PRIME MINISTER Theresa May’s Brexit deal has suffered a staggering defeat for the second time in parliament on Tuesday evening (12), as uncertainties rise ahead of the UK leaving the European Union later this month.
Parliament voted against the deal by 391 votes to 242. According to reports, 75 Conservative MPs rebelled and voted against the prime minister’s deal.
The move risks unleashing economic chaos and uncertainty, as Britain is scheduled to end ties with the EU on March 29 – and no deal has been made thus far.
Addressing the Commons after the vote, Theresa May said she “profoundly regretted” the decision made by MPs.
“Voting against leaving without a deal, and for an extension, does not solve the problems we face,” she told the House. “The EU will want to know what use we want to make of that extension. The house will have to answer that question.”
She also suggested she would vote against a no-deal, acknowledging the "potential damage" leaving the EU without a deal would do.
As Eastern Eye went to press on Tuesday, MPs were due to vote on Wednesday (13), on whether the UK should leave without the EU without a deal, and Thursday (14), on whether to request an extension to article 50.
After MPs first rejected the 585-page Brexit deal in January, May promised changes to the backstop plan which is intended to keep open the border with Ireland.
Weeks of talks failed to make a breakthrough, but May made a last-minute trip to Strasbourg to meet EU leaders on the eve of the vote.
She announced she had secured the promised "legally binding changes" to the backstop, which would keep Britain in the EU's customs union if and until a new way was found to avoid frontier checks.
Reacting to the news of the defeat, opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn said the prime minister needed to accept that her deal did not have the support of parliament.
Calling for no-deal to be taken off the table, he added that it was now “the time for a general election”.
Subsequent to the vote, a spokesperson for the president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, said they were “disappointed” that the government had been unable to ensure a majority for the withdrawal agreement.
"On the EU side, we have done all that is possible to reach an agreement. Given the additional assurances provided by the EU in December, January and yesterday, it is difficult to see what more we can do,” they said. “If there is a solution to the current impasse it can only be found in London.”
They continued: "With only 17 days left (until) 29 March, today's vote has significantly increased the likelihood of a 'no-deal' Brexit. We will continue our no-deal preparations and ensure that we will be ready if such a scenario arises.”
They added if the UK reasoned request for an extension, the EU would consider it and decide by unanimity.
A spokeswoman for European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker shared similar sentiments, confirming that an extension would be considered.
Reacting to the defeat, Jacob Rees-Mogg, chair of the Brexit-backing European Research Group and a prominent Anti-Brexiteer, raised concerns that extending the Article 50 leaving date would not solve the problem.
London mayor Sadiq Khan suggested the prime minister withdraw Article 50, while Labour MP David Lammy said the only “responsible option” would be to “rule out no-deal, delay Article 50 and seek ratification in a people’s vote which offers the option to remain.”
“Any other path will cause irrevocable damage,” he added.
Labour MP Virendra Sharma said if the country suffered a no-deal Brexit, the blame would “lie squarely at the feet of the prime minister”.
“Her arrogance at trying to secure her deal rather than the one this country needs will be the reason,” he said on social media.
Britons voted by 52-48 percent in 2016 to leave the EU, but the decision has not only divided the main parties but also exposed deep rifts in British society, bringing concerns about immigration and globalisation to the fore.
Some worry that Brexit will leave Britain economically weaker and with its security capabilities depleted.
Supporters say it allows Britain to control immigration and take advantage of global opportunities, striking new trade deals with the United States and others while still keeping close links to the EU, which, even without Britain, would be a single market of 440 million people.
THE NHS said on Thursday (19) it will not offer two new treatments for Alzheimer's disease, citing high costs and "too small" benefits.
Donanemab and Lecanemab have been hailed as breakthrough treatments for slowing down the symptoms of early-stage Alzheimer's, the most common type of dementia.
They are active substances used to treat adults with mild memory and cognitive problems. They target a cause of the disease by binding to amyloid, a protein which builds up in the brains of people living with Alzheimer's, rather than just treating the symptoms.
According to NHS spending watchdog NICE, the medicines have been effective in delaying the progression from mild to moderate Alzheimer's by four to six months.
