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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2019/may/23/european-elections-uk-goes-to-the-poll-as-pressure-continues-on-may-to-resign-live-news
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| European elections: UK goes to the polls as pressure continues on May to resign - live news | European elections: UK goes to the polls as pressure continues on May to resign - live news |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| At the Nato event where he was speaking this morning, Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary, also refused to say what he would be telling Theresa May today about the EU withdrawal agreement bill. This is from the BBC’s Norman Smith. | |
| Jeremy Hunt declines to say what he'll be telling PM today about her Withdrawal Bill. "All such discussions shd remain confidential." | |
| It is understood that he is one of several cabinet ministers raising concerns about the bill, and in particular about the provision in it for a vote on a second referendum. | |
| Theresa May will still be PM when President Trump visits the week after next, Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary, has said. This is from the Telegraph’s Jack Maidment. | |
| NEW: Jeremy Hunt says Theresa May will still be Prime Minister when Donald Trump comes for his state visit in the first week of June. "Theresa May will be prime minister to welcome him and rightly so," he just told a cyber security conference in London. | |
| This is not a surprise, but it is probably worth clarifying. Those in the Conservative party who want Theresa May to resign now are not asking for her to leave office immediately. They want her to resign as Conservative party leader, so that the party can start the leadership contest. It is widely agreed that she will stay as PM until the party has elected a new leader, which would not be until the end of July at the earliest. As prime minister, she cannot resign until she is in a position to tell the Queen who she should appoint as a successor. | |
| (Well, in theory she could, but it would not be the done thing ...) | |
| There was no sign of Andrea Leadsom outside her Westminster home on Thursday morning, the Press Association reports. Her husband, Ben Leadsom, stopped on his bicycle to tell reporters: “It was a tough day yesterday, but she’s happy she made the right decision.” He said he could not comment when asked whether the MP for South Northamptonshire would run for leadership of the Conservative party. | |
| If you want information about the candidates in your area, or where you can vote, the Who Can I Vote For? website is helpful. | If you want information about the candidates in your area, or where you can vote, the Who Can I Vote For? website is helpful. |
| This is from the Tory MP Sir David Evennett. | This is from the Tory MP Sir David Evennett. |
| Theresa May must now resign. We need a new PM a new Cabinet and a new approach to Brexit. | Theresa May must now resign. We need a new PM a new Cabinet and a new approach to Brexit. |
| What has changed for Theresa May in the last 24 hours or so is that MPs in the mainstream of the party, who have generally been supportive of her up to now, have joined those calling for her to resign. Evennett is a good example. He voted remain in the 2016 referendum and, although he voted against May’s deal in the first Commons vote, he supported it in the second two. He is not someone who has been publicly speaking out against her in the past. | What has changed for Theresa May in the last 24 hours or so is that MPs in the mainstream of the party, who have generally been supportive of her up to now, have joined those calling for her to resign. Evennett is a good example. He voted remain in the 2016 referendum and, although he voted against May’s deal in the first Commons vote, he supported it in the second two. He is not someone who has been publicly speaking out against her in the past. |
| Penny Mordaunt, the defence secretary, is reportedly one of the cabinet ministers who has told Theresa May she is unhappy about the plan to include a provision for a vote on a second referendum in the EU withdrawal agreement bill (Wab). This morning, asked about this, she told reporters: | Penny Mordaunt, the defence secretary, is reportedly one of the cabinet ministers who has told Theresa May she is unhappy about the plan to include a provision for a vote on a second referendum in the EU withdrawal agreement bill (Wab). This morning, asked about this, she told reporters: |
| I have given my advice to No 10 and today I am going to be getting on with my job which is to keep the country safe and look after our armed forces. | |
| This is from Labour whips, an official account. | This is from Labour whips, an official account. |
| Confirmed that @Mark_Spencer will make the business question for the Government, had been some suggestion that @PaulMaynardUK may take it but given his reported comments to the Prime Minister they may have thought better . . . https://t.co/FJqXbpFagN | Confirmed that @Mark_Spencer will make the business question for the Government, had been some suggestion that @PaulMaynardUK may take it but given his reported comments to the Prime Minister they may have thought better . . . https://t.co/FJqXbpFagN |
| This refers to a report that Paul Maynard, a government whip, told Theresa May during a private meeting that her Brexit strategy risked destroying the Conservative party. | This refers to a report that Paul Maynard, a government whip, told Theresa May during a private meeting that her Brexit strategy risked destroying the Conservative party. |
