Conservative MPs opposed to Theresa May's Brexit plan have met to discuss how and when they could force her to stand down as prime minister.

About 50 members of the European Research Group (ERG) openly discussed "how best you game the leadership election rules," a source said.

Meanwhile, the Tory Party’s self-destriuction continues.


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-45488136

It was going to destroy itself one way or another over the EU anyway - the idea that holding a referendum would somehow stop that from happening was a massive miscalculation by Cameron.

Less than 200 days, and the Tories could well be distracted by a leadership challenge in that time. AND there may well be another General Election.

True but labour are in a pickle to so they are not in any shape to be able to capitalise on it

Labour are in world of pain, all self inflicted, and will continue along the same path for some time ...

Meanwhile, the leave camp has some related police enquires to look forward to, as well as paying some fines.

Electoral Commission 'misinterpreted' Vote Leave expenses, court rules.

The High Court found that Vote Leave broke the law in a new way
England & Wales's High Court has ruled that Vote Leave broke campaign spending limits in addition to the way that the Electoral Commission previously said they did.

The High Court has ruled today that Vote Leave did break their spending limit and so the law when they gave £625,000 to the young Brexit campaigner Darren Grimes ahead of the European Referendum. However, people have got confused about how this relates to the Electoral Commission’s decision to fine both Vote Leave and Grimes back in July. So I've read the whole ruling to work out what's going on.

[...]

Both the Leave and the Remain campaigns have some legitimate grievance here. If Leave was, as it claims, told by the Electoral Commission that their donation to Grimes was allowed, then they have now been told by the High Court that it was not. However, the breach of the rules for which they were fined earlier this year was a slightly different question: it is absolutely clear in the published Electoral Commission guidelines that spending on “joint campaigns” will all be counted against the lead campaign’s expenditure.

Likewise, if the Commission’s incorrect interpretation of the law effectively allowed the official Leave Campaign to spend more than the official Remain campaign, then Remainers have significant grounds for grievance.

Because Vote Leave was up against its spending limits, it couldn’t spend in its own name. But the commission ruling opened the door for it to donate £620,000 to Grimes to pay for advertising services he purchased from AggregateIQ – the same data analytics and online advertising firm Vote Leave had been using for similar services – and to donate £100,000 to Veterans for Britain (which was also spent with AIQ).

Stronger In was also up against its spending limits. But because it didn’t get the advice from the commission, it had to stop spending. And this morning the high court decided that advice given to Vote Leave by the commission was wrong. The consequence is that the commission unlawfully tilted the playing field.

Brexit "fundamentalists" will cause the UK "years of economic pain" to justify the "erotic spasm" of leaving the EU, Sir Vince Cable is set to say.

Speaking at his party's conference later, he will warn that those "least able to afford it" will suffer most.

The Lib Dem leader will call on Theresa May to "shock us all" and back a referendum on the Brexit deal she strikes with Brussels.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-45553411

"Erotic spasm".

The UK narrowly voted in favour of Leave in the EU referendum, but with six months to go until Brexit, where does the country stand now?

From whether the UK should hold another referendum, to what Brexit means for the economy, the opinion polls reveal a great deal about what the country thinks.

Nissan becomes latest manufacturer to warn against hard Brexit

The Japanese carmaker Nissan has warned the government that serious disruption will be caused to its huge manufacturing operation in the north-east of England if the UK fails to secure a deal with the EU that avoids a hard Brexit.

Carlos Ghosn, the chair of Nissan, has described its British operations as “a European investment based in the UK”, which employs almost 8,000 people, mostly at its factory near Sunderland. A further 30,000 people are employed in UK companies supplying Nissan.

Toyota would be forced to halt car production in the UK and BMW could shift production of the Mini to the Netherlands if there is a no-deal Brexit, car manufacturers warned at the Paris Motor Show.

Johan Van Zyl, the chief executive of Toyota Europe, said it would have to temporarily close its Derbyshire plant, which employs about 2,600 people, and its future would be uncertain.

Got an appointment for Eingürgerung next week. Will see what I have to do to get German citizenship.

If it is completed by the end of March, I can probably keep dual citizenship.