'Brexit' claims its second scalp: Theresa May announces resignation as UK PM

Harry Yorke
The Telegraph

Theresa May has confirmed that she will resign as leader of the Conservative Party on 7 June in order for a leadership election to take place this summer.

Following a widespread revolt over her 'new Brexit deal', the Prime Minister has finally caved to growing calls from her MPs to step down. Her decision follows a meeting with Sir Graham Brady, the leader of backbench Tories, in Downing Street this morning.

Mrs May said that the process of electing her successor would begin the week after she finally stepped down as Conservative leader. She said she had informed the Queen that she would continue to serve as Prime Minister until that process was complete.

In an emotional statement on the steps of Downing Street, she said she had "done my best" to get her Withdrawal Agreement Bill through Parliament but acknowledged she had failed to do so. 


"It is and will always remain a matter of deep regret to me that I have not been able to deliver Brexit," she said.

"I have striven to make the UK a country that works not just for a privileged few but for everyone and to honour the result of the EU referendum." 

Read more

“The Sloppy Dossier”: Plagiarism and “Fake Intelligence” Used to Justify the War on Iraq: Copied and Pasted from the Internet into an “Official” British Intel Report

Glen Rangwala and Prof Michel Chossudovsky
Global Research

Fifteen years ago, the illegal invasion of Iraq. March  21, 2003.

While the Chilcot Inquiry report was released in 2016, it is worth noting that most of the dodgy dossier evidence pertaining to Tony Blair and George W, Bush was available before the onset of the Iraq war in March 2003.  

Fake intelligence as well as plagiarized quotations had been slipped into an official intelligence report pertaining to Iraq’s WMD presented to the UN Security Council by Secretary of State Colin Powell on February 5, 2003.  

Damning evidence refuting Colin Powell’s official intelligence report was revealed by Cambridge Lecturer Dr. Glen Rangwala (image right) on  Britain’s Channel 4 TV on February 6, 2003, on the day following Secretary of State Colin Powell’s historic Iraq WMD presentation to the UN Security Council: 

“I would call my colleagues’ attention to the fine paper that the United Kingdom distributed . . . which describes in exquisite detail Iraqi deception activities.” (Colin Powell, UN Security Council, February 5, 2003)

Powell was referring to “Iraq Its Infrastructure Of Concealment, Deception And Intimidation”, published on January 30, 2003.

According to Rangwala, the  British intelligence document was fake. It had not been prepared by British intelligence. It was copied and pasted from the internet by members of Tony Blair’s staff:   

The Downing Street authors state they drew “upon a number of sources, including intelligence material” (p.1, first sentence). In fact, they copied material from at least three different authors and gave no credit to them. Indeed, they plagiarized, directly cutting and pasting or near quoting.
A close textual analysis suggests that the UK authors had little access to first-hand intelligence sources and instead based their work on academic papers, which they selectively distorted. Some of the papers used were considerably out of date. This leads the reader to wonder about the reliability and veracity of the Downing Street document.

It was a fake document prepared on the instructions of prime minister Blair with a view to building a “credible” justification to wage war on Iraq. 

Read more

Downing Street accused of cover-up over senior aide Patrick Rock's arrest on child abuse images allegations

The Independent

David Cameron has been accused of a cover-up after one of his most senior aides was arrested on suspicion of possessing child abuse images. 

Patrick Rock, who had been working on a Downing Street policy committee for internet pornography filters, was reportedly told he was under investigation for possessing the images a number of hours before his arrest on 13 February.

He then quietly resigned, and the matter only came to light when officials at Number 10 were questioned about it directly on Monday.

According to a Labour MP the delay has the appearance of a “cover-up” - and the fact that Mr Rock was given advance warning of the allegations was a Government “interfer[ence] with the justice system”.

A spokesperson for the Prime Minister has confirmed Downing Street was first made aware of the alleged offence regarding child abuse imagery on the evening of 12 February.

But speaking in the West Midlands yesterday, Mr Cameron defended the position his office had taken.

“I don't think it would be right to pre-emptively brief out a criminal investigation and that's why we did not do that,” he said.

“But as soon as questions were asked, as questions would inevitably be asked, we have given very full and straightforward answers, which is absolutely the right way to answer this.

“I've been clear right along and I was told about this issue pretty much as soon as it was discovered and I have been very clear we must handle this in an absolutely correct way and I am satisfied that is what No 10 Downing Street has done.”

Backbencher John Mann MP said said it was “mysterious” that the situation had not emerged earlier.

“There has been a bodged attempt at media manipulation which is wholly unacceptable from 10 Downing Street,” he said. “Of course they should have revealed it proactively.”

And he told the Telegraph: “It gives the impression of a clumsy attempt at a cover-up. If Mr Rock was told [of the allegations] before his arrest it an issue, it would interfere with the justice system.”

Mr Rock was arrested at his London home in the early hours of the morning of 13 February.  The matter was immediately referred to the National Crime Agency and he resigned his position as deputy head of the policy unit.

Mr Rock has been an influential figure behind the scenes in the Conservative Party for decades, has made three unsuccessful bids to become an MP, and is reported to have been in line for a peerage.

It emerged this week that he had also been accused of harassing a Downing Street colleague in the past.

Additional reporting by PA