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| Boris Johnson denies joking about Donald Trump at Nato reception and not taking him seriously – live news | Boris Johnson denies joking about Donald Trump at Nato reception and not taking him seriously – live news |
| (31 minutes later) | |
| US president says he criticised Canada’s defence spending and suggests Trudeau was unhappy about that | US president says he criticised Canada’s defence spending and suggests Trudeau was unhappy about that |
| A cold snap is due to hit Britain just in time for election day on December 12, forecasters have warned, the Press Association reports. Meteorologists at the Met Office have predicted that a wintry spell will arrive for election week, covering the UK in frost and seeing temperatures plunge to sub-zero in some areas. But pollsters say voters are unlikely to be deterred from going to the polls next week, with poor weather only having “a small effect on turnout”. | |
| The long-term forecast suggests snowfall in Scotland and the Pennines, with the rest of the UK to be hit by blustery winds and freezing fog, the Press Association reports. Temperatures are predicted to drop throughout the week, dipping below normal towards election day, with a greater chance of frost developing across the country. But the election would go ahead, even in a blanket of snow, because it is written in law and cannot be postponed unless the law is changed. | |
| The chair of campaign group Leave Means Leave has been axed as a Brexit party MEP over disloyalty, party officials have claimed. | |
| John Longworth, who publicly differed on general election strategy with Nigel Farage, has had the whip removed and will no longer represent the party in Brussels. | |
| Unease between Longworth and his party is understood to have stemmed from his insistence early in the election that the party operate a smaller campaign and not target Tory seats. Others wanted to contest 600 plus constituencies. | |
| The Brexit party’s chief whip and MEP Brian Monteith said: | |
| Longworth spoke openly about how his then party should focus on 20 to 30 seats in Labour areas at the very start of the campaign. A few days later Farage announced they were standing down in 317 Tory-held seats, which in some areas has disappointed candidates and party supporters. Their campaign is now focussed on Labour heartland areas in the north, Midlands and Wales and they are running 274 candidates. | |
| Here is some reaction to the Boris Johnson press conference from political journalists. | |
| From the Sun’s Tom Newton Dunn | |
| From my colleague John Crace | |
| From the Telegraph’s Gordon Rayner | |
| From the Independent’s Benjamin Kentish | |
| From my colleague Dan Sabbagh | |
| President Trump has confirmed that he is not holding an end-of-summit press conference. | President Trump has confirmed that he is not holding an end-of-summit press conference. |
| Boris Johnson may have denied laughing at Donald Trump. But he was not prepared to praise him personally. This is what he said when he was asked if he thought that, “as a leader and as a man that Donald Trump is good for the west and good for Britain”. Johnson replied: | Boris Johnson may have denied laughing at Donald Trump. But he was not prepared to praise him personally. This is what he said when he was asked if he thought that, “as a leader and as a man that Donald Trump is good for the west and good for Britain”. Johnson replied: |
| At this point Johnson started comparing the US response to the Salisbury poisoning attack to Jeremy Corbyn’s. | At this point Johnson started comparing the US response to the Salisbury poisoning attack to Jeremy Corbyn’s. |
| When pressed again for his view on Trump personally, Johnson pointed out that the US response to Salisbury happened under the Trump administration. They were “shoulder to shoulder” with the UK, he said. They “could not have been more supportive”. | When pressed again for his view on Trump personally, Johnson pointed out that the US response to Salisbury happened under the Trump administration. They were “shoulder to shoulder” with the UK, he said. They “could not have been more supportive”. |
| But Johnson declined both opportunities to praise Trump personally as a leader. In contrast, Trump has repeatedly spoken of his admiration for Johnson. Yesterday he said Johnson was “very capable” and a few weeks ago he told LBC that Johnson was a “fantastic man and [the] exact right guy for the times”. | But Johnson declined both opportunities to praise Trump personally as a leader. In contrast, Trump has repeatedly spoken of his admiration for Johnson. Yesterday he said Johnson was “very capable” and a few weeks ago he told LBC that Johnson was a “fantastic man and [the] exact right guy for the times”. |