But, the benefits were "too small to justify the additional cost to the NHS".
Last year, NHS England suggested in a briefing that the cost of bringing the drugs to the service could be £500 million to £1 billion per year.
Donanemab is sold as Kisunla by American pharma giant Eli Lilly and Lecanemab as Leqembi by Japan-based Eisai. Both labs have said they will appeal the decision.
Chris Stokes, Eli Lilly UK and Europe president said: "If the system can't deliver scientific firsts to NHS patients, it is broken."
Both treatments were approved last year by the UK's medicines regulator for treating early stages of Alzheimer's.
Donanemab is advertised as costing between £60,000 and £80,000 per year, according to Alzheimer's Research UK.
In April, Leqembi became the first such medicine approved for sale in the EU based on its health watchdog's endorsement following initial misgivings.
"Naturally, there is disappointment that the first breakthrough treatments won't be available on the NHS," said Siddharthan Chandran, director of UK Dementia Research Institute.
However, he said the drugs paved the path for "more affordable and effective treatments and diagnostics".
"NICE is simply doing its job," said Atticus Hainsworth, professor of Cerebrovascular Disease at the University of London.
He added however that the new drugs had shown that "the needle can be moved in dementia" treatment.
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TWO survivors of grooming gangs have called for politicians to step back and let women shape the new national inquiry into child sexual exploitation.
Holly Archer and Scarlett Jones, who helped run a local inquiry in Telford, said the political fighting over vulnerable women must stop before the investigation begins, the Guardian reported.
"We have to put politics aside when it comes to child sexual exploitation, we have to stop this tug of war with vulnerable women," said Archer, who wrote a book about her experiences called I Never Gave My Consent: A Schoolgirl's Life Inside the Telford Sex Ring.
"There are so many voices that need to be heard. There's some voices, though, that need to step away. We can do it, let us do it – we don't need you to speak on our behalf," she was quoted as saying.
Jones, who works with Archer at the Holly Project support service, said people were taking advantage of survivors. "There are so many people out there at this moment exploiting the exploited – it's happening all the time," she explained.
Both women use false names to protect themselves and their families. Archer said she no longer uses social media after receiving threats. "I've been called a paedophile myself, a paedophile enabler, a grooming gang supporter. They said they hope my daughter gets raped. It's just constant," she said.
She also described how the far-right Britain First group gave her leaflets in Telford after her book came out in 2016. "They handed me leaflets that had quotes from my own book in them. They didn't know it was me, and they were telling me I was very pro what they were doing. It was insane," she said.
The government announced this week that police will collect ethnicity data for all child sexual abuse cases. This follows a report by Louise Casey that found evidence of "overrepresentation" of men of Asian and Pakistani heritage among suspects in some areas.
However, Casey also said police data from one region showed that the races of child abuse suspects matched the local population. She urged the public to "keep calm" over the ethnicities of offenders.
Archer said collecting ethnicity data was important but people should not rely on stereotypes. While she was abused from age 14 by men of Pakistani origin, most of the men who "bought" and raped her as a child were Chinese. Jones said she was first abused within her own white family before being drawn into a child sexual abuse racket.
"Nobody wants to know about that because that doesn't meet their narrative," Archer said. "You're told that you're just not relevant, that it didn't really happen to you anyway. You're a liar. You're a fake person."
The new inquiry will coordinate five existing local investigations through an independent commission with full legal powers. The National Crime Agency will lead efforts to reopen historical group-based child sexual abuse cases, with more than 800 cases set for review.
Both women welcomed the plans but criticised the previous independent inquiry into child sexual abuse led by Prof Alexis Jay.
"Years later, nothing has been done, none of the recommendations have been implemented," Jones said. "The worry is that that is what will happen again."
The government will also change the law so that all sexual acts with children under 16 are charged as rape, and will quash criminal convictions of victims who were prosecuted for offences while being exploited.
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Canadian prime minister Mark Carney and India's prime minister Narendra Modi shake hands before posing for a photo during the G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis, in Alberta, Canada, June 17, 2025. (Photo: Reuters)
INDIA is involved in foreign interference in Canada, according to a report published on Wednesday by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS).
