Theresa May to address Parliament on Brexit amid reports key vote will be postponed

Theresa May has reportedly canceled the parliamentary vote on her EU Withdrawal Deal, a day before it was scheduled to take place. The PM is set to address Parliament later this afternoon.

Earlier on Monday, a spokesperson for May claimed that the vote would be going ahead as planned. Minutes later, Bloomberg and the Telegraph claimed that sources had revealed that the vote would now be delayed.

Unnamed sources referenced by Sky News and the BBC's political editor, among others, said that the vote had been called off.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has slammed May for canceling the crucial vote, claiming the PM has had to delay her own government's vote because her Brexit deal is "disastrous."

While SNP leader, Nicola Sturgeon, tweeted: "if rumours of a delay are correct, it will be pathetic cowardice..."

The alleged U-turn has led to accusations that the government is in 'chaos'.

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May is set to address the Commons at 3:30pm, after which MPs will hear a statement from Leader of House Andrea Leadsom, who may formally pull the vote.

The PM was facing near certain defeat on the historic bill. More than 100 Tory backbenchers signaled they would vote against her, along with her Northern Irish allies, the DUP and Labour.

If May lost the vote she could have been ousted as leader, with her multiple cabinet ministers refusing to rule out a leadership challenge over the weekend.

In the wake of reports that the Brexit vote had been called off, sterling fell 0.4 percent against the US dollar to $1.26, the Press Association reports. Against the euro, the pound was down 0.6 percent at €1.10.

Javid circling May, ready to launch leadership bid if PM's 's*** Brexit deal' is defeated

British Home Secretary Sajid Javid is apparently preparing to launch a leadership challenge this week, in case Theresa May's Brexit deal is defeated in the House of Commons and she is axed as PM, with Tory rivals ready to pounce.

Javid is building a team of ministers in a bid to ready himself for the top job ahead of Tuesday's crucial Brexit vote in Parliament which could potentially seal the fate of the beleaguered prime minister, the Daily Mail reports.

If successful, Javid would become the first non-white prime minister in UK history. One Cabinet minister told The Sun: "Sajid is tapping us up. He is very direct, but he's not offering jobs yet, which wouldn't be a good look."

Another senior Tory claims Javid thinks May's "Brexit deal is s***," and that "she'll be forced out when it falls, and he is then going to declare immediately," according to the paper.

The revelation comes as a string of Tory contenders are reportedly jostling for May's crown with the PM facing a week that could see the end of her reign.

Javid and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt are both said to be testing the water with Tory colleagues on whether they would support any potential leadership bid, it is alleged.

Boris Johnson, meanwhile, fueled speculation that he is positioning himself to be the next PM, after refusing to rule out challenging May on the BBC's Andrew Marr show on Sunday. The former foreign secretary added to the rumors, by doing away with his idiosyncratic messy hair look, in favour of a new haircut dubbed by TV presenter Piers Morgan as "a smart prime ministerial crop."

Brexiteers, former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab and former Work and Pensions Sec Esther McVey have also not ruled out running for leadership of the Conservatives in interviews on Sky News' Sophie Ridge on Sunday show. McVey insisted: "If people asked me, then of course you'd give it serious consideration."

It comes after reports that May has been considering whether to delay the Brexit vote in a desperate attempt to renegotiate a deal with Brussels which could command the support of Parliament, after fears she could be heading for a heavy defeat in the House of Commons on Tuesday.

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Canada's treatment of Meng Wanzhou in violation of human rights

© Reuters
Meng Wanzhou

Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies, had her bail hearing Friday in the British Columbia Supreme Court in Vancouver, Canada. The hearing was adjourned with no decision made on bail, and will resume at 1 pm on Monday.

Court reporters said she was not handcuffed for the hearing and was wearing a green sweatsuit. She seems to be getting humane treatment, but these are only illusions on the surface.