| This is what Boris Johnson said when he was asked about the footage apparently showing him laughing at Donald Trump at a reception last night. “Do you not take President Trump seriously,” he was asked. He replied: | This is what Boris Johnson said when he was asked about the footage apparently showing him laughing at Donald Trump at a reception last night. “Do you not take President Trump seriously,” he was asked. He replied: |
| My colleague Owen Gibson has the answer. | My colleague Owen Gibson has the answer. |
| Q: Did you make it clear to Trump that the NHS would not be on the table in trade talks? If so, does that mean this time next year the UK could be leaving the transition with no EU trade deal and no US trade deal? | Q: Did you make it clear to Trump that the NHS would not be on the table in trade talks? If so, does that mean this time next year the UK could be leaving the transition with no EU trade deal and no US trade deal? |
| Johnson says the questions are now scraping the bottom of the barrel. He will wrap up. He ends with a riff about the choice at the election: between getting Brexit done, and having two referendums. | Johnson says the questions are now scraping the bottom of the barrel. He will wrap up. He ends with a riff about the choice at the election: between getting Brexit done, and having two referendums. |
| There is also a choice about Nato. He wants to strengthen Nato. Corbyn wants to scrap it, he says. And Diane Abbott wants to disband MI5, he claims. | There is also a choice about Nato. He wants to strengthen Nato. Corbyn wants to scrap it, he says. And Diane Abbott wants to disband MI5, he claims. |
| (She doesn’t, although in the 1980s she signed an early day motion that implied that she did.) | (She doesn’t, although in the 1980s she signed an early day motion that implied that she did.) |
| And that’s it. The press conference is over. | And that’s it. The press conference is over. |
| I will post a summary soon. | I will post a summary soon. |
| Q: Trump said yesterday he did not know Prince Andrew. But there are lots of photographs of them together. Is Trump an amnesiac or a liar? | Q: Trump said yesterday he did not know Prince Andrew. But there are lots of photographs of them together. Is Trump an amnesiac or a liar? |
| Johnson says that is a good effort to get an answer on something that did not come up at the summit. | Johnson says that is a good effort to get an answer on something that did not come up at the summit. |
| Q: Did the issue of Turkey’s purchase of Russian missiles come up? | Q: Did the issue of Turkey’s purchase of Russian missiles come up? |
| Johnson says this did not come up formally at the meeting. | Johnson says this did not come up formally at the meeting. |
| Q: President Trump wants the UK to take more Islamic State fighters back. Are we going to take them back? | Q: President Trump wants the UK to take more Islamic State fighters back. Are we going to take them back? |
| Johnson says our legal system makes it very hard to secure convictions if people return. People must accept the consequences for their choices. | Johnson says our legal system makes it very hard to secure convictions if people return. People must accept the consequences for their choices. |
| Q: [From the Telegraph] Are you concerned about how the full text of the dossier about the UK-US trade talks became public? (The Telegraph has implied the Russians were involved.) | Q: [From the Telegraph] Are you concerned about how the full text of the dossier about the UK-US trade talks became public? (The Telegraph has implied the Russians were involved.) |
| Johnson says he thought this material had been on the internet for some time. He says he is not concerned about this. | Johnson says he thought this material had been on the internet for some time. He says he is not concerned about this. |
| Q: President Trump said every leader he had spoken to here has agreed not to let Huawei play a role in its critical infrastructure. He spoke to you last night. So does that mean the UK will not let Huawei build the 5G network here. | Q: President Trump said every leader he had spoken to here has agreed not to let Huawei play a role in its critical infrastructure. He spoke to you last night. So does that mean the UK will not let Huawei build the 5G network here. |
