Tag: says

  • Brexit deal: Executive exploring extra DUP assurances, says Chancellor

    Philip Hammond Image caption Chancellor Philip Hammond mentioned he believes his birthday celebration’s trust and provide care for the DUP will keep intact

    the federal government is looking at ways to provide further assurances to the DUP over the Irish border backstop, Chancellor Phillip Hammond has mentioned.

    He was talking throughout a trip to an built-in faculty in Moira, County Down.

    Some MPs, including the ones within the DUP, have mentioned they’re going to now not back the federal government’s Brexit deal on account of the backstop proposal.

    It may see best NI keep aligned to a couple EUROPEAN laws, if it got here into impact.

    Concentrate: BBC Podlitical – Sunday summit and DUP conference Johnson and Hammond ‘to attend DUP event’ Draft assertion refers to Irish border generation the importance of being unionist?

    Mr Hammond said the federal government has a host of selections throughout the “parliamentary process”, which include extending the implementation duration to avoid having to use the backstop.

    Symbol copyright Getty Photographs Symbol caption Senior DUP politicians pictured with birthday party chief Arlene Foster at a press conference in Stormont’s Nice Hall

    On Monday, the birthday party abstained on budget votes, in a bid to warn Theresa Might to scrap the backstop proposal.

    But Mr Hammond instructed BBC News NI he believes his celebration’s trust and supply maintain the DUP will keep intact.

    he is due to talk at the get started of the DUP’s annual convention on Friday night time, whilst top Brexiteer Boris Johnson will talk to DUP contributors on Saturday – historically seen as a extra prime-profile fit in annual birthday party conferences.

    DUP MP Sammy Wilson mentioned Mr Hammond would be welcomed at his birthday party’s annual convention in Belfast, regardless of his celebration’s variations with the federal government.

    “i feel the truth that we have introduced Philip Hammond and Boris Johnson across knocks at the head the idea that a few other people have been putting around that now we have closed our minds and our ears to taking note of each side of the argument,” Mr Wilson mentioned.

    But Mr Wilson mentioned it was once “now not our fault” if the media gave extra prominence to Mr Johnson, and said it was apt that Mr Hammond could cope with an target market so that it will include many individuals of the business neighborhood.

    ‘Immediate investment’

    The Chancellor said the DUP and Conservatives “do not always agree on everything however I Am positive we will kind it out, we are two events that agree basically on the significance of maintaining the union”.

    Asked if the top minister may continue to exist in workplace if parliament rejects her deal, the chancellor mentioned now was a time to convey the country back together and “Theresa May is the right particular person do this”.

    The DUP’s Brexit message to Theresa Might Q&A: The Irish border Brexit backstop

    Right Through his seek advice from, Mr Hammond additionally introduced that investment of £66m is to be launched by the Treasury so that 23 shared and built-in schools in Northern Eire can proceed with building (capital) projects.

    The money is from a pot of £500m that used to be first authorized within the Stormont Space settlement in 2014 and re-affirmed within the Contemporary Start Agreement in November 2015.

    Earlier this yr, BBC News NI found out that unspent money totalling £91m for shared and integrated education from the agreements can be made to be had.

    Mr Hammond then headed to an adventure led by means of the Federation of Small Companies (FSB).

    Image caption Liam Fox advised BBC Information NI the draft political statement was once massively encouraging in phrases of making sure the Irish border backstop by no means needs to be used

    In The Meantime his cupboard colleague, Global Business Secretary Liam Fox, has mentioned language in the draft UK-ECU political announcement, which refers to taking a look at technology to handle the Irish border, is “encouraging”.

    He made the feedback all the way through a trip to a trade in Newry, County Down, on Friday.

    Mr Fox, who sponsored depart within the referendum, stated regardless of competition to the draft withdrawal settlement, that “this is a bullet we have to bite”.

    Symbol Copyright @JP_Biz @JP_Biz

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    Twitter post by @JP_Biz: International Trade Sec Liam Fox arriving @LtdMJM in Newry Image Copyright @JP_Biz @JP_Biz

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    “People in parliament will have to take a choice on whether or not they are going to dam the democratic choice of the public.”

    He said the government’s aim used to be to ensure “we by no means get to the backstop”, and that he hoped that issue can be addressed through the future courting.

