UK opposition draws battle lines over Brexit

The UK’s opposition leader will use a key Brexit speech on Monday to back remaining in a customs union with the European Union, a move that could heap further pressure on the position of Prime Minister Theresa May.

Jeremy Corbyn will end months of uncertainty within the top ranks of his Labour Party to back a customs union when the UK leaves the bloc as expected in March 2019, according to a senior party figure on Sunday.

Such a shift could clear the way for opposition parties to vote with rebels within Mrs May’s own party to support a customs union and inflict a damaging parliamentary defeat on her government.

Senior ministers have warned Mrs May that her government could collapse this year in the face of a united opposition, according to the Sunday Times newspaper.

It cited Julian Smith, the government’s chief enforcer, as telling the premier there was a “very real threat” that Labour could join 15 to 20 government lawmakers to defeat the government and increase the possibility of a new general election.

"I say to my colleagues…. just be very careful on this one because you're being invited into a Labour party tactical game which will actually end up in real damage to the UK,” said former leader Iain Duncan Smith told the BBC in a warning to party rebels.

Labour is currently ahead in opinion polls but Mr Corbyn’s personal popularity is below that of Mrs May, according to most polls. If Mrs May keeps her minority government intact, she could avoid holding new elections until 2022.

Mrs May has said repeatedly that the UK will leave the customs union to allow the UK to strike its own trade deals with non-EU countries.

The customs union allows the EU’s 28 members to impose the same tariffs for goods from outside the bloc, but restricts the UK’s ability to strike its own trade deals.

Mr Corbyn’s stance was signalled by his Brexit spokesman, Keir Starmer.

"Crunch time is now coming for the prime minister because the majority in parliament does not back her approach to a customs union and ...will be heard sooner rather than later," he told the BBC.

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Divided UK leadership ‘agree Brexit strategy’

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Mr Corbyn faces divisions within his own party with 80 senior figures from the party urging him to go further than committing to the customs union in his speech on Monday.

The signatories included 37 MPs and called for him to stay in the single market, which adds extras commitments to the free movement of people, services and capital.

Labour has not ruled out staying in the single market – but wants the EU to change its rules so the UK can have greater control on migration. Mrs May is due to make her own speech on Friday after lengthy meetings last week with senior colleagues.

UK business has called for clarity and for an open approach to migration to ensure continued British prosperity.

“Evidence strongly suggests that a comprehensive customs union, alongside a deep relationship with the single market, is best for jobs, investment and living standards,” wrote Carolyn Fairbairn, the head of the Confederation of British Industry, in Sunday’s Observer newspaper.

Our legal consultants

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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

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The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico

- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000

- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950

match info

Union Berlin 0

Bayern Munich 1 (Lewandowski 40' pen, Pavard 80')

Man of the Match: Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich)

Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

The bio

Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.

Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.

Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.

Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.