB
Widdecombe in favour of a hard border in Ireland
You can imagine Juncker, Tusk & Varadkar in that meeting: "How can we force the UK to stay? Let's make up some dribble about the border"
Read 7 tweets
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John Rentoul
@JohnRentoul
No. Still not a single policy in sight thebrexitparty.org At least I could find its site though, unlike Change UK
Its only policy, well known, is to leave EU on WTO terms, which is (a) not possible because parliament won't allow it (b) awkward because we'd want to talk to EU about trade anyway & so would have to negotiate the same stuff as in govt's Brexit deal
Change UK has some broad-brush values, but no actual policies: doesn't even say referendum on website theindependent.group/who-we-are/
Read 3 tweets

Related threads

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BorderWarnings
@BorderWarnings
1~
18.04.2016
Theresa Villiers contradicts statements by Ahern, Hayes and Lawson.
irishnews.com/news/2016/04/1…
2~
Warnings from:
Frank-Walter Steinmeier, German Foreign Minister
Peter Mandleson, former U.K. Northern Ireland secretary
Dermot Ahern, Former Irish Foreign Minister
Conor Patterson, CEO Newry and Mourne Co-operative and Enterprise Agency
politico.eu/article/northe…
3~
12.05.2016
FW Steinmeier, German Foreign Minister:
"The very moment that the U.K. leaves, we'll have a border again between Ireland and Northern Ireland. That has at least the potential to ignite a conflict that apparently has become totally calm."
politico.eu/article/juncke…
Read 92 tweets
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John Bull
@garius
MAY: Ah! You're reading the Declaration! Thoughts?
LIDINGTON: Well it doesn't really say or promise anything does it?
MAY: Thanks!
LIDINGTON: Though I see technology is solving the Irish border again
MAY: About that. I need you to find us a software developer
LIDINGTON: A what?
LIDINGTON: So it says here that you do Java, C++ and .Net?
DEVELOPER:
LIDINGTON: I'm a bit of a computer whizz myself! Excel Macros. Some HTML. I did a course once.
DEVELOPER:
LIDINGTON: Ahem. Anyway. question one: "How would you secure the Irish border?"
DEVELOPER: Sorry, what?
LIDINGTON: No need for specifics. Just tell me how long and how much to secure the Irish border
DEVELOPER: But... I mean I need more information than that to scope this
LIDINGTON: No problem. I've got a name and a logo.
DEVELOPER:
LIDINGTON: I can also tell you what I DON'T like.
Read 11 tweets
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Adam Payne
@adampayne26
Corbyn quite right to call out May's customs proposal in #PMQs. Why would the EU outsource its customs competencies to a third country? He should have pressed her on the VAT alignment amendment, though. That amendment could have very serious implications for the Irish border.
May: "while I was agreeing on the future of NATO with Trump..."

*howls of laughter*

May: "while I was negotiating our future security, he was renegotiating the definition of anti-Semitism"

*cries of "shame!*

Sums it up, really. Both parties are a mess #PMQs.
May tells the SNP's Ian Blackford she won't extend Article 50, which you might soon be able to put in the same box as "there won't be an early election," I suspect #PMQs
Read 3 tweets
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Katy Hayward
@hayward_katy
Recap of debate in House of Lords y'day on Amendment 25 re: Irish #border in EU Withdrawal Bill #Brexit
HoL had tabled an amendment specifying no checks & controls of any sort. Pared-back version offered by govt in compromise was passed.
Only 1 dissenting voice @PeterHain
(1/7)
Lord Duncan said govt accepted thrust of amendment but made 3 changes to ensure it's 'fit for the statute book':
- to reflect fact W'drawal Agmt =btn UK & EU not IRL
- to refer to '98 NI Act re: N/S cooperation
- tighten wording (but said still inc. range of checks/controls)
2/7
5 Lords spoke. Lord Cormack welcomed ‘real meeting of minds’ in this instance. Lord Murphy reported from BIIPA ‘unanimous agmt that Brexit is dominating British-Irish rels’
& noted ‘there is no political voice from NI in the negotiations dealing with these important issues.’
3/7
Read 7 tweets
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Katy Hayward
@hayward_katy
What is most interesting about this piece by Dr Graham Gudgin on @BrexitCentral is how virtually identical it is to every other pro-Brexit piece on the Irish border.

Here's a brief thread noting some of these common features.

1/
brexitcentral.com/dublin-needs-t…
The border as battleground:
"The Irish border thus remains the key battleground in the war of attrition that is the UK-EU Brexit talks."

This has the effect of asserting that if UK moves on red lines here it loses the Brexit war.

Thus raising the stakes & raising tensions.
2/
It blames the change of Taoiseach from Kenny to Varadkar for "hard stance from the Irish govt that has soured UK-Irish relations".
It sees Irish intentions as barely disguised irredentism.
Yet lays all responsibility for progress on Irish govt accepting "practical solutions".
3/
Read 7 tweets
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NotMyPresident
@ironstowe
THREAD

Breakdown of #CambridgeAnalytica whistleblower testimony to House of Commons in the #UnitedKingdom
1.#Wyile testifies that #CambridgeAnalytica is a shell company owned by Robert #Mercer, #Mercer created #CambridgeAnalytica to provide cover for #SCL Group,its parent company and its operations.
He describes #CambridgeAnalytica and #SCL group as Military Psy Ops.
2.#Wylie explains RIPON operation, RIPON used “data exhaust” to build psychological profiles in coordination with Cambridge University faculty. it creates modern day colonialism, harming fragile democracies, works illegally, without morals.
Read 44 tweets

Trending hashtags

#fbpe #GDPR #PMQs #SaveIrishBogs #NDA #DeleteFacebook #Facebook #Kompromat #LeaveEU #American #NATO #Brexit #climatedenial #Tzhenguiz #Nix #Stillwell #Politics #menlopark #Lukoil #customs #CambrigeAnalytica #NocheAmarilla2019 #Trial #border #Pinterest
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