The political week in 5 points
By: Jamie Pow
Tags: Dup, Backstop, Brexit, Donald Trump, European Council

Still no deal between EU and UK. Theresa May was back in Brussels on Wednesday to try and convince fellow EU leaders to give the UK more time to negotiate a Withdrawal Agreement. Having ended up at an impasse over the Irish border ‘backstop’, she told the European Council that the UK would consider extending the transition period by up to a year in order to make it less likely that the ‘backstop’ would ever be implemented. Back home, the Prime Minister faces a mounting challenge to get any deal passed by the House of Commons. On the one hand, Conservative MPs like Nick Boles are advocating a Norway-style interim deal whereby the UK stays in the European Economic Area. On the other, hardline Brexiteers poured scorn on the idea that the transition period be extended. Theresa May will appear before backbenchers on Wednesday to try and avoid a no confidence vote on her leadership.

In London, nearly 700,000 people marched in support of a People’s Vote.It received support from politicians across all the main parties at Westminster, except the DUP. With no violence or arrests, the BBC’s Andrew Neil commented, “This is what a mature democracy is supposed to look like.” Conservative MP Anna Soubry said a new referendum was “the only solution … when the government can’t even decide what its own policy is.” Labour MP Chuka Umuna described Brexit as “the biggest issue since the Second World War,” and called on his party to “be on the right place on it.” Keir Starmer, his party’s Brexit spokesperson, told Andrew Marr, “I think the fact of the march, the size of the march is significant. But, I think it reflects a much bigger group, I think Leave and Remain, who are utterly losing confidence in the Prime Minister’s ability to bring back a deal.” Protestors also gathered in Belfast in a ‘Rally for Remain’.

International pressure mounts on Saudi Arabia. After a succession of contradictions over the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi, Saudi Arabia now claims that the journalist had been accidentally killed in a “fist fight” at its Consulate in Istanbul. The UK, France and Germany issued a joint statement expressing scepticism at the Saudi ‘explanation’: “There remains an urgent need for clarification of exactly what happened… beyond the hypotheses that have been raised so far in the Saudi investigation, which need to be backed by facts to be considered credible.” The response from the United States has been mixed. President Trump called for an investigation, but heaped praise on Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, increasingly suspected of authorising Mr Khashoggi’s assassination. “He has very good control,” said the President. “He’s seen as a person who can keep things under check. I mean that in a positive way,” he added.”

‘Battle to save the Union from the DUP’, Robin Swann tells UUP conference. Earlier in the week, the DUP’s Nigel Dodds said Brexit had become “a battle to save the Union itself.” In his second annual speech as leader, Mr Swann expressed his frustration at revelations of incompetence through the RHI inquiry and the continued inactivity at Stormont: “It’s not difficult to see why the public are totally scundered with the lot of us.” Notably, he also said he felt “angry” about how “unionism has been dragged into the gutter by the DUP.” However, despite criticising the DUP’s more cavalier approach to Brexit, there were basic similarities between the two parties over the proposed ‘backstop’. “It would effectively make Northern Ireland an EU protectorate,” said the UUP leader.

Nick Clegg heading to Silicon Valley to work for Facebook. The former Deputy Prime Minister, who lost his seat at the last general election, will become the social media giant’s Head of Global Policy and Communications. “It is time to build bridges between politics and tech so that tech can become the servant of progress and optimism, not a source of fear and suspicion,” said Mr Clegg, explaining his decision. He has previously been a critic of the company, criticising its role in spreading misinformation in an article for the Evening Standard two years ago: “I actually find the messianic Californian new-worldy-touchy-feely culture of Facebook a little grating. Nor am I sure that companies such as Facebook really pay all the tax they could — though that’s as much the fault of governments who still haven’t got their tax act together,” he wrote. Mr Clegg appears to think he can now help moderate the industry from within: “If the tech industry can work sensibly with governments, regulators, parliaments and civic society around the world, I believe we can enhance the benefits of technology while diminishing the often unintended downsides.” Some might call it a coalition agreement.