| Usual request for an election day: if you are posting a comment below the line (BTL), please do not tell us how you voted. Under the Representation of the People Act 1983, it is an offence to publish, while the polls are still open, any information about how people have voted based on “information given by voters after they have voted”. This law is designed to stop on-day polling influencing the results, but the lawyers say it covers comments from individuals too, and so please desist. | Usual request for an election day: if you are posting a comment below the line (BTL), please do not tell us how you voted. Under the Representation of the People Act 1983, it is an offence to publish, while the polls are still open, any information about how people have voted based on “information given by voters after they have voted”. This law is designed to stop on-day polling influencing the results, but the lawyers say it covers comments from individuals too, and so please desist. |
| (But if you were to tell us that you expect party X to do very well, that would not be a problem.) | (But if you were to tell us that you expect party X to do very well, that would not be a problem.) |
| Britons have started voting in the European elections. The polling stations opened about two hours ago and, as usual, they will stay open until 10pm. But, because most other EU countries do not vote until Sunday, the votes will not be counted until Sunday night. | Britons have started voting in the European elections. The polling stations opened about two hours ago and, as usual, they will stay open until 10pm. But, because most other EU countries do not vote until Sunday, the votes will not be counted until Sunday night. |
| These are elections, of course, that were never meant to happen, because the UK was supposed to leave the EU in March. But despite being unwanted and unexpected, the results could be more consequential than the results of any other European elections in the UK’s history. According to opinion polls, Nigel Farage’s Brexit party is on course to a win by a huge margin - much more than the two points by which Ukip, which he was then leading, beat Labour in 2014. And some polls have the Tories heading for fifth place. At the very least this is bound to have a considerable influence on what happens in the forthcoming Conservative leadership contest, although Farage claims he could even tear down the two-party political system. | These are elections, of course, that were never meant to happen, because the UK was supposed to leave the EU in March. But despite being unwanted and unexpected, the results could be more consequential than the results of any other European elections in the UK’s history. According to opinion polls, Nigel Farage’s Brexit party is on course to a win by a huge margin - much more than the two points by which Ukip, which he was then leading, beat Labour in 2014. And some polls have the Tories heading for fifth place. At the very least this is bound to have a considerable influence on what happens in the forthcoming Conservative leadership contest, although Farage claims he could even tear down the two-party political system. |
| The fact that Britain is voting will give Theresa May some respite from the intensifying calls for her resignation - mainly because, while polls are open, there are limits to what broadcasters can report. But that does not meant the pressure is going away. As we report in our overnight story (see below), following the resignation of Andrea Leadsom, May is under pressure to make an announcement about the timing of her departure imminently. | The fact that Britain is voting will give Theresa May some respite from the intensifying calls for her resignation - mainly because, while polls are open, there are limits to what broadcasters can report. But that does not meant the pressure is going away. As we report in our overnight story (see below), following the resignation of Andrea Leadsom, May is under pressure to make an announcement about the timing of her departure imminently. |
| Pressure grows on May to quit as Leadsom resigns over Brexit deal | Pressure grows on May to quit as Leadsom resigns over Brexit deal |
| Here is the agenda for the day. | Here is the agenda for the day. |
| 9.05am: Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary, speaks at a Nato cyber defence conference. | 9.05am: Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary, speaks at a Nato cyber defence conference. |
| 10.30am: Business statement in the Commons. Normally Andrea Leadsom, the leader of the Commons, would be giving it, but following her resignation Mark Spencer, a whip, is due to take her place. | 10.30am: Business statement in the Commons. Normally Andrea Leadsom, the leader of the Commons, would be giving it, but following her resignation Mark Spencer, a whip, is due to take her place. |
| 3.30pm: Matt Hancock, the health secretary, speaks at a King’s Fund conference. | 3.30pm: Matt Hancock, the health secretary, speaks at a King’s Fund conference. |
| As usual, I will be covering breaking political news as it happens, as well as bringing you the best reaction, comment and analysis from the web. I plan to post a summary when I wrap up at the end of the day. | As usual, I will be covering breaking political news as it happens, as well as bringing you the best reaction, comment and analysis from the web. I plan to post a summary when I wrap up at the end of the day. |
| You can read all the latest Guardian politics articles here. Here is the Politico Europe round-up of this morning’s political news. And here is the PoliticsHome list of today’s top 10 must-reads. | You can read all the latest Guardian politics articles here. Here is the Politico Europe round-up of this morning’s political news. And here is the PoliticsHome list of today’s top 10 must-reads. |
| If you want to follow me or contact me on Twitter, I’m on @AndrewSparrow. | If you want to follow me or contact me on Twitter, I’m on @AndrewSparrow. |
| I try to monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions, and if they are of general interest, I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise to do this for everyone. | I try to monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions, and if they are of general interest, I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise to do this for everyone. |
| If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter. | If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter. |