Theresa May will publish ‘white paper’ on Brexit plan
LONDON: As MPs from various parties prepared to submit more than 50 amendments to the Brexit bill the Theresa May government will bring to parliament, the British Prime Minister said on Wednesday her plan for leaving the European Union will be published in a “white paper”.
Several ruling Conservative and other MPs had demanded the “white paper” in the House on Tuesday. May’s concession to the demand is expected to lower the temperature as parliament prepares to debate the bill to authorise the government to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to leave the EU.
So far, the demand for a “white paper” was being turned down on the grounds that May had already given details in her major speech on Brexit last week. The bill is likely to be tabled in parliament on Thursday.
May told MPs: “I recognise that there is an appetite in this house to see that plan set out in a white paper. I can confirm to the house that our plan will be set out in a white paper published in this house.”
Her spokesperson told representatives of international news organisations that the government expected that the bill will be passed in both Houses before the end of March, the deadline May has set for triggering Article 50.
The Scottish National Party has announced it will submit 50 amendments, while the Labour Party is also planning to submit some. There is a section of MPs who said they will vote against the bill, but given the Conservative Party’s majority in the house, it is likely to be passed.
The Labour Party said it would not seek to frustrate the Brexit vote by voting against the bill, but will seek amendments. ISLAMBAD: An undated video of Pervez Musharraf dancing at a nightclub with a much younger woman has become the butt of jokes in Pakistan, with social media users commenting the former president had made a “miraculous recovery” from the back pains that he gave as his reason for travelling abroad to seek treatment.
Musharraf's spokesman in Pakistan has refused to comment on media speculation that the clip is recent. The video made the rounds some 10 months after the former military ruler left Pakistan citing poor health.
Leading TV anchor Hamid Mir commented in the media that Musharraf must have made a "miraculous recovery", given the manner in which he was seen dancing with the young woman. Informed sources said the clip is recent and was shot at a nightclub in Dubai. The video went viral in Pakistan but no political party has taken it up so far or mentioned it. By and large, the Pakistani media too has refrained from any commentary on it.
Geo News channel reported the video had ironically surfaced within days of Musharraf’s counsel Akhtar Shah filing an application in court that sought a direction to authorities to provide “extraordinary” security to the former president on his return to Pakistan as he faces "serious security threats". The application also cited medical and security reasons for Musharraf’s absence from the country.
Musharraf left the country in March last year, saying he needed to travel abroad for treatment. Late musician Michael Jackson’s daughter says her father’s death was a “setup”
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