| Johnson says he does not want the country to be “unnecessary hostile to investment from overseas”. But he will not prejudice security. Those principles will decide his approach to Huawei. | Johnson says he does not want the country to be “unnecessary hostile to investment from overseas”. But he will not prejudice security. Those principles will decide his approach to Huawei. |
| This is from the Sun’s Tom Newton Dunn on this topic. | This is from the Sun’s Tom Newton Dunn on this topic. |
| Q: Were you joking about President Trump at the reception last night? | Q: Were you joking about President Trump at the reception last night? |
| Johnson denies it. That suggestion is “complete nonsense”, he says. | Johnson denies it. That suggestion is “complete nonsense”, he says. |
| Johnson is now taking questions. | Johnson is now taking questions. |
| Q: President Trump has spoken of his admiration for you. Do you think the president, as a man, is good for the west and good for Britain? | Q: President Trump has spoken of his admiration for you. Do you think the president, as a man, is good for the west and good for Britain? |
| Johnson says America has been a loyal ally to the UK. The alliance has been good for the UK. After the Salisbury poisoning attack, the US expelled 60 Russian diplomats. He contrasts that with the approach taken by Jeremy Corbyn, who wanted to involve Russia in the investigation. | Johnson says America has been a loyal ally to the UK. The alliance has been good for the UK. After the Salisbury poisoning attack, the US expelled 60 Russian diplomats. He contrasts that with the approach taken by Jeremy Corbyn, who wanted to involve Russia in the investigation. |
| This happened under the current administration, he says. | This happened under the current administration, he says. |
| Johnson sidesteps opportunity to praise Trump personally. | Johnson sidesteps opportunity to praise Trump personally. |
| Here is the declaration issued at the end of the Nato conference. | Here is the declaration issued at the end of the Nato conference. |
| Boris Johnson is giving a press conference at the end of the Nato summit. | Boris Johnson is giving a press conference at the end of the Nato summit. |
| He starts with a short speech about the value of Nato. | He starts with a short speech about the value of Nato. |
| One of the interesting moment in the ITV leaders’ debate came when Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson were both asked if the monarchy was fit for purpose. Tories assume that Corbyn will always on the royal family agenda (not singing the national anthem damaged him badly), but on this occasion Corbyn said the monarchy needed improvement, and the audience applauded. Johnson said it was beyond reproach, and his reply was met with stony silence. Corbyn gave the right answer - so much so that Johnson resorted a few days later to claiming that, when he had been asked about the monarchy, he had actually been speaking about the monarch (ie, the Queen). | One of the interesting moment in the ITV leaders’ debate came when Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson were both asked if the monarchy was fit for purpose. Tories assume that Corbyn will always on the royal family agenda (not singing the national anthem damaged him badly), but on this occasion Corbyn said the monarchy needed improvement, and the audience applauded. Johnson said it was beyond reproach, and his reply was met with stony silence. Corbyn gave the right answer - so much so that Johnson resorted a few days later to claiming that, when he had been asked about the monarchy, he had actually been speaking about the monarch (ie, the Queen). |
| But today Corbyn hasn’t had such a good outing on royal family territory. In an interview with ITV’s Julia Etchingham he was asked if he watched the Queen’s speech on Christmas day. He said that he normally did, although the full exchange suggests otherwise. | But today Corbyn hasn’t had such a good outing on royal family territory. In an interview with ITV’s Julia Etchingham he was asked if he watched the Queen’s speech on Christmas day. He said that he normally did, although the full exchange suggests otherwise. |
| ITV has sent out the transcript of the exchange. | ITV has sent out the transcript of the exchange. |
| It’s not quite Frost/Nixon, although Corbyn would probably have been better off just saying he caught up with the Queen’s speech through the news (if at all), like most of the population. | It’s not quite Frost/Nixon, although Corbyn would probably have been better off just saying he caught up with the Queen’s speech through the news (if at all), like most of the population. |
| Here is the clip of President Trump calling Justin Trudeau “two-faced”. | Here is the clip of President Trump calling Justin Trudeau “two-faced”. |