Embattled British Prime Minister Theresa May has been backed by high-profile Brexiteer Liam Fox, after a report surfaced that a senior minister from her party was planning to denounce her leadership.
International Trade Secretary Dr Fox, who is currently with Mrs May on a foreign mission to China, said the prime minister had been received very well in Asia.
“I will give full support to the prime minister as long as she wants to lead my party,” Dr Fox told ITV in Beijing on Thursday morning.
“I think she is doing an excellent job and I do wish more of my party colleagues had seen the sort of leadership and commitment and positive agenda that’s been projected for Britain here in China.”
Dr Fox, a member of the Eurosceptic right of the ruling Conservative Party, said he wished his compatriots could see how the prime minister was seen in other countries.
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He said: "Maybe they should see the PM's performance in selling Britain overseas. That might do everybody a lot of good."
A senior minister is reportedly close to resigning over Mrs May's leadership and is set to issue a call for a new direction for the party, according to British tabloid The Sun. The newspaper said the minister, who is not a member of the Cabinet, hopes his resignation will trigger a vote on the prime minister's leadership.
She ruled out stepping down on Wednesday, telling press who had followed her to China: "I am not a quitter and there's a long-term job to be done."
Mrs May, who became prime minister in July 2016 following David Cameron's resignation, lost her party's parliamentary majority after calling a general election in June 2017.
George Osborne, a key Mr Cameron ally who lost his Cabinet position when Mrs May came to power in 2016, said he believed the prime minister lacked enough parliamentary support to push through a “hard” Brexit.
Mr Osborne, who is now the editor of a London newspaper, had previously described the prime minister as a “dead woman walking” following June’s disastrous election result.
He refused to be drawn on questions over her leadership during an interview on BBC radio on Thursday morning, saying he wished her success during her trade mission in China.
But the former Chancellor warned Mrs May there were increasing numbers of politicians in Parliament who wanted to keep close economic links with the EU.
“That is going to pose a challenge to the government, of course, but it is also going to empower Parliament,” he said of the growing crisis in the Conservative Party.
“Last time I checked one of the principle arguments from the Brexiteers is that they wanted more parliamentary sovereignty.”
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
COMPANY%20PROFILE%3A
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Envision%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKarthik%20Mahadevan%20and%20Karthik%20Kannan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20The%20Netherlands%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Technology%2FAssistive%20Technology%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%241.5%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2020%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204impact%2C%20ABN%20Amro%2C%20Impact%20Ventures%20and%20group%20of%20angels%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Director: Shady Ali
Cast: Boumi Fouad , Mohamed Tharout and Hisham Ismael
Rating: 3/5
if you go
The flights
Flydubai flies to Podgorica or nearby Tivat via Sarajevo from Dh2,155 return including taxes. Turkish Airlines flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Podgorica via Istanbul; alternatively, fly with Flydubai from Dubai to Belgrade and take a short flight with Montenegro Air to Podgorica. Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Podgorica via Belgrade. Flights cost from about Dh3,000 return including taxes. There are buses from Podgorica to Plav.
The tour
While you can apply for a permit for the route yourself, it’s best to travel with an agency that will arrange it for you. These include Zbulo in Albania (www.zbulo.org) or Zalaz in Montenegro (www.zalaz.me).
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
