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Live updates: Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister, resigns

Published

3 years ago

July 7, 2022

Live updates: Boris Johnson, UK Prime Minister, resigns

Prime, left to proper: Sajid Javid, Michael Gove, Suella Braverman, Steve Baker, Nadhim Zahawi (Getty Photos)

As disaster after disaster has engulfed Boris Johnson in current months, so rivals of Britain’s beleaguered Prime Minister have been plotting behind closed doorways to exchange him.

After a dramatic cascade of almost 60 resignations by lawmakers and authorities officers, Johnson was pressured to begrudgingly announce on Thursday that he would step down.

Listed below are the potential contenders to succeed him as the brand new chief of the Conservative Get together:

Rishi Sunak

The previous chancellor was Johnson’s presumed successor for a number of months after he gained reward for overseeing Britain’s preliminary monetary response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

However Sunak’s inventory sank earlier this 12 months after revelations that his spouse had non-domicile tax standing within the UK and that he held a US inexperienced card whereas a minister. He’s, nevertheless, nonetheless among the many bookmakers’ odds-on favorites to take Johnson’s job.

Sajid Javid

Like Sunak, Well being Secretary Sajid Javid resigned this week over the botched dealing with of the resignation of Johnson’s former deputy chief whip in a sexual misconduct scandal. Though Javid’s resignation speech sounded very very similar to a pitch for Prime Minister, outlining methods to reshape the get together for future generations, it’s not but clear whether or not he’ll run.

Liz Truss

The overseas secretary, who has made her management ambitions recognized lately, might now be in pole place. Truss is common amongst Conservative members, who would choose the eventual winner of a contest. Final month, a supply working within the International Workplace advised CNN that Truss had been in “countless conferences with MPs,” and that “it has been insinuated that she’s seeing what her help base is, ought to the time come.” Truss’ workplace denied that any covert management bid was coming.

Penny Mordaunt

The commerce minister is without doubt one of the bookmakers’ favorites to exchange Johnson. After final month’s confidence vote, Penny Mordaunt declined to touch upon whether or not she backed Johnson, elevating eyebrows amongst Westminster observers when she stated: “I did not select this Prime Minister.”

Tom Tugendhat

A former British army officer who chairs the International Affairs Choose Committee, Tom Tugendhat has been certainly one of Johnson’s most sturdy critics and has made no secret of his need to turn into Prime Minister.

Nadhim Zahawi

Lower than two days after he was appointed to chancellor, changing Sunak, Nadhim Zahawi publicly known as on Johnson to resign. Till his promotion, Zahawi, who joined the cupboard lower than a 12 months in the past, was thought of an unlikely selection as the following Prime Minister. However his rise beneath Johnson has been speedy, making his mark with early success as vaccines minister amid the coronavirus pandemic after which as schooling secretary.

Jeremy Hunt

A former well being and overseas secretary, Jeremy Hunt misplaced the 2019 management vote to Johnson. He has since styled himself as an antidote to Johnson and is with out query the best profile contender on the average, ex-Stay facet of the get together.

Learn concerning the different contenders right here.

Related Topics:Featured Live updates: Boris Johnson resigns uk UK Prime Minister

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News

Trump Shuts Down CBP One App, Signaling the Start of His Immigration Crackdown

Published

2 hours ago

January 20, 2025

Press Room

Trump Shuts Down CBP One App, Signaling the Start of His Immigration Crackdown

The Trump administration on Monday abruptly closed down a government program created by the Biden administration to allow migrants to use an app to secure an appointment for admission into the United States through legal ports of entry, signaling the start of President Trump’s promised crackdown at the southern border.

Moments after Mr. Trump took the oath of office, an announcement posted on the CBP One program’s website declared that the app would no longer function and that “existing appointments have been canceled.”

The program, which debuted in early 2023, allowed 1,450 migrants a day to schedule a time to present themselves at a port of entry and seek asylum through U.S. immigration courts. More than 900,000 migrants entered the country using the app from its launch in the beginning of 2023 to the end of 2024.

A former Department of Homeland Security official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that around 30,000 migrants had appointments to enter the United States through the app as of Monday morning.

At the El Chaparral border crossing in Tijuana, Mexico, dozens of migrants who stared at their phone screens trying to check whether their appointments were still valid instead found the crushing message that they no longer existed.

