Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 19 sepTember 2017
Opposition sees Brexit ‘chaos’ in UK govt shifts and feuds

By JILL LAWLESS Party.
Associated Press Unlike May, who cam-
LONDON (AP) — The British paigned to stay in the EU
government’s attempt to before last year’s refer-
appear strong and united endum, Johnson was an
over Brexit wobbled Mon- enthusiastic supporter of
day as a top official was the “leave” side. He has
shifted from his post days the support of some Brex-
before a new round of di- it-backing Conservative
vorce negotiations with lawmakers, who worry that
the European Union. Op- May will settle for a com-
position lawmakers said promise “soft Brexit” that
the move reflected the somehow keeps Britain in-
Conservatives’ “chaotic” side the EU’s single market.
approach to handling the Some lawmakers called
biggest challenge facing on May to fire Johnson —
the country. whose bumbling, jokey
Prime Minister Theresa May, persona masks intense po-
meanwhile, faced calls to litical ambition — but she is
discipline fellow Conserva- likely in too weak a position
tive Foreign Secretary Boris United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May arrives in Ottawa for bilateral trade talks on Monday, to do so. Her authority was
Johnson for undermining Sept. 18, 2017. severely undermined when
her leadership by publish- (Patrick Doyle/The Canadian Press via AP) she called an early June
ing his own manifesto for friction between Robbins progress on key issues in- logjam. 8 election in a bid to in-
Brexit. and Brexit Secretary David cluding the status of the But before she could crease her majority — only
A week before negotia- Davis, the U.K.’s top nego- Ireland-Northern Ireland speak, Johnson laid out his to see the Conservatives
tions between Britain and tiator. border and the amount own vision of Britain’s future reduced to a minority ad-
the bloc are due to resume Opposition Labour Par- Britain must pay to settle its outside the EU in a 4,000- ministration.
in Brussels, the U.K. govern- ty Brexit spokesman Keir financial commitments to word article for the Sunday May said Monday that
ment announced Monday Starmer said the shuffle the bloc. Telegraph newspaper. It “Boris is Boris,” but insisted
that the top civil servant on “adds a whole new dimen- EU officials say talks can’t called for the U.K. to adopt she was firmly in charge.
its negotiating team had sion to government’s cha- move on to future rela- a low-tax, low-regulation “The U.K. government is
left the Department for Ex- otic approach to Brexit.” tions with Britain until key economy outside the EU’s driven from the front, and
iting the European Union. In March, Britain triggered divorce terms have been single market and customs we all have the same des-
The department said Oliver a two-year countdown to agreed upon. May is mak- union. tination in our sights, and
Robbins was moving to be- departure from the 28-na- ing a major speech Friday The article drew rebukes that is getting a good deal
come May’s EU adviser. tion EU. Since then, nego- in Florence, Italy, that is in- from May’s Cabinet allies for Brexit with the European
The move follows reports of tiations have made little tended to help break the — and sparked immediate Union,” she said during a
speculation that Johnson news conference with Ca-
wants to replace May as nadian Prime Minister Jus-
leader of the Conservative tin Trudeau in Ottawa.q

Iceland to hold Oct. election
after government collapses

LONDON (AP) — Iceland letter urging a pardon for
will hold a national election Hjalti Sigurjon Hauksson,
on Oct. 28 after the gov- convicted in 2004 of raping
erning coalition collapsed his stepdaughter almost
amid a scandal about a daily for 12 years.
proposed pardon for a sex The election comes a year
offender. after Iceland’s last national
President Gudni Th. Johan- vote, which was called af-
nesson said Monday it was ter the former prime minis-
clear there was no chance ter resigned amid protests
of forming a new govern- over his offshore holdings
ment from the existing par- that were revealed in the
liament. Panama Papers leak.
Prime Minister Bjarni Bene- The 2016 election resulted
diktsson resigned Saturday in a divided parliament
after one of the parties in and led to weeks of wran-
his center-right coalition gling before the formation
administration quit over an of a three-party coalition
attempt by the prime min- government.Benedikts-
ister’s father to help clear son took office in January,
the name of a convicted uniting his Independence
pedophile. Party, the Reform Party and
The centrist Bright Future the centrists. Together they
party walked out after it held the slimmest of majori-
emerged that Benedikts- ties — 32 of the 63 seats in
son’s father had written a parliament. q