    “The paper we revealed the day gone by sets out a host of alternative preparations to maintain the border, that is a big improvement on where we’ve got been earlier than”.

    ‘Building trust’

    “It shows shows building agree with and we can avoid ever getting to the backstop,” introduced Mr Fox.

    But he advised Nice Britain will have issues negotiating business deals with new partners if the backstop association got here into effect.

    The cabinet minister additionally did not rule out extending Article 50 if Parliament votes down the government’s draft Brexit plan.

    But he said: “We’ve Got at all times mentioned we did not want to increase Article 50 – we need to come to an agreement.”

  • I Will Be Able To not hand over as MP, says DUP’s Ian Paisley

    Symbol copyright PA Image caption The keep in mind petition that Ian Paisley is facing is the first in UK parliamentary history

    Mr Paisley went on 3 luxurious holidays to Sri Lanka in 2013 at the expense of the country’s government.

    The next year he wrote to the top minister to lobby in opposition to helping a UN answer on Sri Lanka approximately alleged human rights abuses within the country.

    A Westminster standards committee discovered that Mr Paisley had breached the rule of thumb in opposition to paid advocacy by way of failing to claim his trips.

    It additionally concluded that the price of the vacations was “much upper” than the £50,000 that Mr Paisley estimated.

    He was suspended from the Commons for 30 sitting days – it is one in all the longest bans ever to be handed down at Westminster.

    Mr Paisley has insisted he will struggle a through-election to save lots of his Commons seat if voters force him to stand down.

    On Monday, he apologised to a few DUP supporters at a gathering in North Antrim.

    The DUP councillor John Finlay, who organised the assembly, mentioned folks who attended it have been “very courteous and supportive to him”.

    (more…)

  • Spanish ‘terror lyrics’ rapper Valtònyc says he has no regrets

    Rapper Josep Miguel Arenas, known as Valtònyc, performs during a demonstration in Barcelona, 17 March 2018 Symbol copyright Getty Pictures Symbol caption Rapper Valtònyc says his lyrics are aimed at provoking other folks into examining their attitudes

    A Spanish rapper on the run in Belgium from a three-and-a-part year prison sentence has instructed the BBC that he does not be apologetic about any of his lyrics.

    Josep Miguel Arenas Beltram, identified to his enthusiasts as Valtònyc, was once convicted in Would Possibly of insulting the Spanish royal family and glorifying terrorism.

    in a single track Valtònyc, 24, raps: “The king has a rendezvous at the village square, with a noose round his neck.”

    He has been launched on bail pending a choice on his extradition to Spain.

    Valtònyc, who had mentioned that “disobedience is professional and a duty” before he went on the run in Would Possibly, says that his lyrics are merely designed to provoke folks into analyzing their attitudes and reactions.

    Image copyright Getty Images Symbol caption The 24-yr-vintage musician was once discovered in charge in Spain of insulting the monarchy

    In his music, some of which has been released through a YouTube channel, Valtònyc courts controversy with lyrics in which he describes wanting to drop a nuclear bomb on a local flesh presser.

    In every other of his songs, he sings approximately “a message of hope”, including “Eta is a super nation” in a connection with the Basque militant group.

    The Majorca-born rapper is the first artist in Spain since the fall of the Franco regime in the 1970s to be found to blame of insulting the monarchy.

    Valtònyc has spent the previous two months in self-imposed exile in the Belgian town of Ghent.

    He mentioned he was inspired by means of the ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont’s resolution to escape to Belgium after Madrid took regulate in Catalonia in reaction to a unilateral declaration of independence ultimate October.

    Spanish rappers getting ‘terror’ sentences for songs

    Around the time of his disappearance in May, Valtònyc tweeted that “Spain is going to make a fool of itself”, including that he was not “giving up”.

    Mr Puigdemont then replied to his tweet, providing his beef up to the artist.

    “All my affection to you for a hard decision, nevertheless it permits you to continue protecting values and basic freedoms without which there may be no democracy,” Mr Puigdemont wrote.

    Spain issued a global arrest warrant for Valtònyc straight away after he went on the run, resulting in a backlash on Spanish social media over freedom of speech in the u . s . a ..

    The musician had appealed to the Superb Court Docket on the grounds that he was once secure by his proper to freedom of expression, but this was once later rejected.