“I am in shock,” said Maura Hernandez, who received the news on Monday morning as she arrived in Tijuana with her four small children from the state of Michoacán. She had a scheduled appointment on Tuesday.

“I don’t know what is going to happen to us,” she said, adding that they had fled their home amid rampant insecurity.

The program was a key part of the Biden administration’s effort to gain control over migration through the southern border. On the one hand, the administration blocked asylum for migrants who crossed illegally. At the same time, U.S. officials believed that by offering migrants an organized way to enter legally through an app, they could discourage attempts to gain entry without authorization. Border numbers have dropped dramatically in recent months, and officials believe the program is a major reason.

“I would say that the model that we have built of restricting asylum at our southern border and building accessible, lawful, safe and orderly pathways for individuals to seek relief under our laws is the model that should be sustained,” said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in an interview with NPR this month. “And we have delivered the border and those accessible pathways to the incoming administration.”

The end of the program will test that theory as the Trump administration moves toward a more restrictive policy at the border. The former homeland security official said that they estimated that, in total, nearly 300,000 migrants were in Mexico waiting to use the app.

“We are so disappointed,” said Gustavo Selva from Venezuela after reading the update on his phone that the program had been shut down. He had received hopeful news of his scheduled appointment 21 days ago.

Two days ago, however, he received an email informing him that it had been delayed until Feb. 9. By then, he had already traveled to Tijuana from the southern state of Chiapas after waiting there for seven months for his appointment to go through.

“We thought we could enter today without a problem,” Mr. Selva added. “Now we will be stranded here indefinitely.”

Critics of the program, especially Republican lawmakers, viewed it as a way to allow those who otherwise had no way of entering the U.S. to come into the country and remain for years as their immigration cases languished in the courts.

“The fact that this application exists is the most underreported scandal of the Biden admin. They made an application to facilitate illegal immigration. It boggles the mind,” Vice President JD Vance said in a social media post last week.

Matthew Hudak, a former senior Border Patrol official, said the decision was a clear sign that things were changing at the southern border.

“Simply wanting to immigrate to the U.S. and signing up to get in line will be replaced by more stringent policies that will significantly raise the bar for those seeking to come here, including reimplementing the Remain in Mexico program,” he said. “Many will be left to decide if they will work through the legal process or attempt to enter the country illegally and face what will likely be much more significant consequences.”

Aline Corpus contributed reporting from Tijuana, Mexico.

News

Donald Trump vows new ‘golden age’ for US as he moves to unwind Joe Biden era

Published

3 hours ago

January 20, 2025

Press Room

Donald Trump vows new ‘golden age’ for US as he moves to unwind Joe Biden era

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Donald Trump promised a “golden age of America”, as he used his inaugural address to unveil sweeping moves to undo Joe Biden’s policies and reverse a “crisis of trust” he said had engulfed the government.

The new president announced aggressive new steps to boost energy production and curb immigration as he vowed to quickly deliver on the populist and nationalist platform that swept him to victory in last year’s White House race.

Trump also spoke of his own return to the White House as both personal vindication, following two assassination attempts, and a mission for dramatic overhauls of domestic and foreign policy.

“I was saved by God to make America great again,” he said, in a speech that included echoes of his dystopian description of “American carnage” in his first inaugural address in 2017.

“For many years, a radical and corrupt establishment has extracted power and wealth from our citizens while the pillars of our society lay broken and seemingly in complete disrepair,” he said.

“We now have a government that cannot manage even a simple crisis at home, while at the same time stumbling into a continuing catalogue of catastrophic events abroad,” he said.

Trump said his return to office meant “America’s decline is over”, as he vowed to “again build the strongest military the world has ever seen”. But he also hinted at a new era of American expansion, when he said the country would take back control of the Panama Canal.

He echoed his campaign promises to end wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, saying he would be a “peacemaker”.

“We will measure our success not only by the battles we win but also by the wars that we end and, perhaps more importantly, the wars we never get into,” Trump said. “My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier.”

In an apparent reference to previous efforts to prosecute him, Trump vowed “never again will the immense power of the state be weaponised to persecute political opponents”. He has previously threatened to prosecute his own political foes.

Former presidents including George W Bush and Barack Obama attended the ceremony, while technology billionaires such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos who have recently flocked to Trump’s side had prime spots in the audience.

