Monday briefing: May to present Brexit plan B

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/21/monday-briefing-may-to-present-brexit-plan-b

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Top story: Cabinet bitterly divided over Irish border conundrum

This is Alison Rourke with today’s briefing as Theresa May prepares to set out her Brexit Plan B.

The PM is expected to reject calls for a cross-party consensus on Brexit when she addresses parliament today and instead back new diplomatic efforts in Brussels to renegotiate the Irish backstop. One source told the Guardian that “no actual solutions” were proposed in May’s conference call with Cabinet members last night. “It is difficult to know – as ever – what she will do,” another told the Guardian. “But the broad agreement is on the need to bring DUP and Tory rebels on board.” Sources inside the government say May’s overriding priority is to prevent a historic split in the Tory party, with rumours circulating that there could be a breakaway if the PM opted for a customs union.

As Brexit shakes the foundations of the Tory party, Jeremy Corbyn is likely to refrain from making fresh moves towards backing a second referendum until after plan B is voted on later this month, as he too seeks to balance pressure from rival wings of his party.

UK warehouse space meanwhile is nearing capacity as firms stockpile for Brexit. Three-quarters of warehouse owners say they have no space left as costs have risen by 25% after a surge in Brexit-related inquiries.

And in the first of our new series, Brexit frontline, Lisa O’Carroll joins a British lorry driver trying to navigate the already difficult route through French ports, and hears how, with so much uncertainty, some haulage companies are making their own Brexit contingency plans.

EU citizen registration – Migration experts are warning that EU citizens living in the UK could become a new “Windrush scandal” as the scheme to register an estimated 3.5 million people begins. From today, the third phase of testing will open to EU residents in Britain, who will be able to register for the new post-Brexit “settled status”. The Home Office is extending its live trial to all EU citizens who hold a valid passport and any non-EU citizen family members who hold a valid biometric residence card. Critics have warned that thousands could be left without legal status to remain in the UK if applications are not processed quickly and effectively.

‘Appalled’ – Labour has lodged a formal complaint with the BBC about the treatment of Diane Abbott on Question Time last week. Abbott accused the programme of legitimising racist abuse, claiming she was repeatedly interrupted and singled out before the episode. The party has demanded to see footage of the audience from a pre-show warm-up amid allegations the crowd in Derby had been “whipped up” against Abbott.

House prices hit – Properties in some of Britain’s wealthiest areas have had up to 25% wiped off their value in 12 months according to the estate agent Your Move. The figures come days after Britain’s surveyors issued an especially gloomy assessment, fuelled by the lack of clarity over Britain’s departure from the EU. On Thursday, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors said house prices were falling at their fastest rate in six years, and that the outlook for sales was the weakest in two decades.

Praying in tongues – The archbishop of Canterbury says he speaks in tongues every day as part of his 5am prayer. “Given it’s usually extremely early in the morning it’s not usually an immensely ecstatic moment,” Justin Welby says. He also says he expects to “hear from God through other people with words of knowledge or prophecies – some of which I am unsure about, others I can sense there being something of the spirit of God”. “Words of knowledge” and “prophecies” are believed to be revelations from God about people or future events. Both are common in Pentecostal and “charismatic” evangelical churches.

Lunar eclipse – Stargazers in parts of Britain have been treated to the spectacular sight of the super blood wolf moon. One Guardian reader in Stratford-upon-Avon wrote: “Clouds have rolled back and a great view of the eclipse.” Cloudy skies over parts of London obscured the event for others. The rare celestial event takes places when moon is positioned slightly closer to earth than normal, and appears slightly bigger and brighter than normal. At the same time, the moon gave off a coppery red glow as it slipped into Earth’s shadow. The “wolf” part of the name is because the event is happening in January, when wolves used to howl in hunger outside villages.

Today in Focus podcast: What can we do, right now, about climate change?

