Brexit: The past seven days
Donald Trump flew in, the Tory leadership race hotted up, and Labour saw off the Brexit Party in Peterborough.
So what has happened and what will happen next?
– Days to go
146, if Brexit comes on the latest deadline of October 31.
– What happened this week?
US President Donald Trump suggested the NHS would be on the table in any post-Brexit UK-UK trade deal, only to perform a hasty U-turn hours later.
Tory leadership rivals rounded on Dominic Raab over his refusal to rule out suspending Parliament in order to prevent MPs blocking a no-deal Brexit.
Labour won the Peterborough by-election by 683 votes, with the Brexit Party in second place.
– What happens next?
Theresa May’s resignation as Tory leader on Friday formally starts the race to replace her, although in reality the contest is already well under way.
Nominations will take place on Monday, with candidates requiring the support of eight MPs to stand.
The first round of voting by Tory MPs will be held on June 13, with candidates requiring more than 16 votes to survive to the next ballot.
– Good week
Jeremy Corbyn
Success in Leave-supporting Peterborough will give the Labour leader some respite from the pressure to change course over his Brexit policy.
– Bad week
Nigel Farage
The Brexit Party was unable to repeat its European election success in a first-past-the-post Westminster contest, although it came far closer than a fledgling party could normally be expected to manage.
– Quote of the week
“I don’t see it being on the table” – Donald Trump on the NHS in an interview with Piers Morgan just hours after telling a press conference: “When you’re dealing in trade, everything is on the table – so NHS or anything else, a lot more than that, but everything will be on the table, absolutely”.
– Tweet of the week
Matt Hancock called on Tory leadership candidates to rule out proroguing Parliament, saying it “undermines parliamentary democracy and risks a general election”.
Proroguing Parliament undermines parliamentary democracy and risks a general election. I rule it out and call on all candidates to do the same pic.twitter.com/4aaAK3Tq8M
— Matt Hancock (@MattHancock) June 6, 2019
– Word of the week
Prorogation
The suspension of Parliament at the end of a session.
Hardline Brexiteers view it as a mechanism to prevent MPs voting to block a no-deal Brexit on October 31.
Critics say it would risk drawing the Queen into a constitutional crisis and would be a democratic outrage.