The report was released shortly after Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and Canadian prime minister Mark Carney held talks during the G7 summit in Alberta.
Modi and Carney agreed to restore the top diplomats both countries had withdrawn in 2023. Both governments described the meeting as productive.
Carney's decision to invite Modi to the G7 drew criticism from some members of Canada’s Sikh community. Tensions between the two countries have remained since September 2023, when then-prime minister Justin Trudeau accused India’s government of playing a role in the June 18, 2023, killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader in Canada.
India has denied involvement in Nijjar’s killing and has accused Canada of sheltering Sikh separatists.
The CSIS report said transnational repression is “a central role in India’s activity in Canada,” but added that China is the biggest counter-intelligence threat. It also named Russia, Iran, and Pakistan.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in October they had communicated more than a dozen threats to Sikhs advocating for an independent homeland carved out of India.
“Indian officials, including their Canada-based proxy agents, engage in a range of activities that seek to influence Canadian communities and politicians,” the CSIS report said. “These activities attempt to steer Canada’s positions into alignment with India’s interests on key issues, particularly with respect to how the Indian government perceives Canada-based supporters of an independent homeland that they call Khalistan.”
The Indian High Commission and the Chinese embassy in Canada did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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Debris of Air India flight 171 is pictured after it crashed in a residential area near the airport in Ahmedabad on June 13, 2025.
A MINUTE of silence will be observed in Leicester on Sunday, June 22, to remember those who died in the recent Air India crash. The silence will take place during the inauguration of the annual Rathayatra festival of chariots in the city centre.
Organisers from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness confirmed the silence will be held at 11.20am, followed by traditional Hindu performances from Gujarat at Gallowtree Gate, outside Sports Direct.
The society’s president, Pradyumna Das, told Leicester Mercury: "Though a joyous occasion, this year's festival is marred by the tragic loss of so many lives in the plane crash, impacting families here in Leicester. Today we pray for the departed in hope for their reunion with the Supreme Lord."
The Air India flight crashed shortly after take-off in Ahmedabad on Thursday, June 12. Of the 242 people on board, only one survived – Leicester man Viswash Kumar Ramesh. Among the dead were 53 British nationals, including several from Leicester.
The welcome ceremony for the festival starts at 9am. The chariot procession will begin after the inauguration and reach Cossington Park at 2.30pm for a free celebration.
Pradyumna told Leicester Mercury: "While we observe a world plagued with division and disharmony, this festival shares the wisdom of the Bhagavad-gita to encourage us to see the true spiritual nature of all beings. This means going beyond sectarianism and even religious affiliation. In the Rathayatra festival, the Lord of the universe, Jagannatha, rides through the city to offer his glance of love to everyone."
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The discount is funded and distributed by energy companies across England, Scotland and Wales, but the government decides who qualifies. (Representational image: iStock)
MILLIONS of households in Britain will receive £150 off their energy bills this winter after the government changed the eligibility rules for the Warm Home Discount.
People on means-tested benefits will now automatically qualify for the discount, regardless of their property's size or energy score. This change is expected to extend support to 2.7 million additional households, including nearly a million with children.
The discount is funded and distributed by energy companies across England, Scotland and Wales, but the government decides who qualifies. Under the previous rules, only those on the guaranteed element of pension credit or on means-tested benefits living in homes with a high energy score were eligible.
Simon Francis from the End Fuel Poverty Coalition told BBC: "With bills still hundreds of pounds higher than in 2020, millions will continue to face unaffordable energy and cold, damp homes this winter."
The expansion of the scheme follows the government's recent decision to reinstate the Winter Fuel Payment for most pensioners.
Although energy companies will cover the cost of the expanded discount, it may be passed on to all customers through a rise in the Standing Charge, BBC reported. The government says savings from reduced energy company spending and improved debt management will offset this.
Energy UK's chief executive Dhara Vyas welcomed the move and said she hoped for "a new improved targeted support scheme".
Chancellor Rachel Reeves recently confirmed £13.2bn for the government's Warm Homes Plan to improve energy efficiency in homes.