Divisions in UK govt slammed

May resets agenda

STRASBOURG, France, Oct 3, (Agencies): The European Parliament harshly criticised divisions in the British government on Tuesday as it overwhelmingly backed a motion saying it was too soon to move on to the next phase of Brexit talks.

MEPs in Strasbourg voted after EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said the talks had made insufficient progress to unlock talks on a future trade deal because of “serious divergences” on key issues.

The non-binding vote by the parliament called on EU leaders to delay a decision on moving to the next phase, which they are due to make at a summit on October 19, unless there is a “major breakthrough”.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Theresa May set out her quest to tackle social and racial injustice on Tuesday, hoping to shift the focus of her Conservative party’s annual conference away from rifts over Britain’s exit from the European Union and her leadership.

After a bruising start to the party’s annual meeting in the city of Manchester, May will try to reset the agenda after remarks on Brexit policy by foreign minister Boris Johnson that deepened divisions in her top team of advisers.

She said an audit will be published on Oct 10 spelling out the “uncomfortable truths” of life in Britain, showing how people of different racial backgrounds are treated in the health, education, employment and the criminal justice system.

Her ministers will also announce policies to try to prove critics wrong and show that her government is working, including measures to toughen sentences of people streaming or browsing extremist material, and to increase nurse training.

“In doing this ground-breaking work we are holding a mirror up to our society,” May said in a statement.

Sinn Fein eyes deal:

May

A deal can be done by the end of October to restore Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government, Sinn Fein’s leader in the region said on Tuesday, raising a possible compromise with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

Unless the two sides clinch an agreement, the British government will be forced to bypass the regional assembly and move towards direct rule from London, potentially destabilising the delicate political balance in the British province.

Northern Ireland’s two largest parties have failed to reach agreement on reforming the devolved administration since its collapse in January and Britain’s minister for Northern Ireland has told them they are rapidly running out of time to do so.

Jail for streaming extremism:

The British government says it will make streaming extremist content an offense punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

Currently it’s illegal to download or store material that encourages violent attacks. But Home Secretary Amber Rudd says the law should be toughened to include “people who repeatedly view terrorist content online.”

Britain has seen five deadly attacks this year, including vehicle and knife rampages and a bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester.

Rudd told the governing Conservative Party conference in Manchester on Tuesday that seven other plots had been stopped. She said tougher laws are needed because there’s been “a shift toward crude attacks” with shorter timescales.

Following a rise in criminal acid attacks, Rudd said she would ban the sale of acids to people under 18.

Rule on FB data transfers:

The European Court of Justice has been asked to consider whether Facebook’s Dublin-based subsidiary can legally transfer users’ personal data to its US parent, after Ireland’s top court said Tuesday that there are “well-founded concerns” the practice violates European law.

In a case brought after former US defense contractor Edward Snowden revealed the extent of electronic surveillance by American security agencies, the court found that Facebook’s transfers may compromise the data of European citizens.

Station security checked:

London’s East Croydon station was due to reopen on Monday after police said an item they had been investigating was not harmful.

“The item at East Croydon has been declared non-suspicious,” Britain’s transport police said on Twitter. “The station will be reopening very shortly.”