Trump re-enters the White House with broader support from the public and business community than when he left office in 2021, just weeks after his supporters stormed the US Capitol to try to reverse Biden’s election.

Trump now faces the daunting task of delivering on his promise to lower the cost of living for middle-class households, a pledge that was his most potent political weapon in his victorious campaign against Kamala Harris.

The new president said he would declare national emergencies on issues including immigration and energy, giving the president power to rush through new measures. As he was speaking, the White House said it was withdrawing from the Paris climate accord.

But Trump stopped short of announcing new tariffs immediately, instead planning to release a memorandum instructing government agencies to re-evaluate America’s trade relations with trading partners including China, Mexico and Canada.

The hesitance suggests his top aides are grappling with how aggressively to impose levies on America’s top trading partners. But Trump said tariffs would still be forthcoming.

“Instead of taxing our citizens to enrich other countries, we will tariff and tax foreign countries to enrich our citizens,” he said.

Before he spoke, the dollar dropped about 1 per cent against a basket of other currencies in US morning trading, putting it on course for its biggest daily decline in more than five months.

Trump’s return to the White House has unnerved some of America’s closest allies who fear a further lurch towards protectionism and new turn towards isolationism in Washington.

But staunch conservative world leaders have cheered his election victory. Javier Milei, the president of Argentina, and Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s prime minister, were among leaders attending his inauguration.

News

What to know about Donald Trump’s planned ‘national energy emergency’ declaration

Published

4 hours ago

January 20, 2025

Press Room

What to know about Donald Trump’s planned ‘national energy emergency’ declaration

Incoming President Donald Trump will declare a “national energy emergency” and roll back Biden-era environmental protections after he’s sworn into office, White House officials said Monday morning.

The new administration will enact a suite of reforms geared towards boosting U.S. fossil fuel production at a time when the country has set records as the biggest energy producer in the history of the world.

Those reforms will include reopening parts of Alaska for energy exploration, and getting rid of a requirement on auto manufacturers to phase down greenhouse gas emissions from cars.

Officials touted the plans as a way to lower costs for consumers and supply energy for technologies important for national security. They will set back the country’s progress when it comes to addressing climate change.

What will the executive orders say?

By declaring a national emergency on energy, Trump will make it a priority of his administration to increase the domestic production of oil and other forms of fossil-fuel energy, officials said. It comes as U.S. crude oil production has already hit an all-time high over the past year.

Another executive order by Trump will roll back environmental protections in parts of Alaska, which officials called a “geostrategic” location, after Biden took action to limit both oil and gas drilling and mining in the state.

The scope of the Alaska order wasn’t immediately clear, though Trump has promised to work to overturn Biden’s recent action to ban offshore drilling on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

The administration will also end the so-called “electric vehicle mandate,” Trump’s phrase for a Environmental Protection Agency rule that requires auto manufacturers cut greenhouse gas emissions by half in new light- and medium-duty vehicles beginning in 2027.

Trump, who campaigned on lowering costs for consumers, will also sign a presidential memorandum directing government agencies to focus on bringing down inflation.

Other actions are aimed at cutting “red tape” and “regulations” that have hurt the American economy, officials said. It wasn’t immediately clear which regulations Trump will target.

What could be the impact?

The suite of reforms will slow the country’s progress when it comes to addressing climate change, a trend that has made weather calamities more common worldwide and imposes large costs on the global economy every year.

The effect on consumer prices is difficult to predict, analysts say. Increasing the world’s energy supply would likely bring down costs for consumers in the long run, and energy is a key part of the U.S.’ strategy on the world stage. At the same time, the policy tools available to the president are limited, and they could take a while to translate into lower prices at the gas pump.

Trump’s decision to end the clean vehicle rules will hinder the electric vehicle industry, which has created thousands of jobs across the U.S., including in Arizona. Some analysts believe that market forces will still drive a transition to electric vehicles in the long term.

‘Drill, baby, drill’

Talking to reporters Monday morning, incoming administration officials touted the effort as delivering on Trump’s promise to “drill, baby, drill” to deliver for the country’s economy.

They will help the U.S. “stay at the global forefront” of technology and provide power for technologies important for national security, like artificial intelligence, officials said.

“If I don’t win, you will have no auto industry in two to three years,” Trump said at a rally in Michigan last year. “China’s going to take all of your business because of the electric car.”

USA TODAY’s Joey Garrison contributed to this report.