What is happening?

It was a ceremony tinged with sadness and nostalgia, torrential rain adding to the gloom for the British delegation. And then on July 1, 1997, Prince Charles and Chris Patten, the last governor of Hong Kong, sailed away from the city on the royal yacht Britannia, ending more than 150 years of British rule in the territory and – some say – bringing down the curtain on the British Empire

It was a highly symbolic night for Britain that The Prince of Wales painfully endured (he later labeled the Chinese delegation “appalling old waxworks”), while Mr Patten struggled with his emotions.

But in China, rain symbolises good fortune, and the return of Hong Kong is remembered as a key moment in the country’s emergence as an Asian powerhouse.

Beijing is to mark the 20…

On Thursday Labour plans to table an amendment criticising what it says is the absence of measures to “reverse falling living standards” such as action on energy bills and wages.
And it will call on MPs from all sides to back a “jobs first” Brexit that delivers the “exact same benefits” of the European single market and customs union.
Like Mrs May, Labour backs leaving the EU single market but the party hopes this formula will satisfy Labour MPs who want continued single market membership as well as attracting support from Tories opposed to a “hard Brexit”.
Mr Corbyn, whose party made gains but still finished 55 seats behind the Conservatives in the election, said: “Theresa May does not have a mandate for continued cuts to our schools, hospitals, police and other vital public services or for a race-to-the-bottom Brexit.
“We invite MPs from across the House of Commons to take on board the strength of public opinion and desire for change in our country and vote for our amendment to bring forward policies to invest and improve public services, and put money in the pockets of the many not the few.”

Votes on the Queen’s Speech establish whether a government commands the confidence of the House of Commons. If the Conservatives were to lose them, it could trigger another general election.
Mrs May fell eight seats short of an absolute majority at the general election, meaning she is reliant on the support of others to govern and get legislation through the House of Commons.
With the backing of the DUP’s 10 MPs – all of whom backed the Tories in Wednesday’s pay vote – the prime minister has a working majority of 13, but is facing calls to reach out to other parties on Brexit and other issues.
‘Future leader’
Several ministers have suggested they will listen to the concerns of MPs about the impact of continued austerity on the morale and recruitment of NHS workers in particular.
Downing Street and a number of cabinet ministers, including Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, suggested the pay cap is now under review, saying they would await the recommendations of the professional pay review bodies in the autumn before deciding on future pay rises.
Mrs May, who is due to attend a meeting of fellow world leaders ahead of next week’s G20 summit, says the “confidence and supply” arrangement with the DUP brings stability to the government as Brexit talks unfold.
But former education secretary Nicky Morgan has cast doubt on her long-term future, telling the BBC’s Newsnight that the party could consider the question of succession as early as October 2018.
“Once that shape of Brexit is concluded, once those deals are very much on the table, the Conservative party must not miss the opportunity at that stage to think about who we want to be our future leader,” she said.

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