May demands tougher sanctions for Russia over Syrian ‘atrocities’
PM and Angela Merkel use Berlin summit to tell West to maintain economic pressure on Putin
THERESA MAY has warned that the West needs to “keep up the pressure on Russia” over “atrocities” in Syria after Donald Trump said he is prepared to form an alliance with Vladimir Putin.
The Prime Minister joined European leaders and Barack Obama, the US president, as she called for further sanctions on Russia if it breaches “international humanitarian law”.
Mrs May was speaking at a summit in Berlin after meeting the leaders of the US, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, with all six leaders condemning “atrocities” in Aleppo.
Appearing alongside Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, Mrs May said: “On Syria, looking at Aleppo, we are united in our condemnation of the atrocities that are taking place there. We agree on the need to keep up the pressure on Russia, including the possibility of sanctions on those who breach international humanitarian law.”
The Prime Minister also insisted that Britain was “on track” to trigger Brexit in March next year despite claims that the Government does not have a plan and will require 30,000 extra civil servants.
Mrs May said: “I will be able to update Chancellor Merkel on where we are on our Brexit preparations. Our work is on track, we do stand ready to trigger Article 50 by the end of March 2017, that’s next year.
“I want to see this as a smooth process, an orderly process, working towards a solution that is in the interests of both the UK but also in the interests of our European partners too.”
Mrs Merkel insisted that during a meeting with Mrs May, Brexit would not be a major focus. She said: “In addition to the issue of exit negotiations with Great Britain, we want to focus mainly on the future of the European Union.
“We will not discuss at any great length the British wish to leave the EU,” she added. “That will not be on the agenda because the Prime Minister has already assured us that at the very latest Britain will invoke Article 50 by the end of March. We accept that and we shall wait until that notice has been tabled.”
During their bilateral talks, which lasted more than an hour, Mrs May and Mrs Merkel agreed on the need to work with Mr Trump.
A Downing Street spokesman said: “Following on from the morning meeting, they agreed on the enduring importance of the transatlantic relationship and looked forward to their future cooperation with president-elect Donald Trump on the range of global challenges.
They also agreed the need to “strengthen the links between the people of the UK and Germany, both while we remain in the EU and once the UK has left”.
Mrs May also led discussions during the summit on migration, calling for a “global approach” to address the issue. The leaders agreed to do more to tackle migration “at source” and to “galvanise” the international response.
The White House said in a statement: “The leaders agreed on the necessity of working collectively to move the transatlantic agenda forward, particularly on bringing stabilisation to the Middle East and North Africa, as well as securing diplomatic resolution to the conflicts in Syria and eastern Ukraine.
“The leaders also affirmed the importance of continued cooperation through multilateral institutions, including Nato.”
‘Our work is on track, we do stand ready to trigger Article 50 by the end of March 2017, that’s next year’
Next week brings the Autumn Statement and Theresa May’s first chance to put her principles into practice. Hitherto, she has shown a tendency towards caution; there may be a temptation to say “steady as she goes” and do little. We would argue against such an approach. Now is the time to be bold. The winds are blowing in the direction of conservatism. Mrs May should hoist the sail and go with them.
The political change was obvious in her meeting yesterday with American and European leaders in Berlin. Almost everyone she rubbed shoulders with is on the way out. François Hollande appears to be crashing through the final days of French socialism; Italy’s Matteo Renzi has promised to quit office if he loses a referendum on December 4. Germany’s Angela Merkel is still counting the cost of her decision to invite Syrian refugees to enter her country unchecked. Then there is Barack Obama, recently rebuked in the US presidential election. Hillary Clinton lost the contest, but Mr Obama’s legacy was on the ballot, too. It would seem that big-spending liberal internationalism is out and Donald Trump’s ethic of national sovereignty and economic populism is in.
Theresa May is the only Western leader who comes close to articulating this ascendant philosophy. She also leads the country that started the revolution. The world is realigning in a particular direction, and the British are ahead of everyone else. As the globe watches our Brexit experiment, it falls on us to resist protectionism and to make the case for popular capitalism – to show that greater liberty and wealth creation go hand-in-hand.
This much we already know: Mrs May has the interests of the working people at heart. In her first speech at Downing Street she spoke of the problems facing those who “just about manage”, promising to “make Britain a country that works for everyone”. This is expected to translate next week into modest giveaways that address the rising cost of living – freezing fuel duty, for instance. But there must be broader, bigger action to keep the economy growing. The UK has performed much better than predicted since the EU referendum, which means that the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, can reject pessimism and pleas for caution. Instead he should cut unnecessary government spending while investing in infrastructure and encouraging house building.
The stamp duty surcharge introduced by George Osborne in April must go: it is iniquitous, slows the housing market and does not raise enough money to justify its existence. Now is the time to make taxes lower, simpler and flatter. The UK is a trading nation and its future success rests on its ability to attract inward investment and compete in the global market. Protectionism is a popular concept at present, but the willingness of businesses such as Nissan and Google to invest in the UK shows that our future does not lie behind a tariff wall. It also proves that anticipation of Brexit is not undermining investor confidence, just as the election of Mr Trump actually led to a leap in the US stock market, rather than an anticipated dip.
The modern world is full of surprises. While some so-called experts panic unduly, others exploit the new-found possibilities. It would, for example, be in the interests of both Mr Trump and Mrs May to sign a bilateral trade deal as early as possible, an act that would transform our relationship and our economic prospects.
Of course, everyday worries come first: many voters are probably far more interested in their household finances than grand thoughts about creating a new economic order. But the fact is that these two are connected. What Mr Hammond chooses to do to help business expand, restrain the state and increase trade will, in turn, help individuals and their families to thrive. The Autumn Statement, coming so soon after the referendum, should be written with an eye to its historic importance – a map charting Britain’s future direction. This is a chance to show how the revolution sweeping the West will actually help to make us richer.