A source familiar with the case told Global Times that since Meng was detained by Canadian police on December 1, she has been subjected to rude and degrading treatment. She was immediately handcuffed at the airport and taken to a detention facility. She was also cuffed on her way to and from hospital from the facility. It is worth noting that Meng was wearing ankle braces when she was taken to the correction center after her first bail hearing.

In the absence of a conviction by trial, Meng was put into restraining devices used on felons. Treating her as a prisoner is not only degrading, but is also a violation of her basic human rights.

Global Times has learnt that Meng had surgery in May to remove her thyroid gland. She also has high blood pressure which requires daily medication. It seems that the Canadian detention facility is not offering her the necessary health care.

Canadian police have treated Meng in such an inhumane way by putting her in handcuffs and ankle braces without conviction. The Chinese public, who are very concerned about this matter, find it hard to believe that Meng was treated in such way, especially in Canada. Canada is a country well-known for emphasizing human rights and the rule of law. How can they do such things that are only done in an uncivilized and barbaric country?

There is no doubt that Canada is on the wrong side in this case. To describe with an old Chinese saying, such behaviors are like holding a candle for the devil. Meng did not violate any Canadian law. US authorities are accusing her of violating US domestic laws, but it is still unknown if the US side can provide sufficient evidence to prove their accusations are valid.

The Canadian prosecution accused Meng of being a director in a subsidiary that was decoupled from Huawei, and that the company has sold computer equipment to Iran in violation of US sanctions on Iran. There is huge controversy over the facts as stated by the prosecution. In any case, even if the US found some so-called evidence, the nature of such a case still leaves a lot of room for legal debate.

As of now, most of the cases concerning foreign companies violating US bans on Iran have been dealt with by fines and sanctions. And it is not just one or two companies - many European companies have been involved. The EU still encourages European companies not to withdraw from Iran. Does that mean executives from these companies should all be arrested and put into detention in Canada when they transit through the country, and should they all be handcuffed?

It is time for Canadian authorities to figure out the reasons why Ms Meng is the only wanted member of the board of Skycom, a company based in Hong Kong, accused by the US of violating sanctions.

Canada is an independent sovereign nation. Although its relationship with the US is quite special, it should remain neutral in dealing with Meng's case, and not simply do whatever the US has told it to do. It is important for Canada to respect the fundamental spirit of justice and law while providing judicial assistance to the US. It should resolutely reject the possible impact of the long-term bias of the US on Huawei and Huawei's founder Ren Zhengfei in this case.

It does not serve Canada's national interest if it intends to fawn over the US by treating Ms Meng unjustly. If Meng is refused bail and extradited to the US, Canada will get minimal gratitude from the US, but maximum opposition from China. Chinese people will take the issue seriously, and will ask the Chinese government to impose severe sanctions on Canada. Canadian public interest will definitely be impaired if Sino-Canadian relations are put at a risk of major retrogression.

We hope that Canadian authorities handle the case seriously and properly. We also hope that Ms Meng will be treated humanely and will be bailed out. We would like to see Meng's case being handled properly, so that she can regain her freedom as soon as possible.

Chinese society has always respected Canada, and it is sincerely hoped that the way how Canadian authorities handle this matter will live up to Chinese people's expectation and impressions regarding the country.

China Summons U.S. Ambassador As Huawei Defends Iran Operations

China has summoned the U.S. ambassador to Beijing to protest the detention by Canada of a senior Chinese electronics executive at the request of the United States.

Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng on December 9 "lodged solemn representations and strong protests" with Ambassador Terry Branstad in regard to the detention of Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of electronics giant Huawei.

According to the official Xinhua news agency, Le called Meng's detention "extremely egregious" and demanded that the United States cancel her arrest warrant or face further steps by Beijing.

Chinese authorities had summoned the Canadian ambassador a day earlier and issued similar warnings.

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In a sworn affidavit released in Canada, Meng insisted she is innocent of the allegations and that she will fight them in a U.S. court if she is extradited there.

In court documents, Huawei asserted that its operations in Iran were "in strict compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and sanctions" of the United States, European Union, and the UN.

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