Major defeat for British PM as lawmakers seize Brexit agenda
LONDON — On a day of humiliating setbacks, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson suffered a major defeat in Parliament on Tuesday night as rebellious lawmakers voted to seize control of the Brexit agenda, prompting the embattled leader to say he would call for a new general election.
The 328 to 301 vote, made possible by 21 fellow Conservatives who turned their back on Johnson’s pleas and face ejection from the party, cleared the way for his opponents to introduce a bill today that would seek to prevent Britain from leaving the European Union without a deal Oct. 31. It was a momentous day in Britain’s Parliament as the legislature rose up to successfully challenge the power of the prime minister over vital Brexit policy. If Johnson enjoyed a brief honeymoon since taking power in July, it came to abrupt end Tuesday when he faced his first vote — and a startling defeat — in Parliament.
There is still no clarity about how and when Britain will leave the prosperous EU bloc as the tortuous Brexit process nears a climax more than three years after the original vote to leave.
Pentagon approves military construction cash for border wall
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Tuesday approved the use of $3.6 billion in funding from military construction projects to build 175 miles of President Donald Trump’s wall along the Mexican border.
Pentagon officials would not say which 127 projects will be affected, but said details will be available Wednesday after members of Congress are notified. They said half the money will come from military projects in the U.S., and the rest will come from projects in other countries.
Esper’s decision fuels what has been a persistent controversy between the Trump administration and Congress over immigration policies and the funding of the border wall. And it sets up a difficult debate for lawmakers who refused earlier this year to approve nearly $6 billion for the wall, but now must decide if they will refund the projects that are being used to provide the money.
Elaine McCusker, the Pentagon comptroller, said the now-unfunded projects are not being canceled. Instead, the Pentagon is saying the military projects are being “deferred.” The Defense Department, however, has no guarantee from Congress that any of the money will be replaced, and a number of lawmakers made it clear during the debate earlier this year that they would not fall for budget trickery and sleight of hand to build the wall.
“It is a slap in the face to the members of the Armed Forces who serve our country that President Trump is willing to cannibalize already allocated military funding to boost his own ego and for a wall he promised Mexico would pay to build,” said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York. He said the funding shift will affect the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
By wire sources