Calamitous weather events and warnings from scientists that the planet is warming faster than previously believed are causing alarm. Global environment editor, Jonathan Watts, describes the shifts needed to keep global warming to a maximum of 1.5C. Plus: David Conn on how football and gambling have become inseparable

Lunchtime read: Glenn Close: ‘You don’t lose your sexuality as you get older’

Over the next five weeks, the 71-year-old actor Glenn Close could well be collecting more statuettes, including at the Baftas and the Academy Awards for her performance in The Wife as Joan Castleman, the overlooked spouse of a Nobel-winning novelist, played by Jonathan Pryce. In Close’s powerful speech when she won a Golden Globe for the role, she urged women “to find personal fulfilment”. “I’ve been floored by the response,” she says. “People are coming up to me in airports to talk about my speech.”

In The Wife, the opening sex scene was the first thing they shot. “We arrived on set in our jammies,” she chuckled. Asked if it feels revolutionary to see two actors in their 70s having drowsy, vocal, pleasurably filthy sex together, she agrees: “It’s one of the great myths that you lose your sexuality as you get older.” Right now, she believes she is in her prime. “I feel as free and as creative, as sexual and as eager as I ever have. And it’s ironic because I’m thinking: ‘How much time do I have left now?’”

Sport

Five-time NFL champion Tom Brady guided the Patriots to another Super Bowl after Rex Burkhead’s two-yard overtime touchdown lifted New England past Kansas City to secure the AFC championship. The Los Angeles Rams now stand in the Patriots’ way, after a Greg Zuerlein field goal in overtime saw them down the New Orleans Saints in the NFC championship game.

Jimmy Anderson acted as England’s speaker in Barbados over the weekend and, on the subject of how much West Indian desire there is to beat the tourists in their upcoming Test series, apparently the eyes have it.

Mauricio Pochettino admitted the hamstring injury which forced Dele Alli out of Tottenham’s 2-1 win at Fulham did “not look great” as he faced up to the loss of yet another key attacking player.

There was no maiden Quad Series crown for England but, in the context of what is to come this year, another successful chapter in their captivating netball rivalry with Australia may be much more significant.

Judd Trump won his first Masters snooker title with an emphatic 10-4 victory over Ronnie O’Sullivan at Alexandra Palace.

And Lindsey Vonn may have competed in her last ski race – after failing to finish a World Cup super-G on Sunday as she battles pain in both of her knees, Vonn said immediate retirement “is a possibility”.

Business

China’s economic growth is at its slowest since 1990, according to new GDP figures. It grew 6.6% in 2018, amid the ongoing trade war with the US. The figures suggest that China may no longer be able to help shore up weakening global growth, as it has in the past.

In gloomy news from the UK, more than 23,000 shops and 175,000 high street jobs are predicted to go this year, according to the annual report today from the real estate adviser Altus Group, as the shift to online shopping continues.

The pound is trading at €1.13 and $1.79.

The papers

The Guardian splashes today on the news that Spice Girls T-shirts were made in a factory paying staff 35p an hour: “Revealed: the poverty pay behind the charity slogans” is that paper’s headline.

As Theresa May prepares to present her plan B to parliament, it’s not surprising that many papers splash with variations of the story. The Times splashes with: “May blames Corbyn as cross-party talks fail”. The FT has: “May poised for Commons clash after refusing to budge on Brexit”. The i’s headline is: “Plan B blow for May as MPs plot to take control”. The Telegraph says May’s plan B is “Good Friday deal could be rewritten”. The Daily Express’s headline is: “Do not hijack our Brexit”, saying May intends to defy Remainer MPs’ plot to delay the Brexit leaving date. The Guardian also carries Brexit on its front page, with the headline: “PM”s Brexit plan B – to renegotiate backstop”.

The Mirror steers clear of Brexit, splashing on the Duke’s car crash last week: “The Queen’s sorry... No world from Philip” is its headline. The Daily Mail also side-steps Brexit, with its headline “Women dying of embarrassment”, a story about how women are putting their lives at risk because they are too embarrassed to be tested for cervical cancer. And the Sun leads on a “world exclusive” with a picture of Ant McPartlin and the headline: “Dec’s anger at my drink drive crash”.

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