News from the Brexit Cliff Edge

Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge

Brexit-induced NHS staff crisis

• The Oxford Mail spoke about EU staff leaving Oxford hospitals in droves, thereby, deepening the NHS staffing crisis
• The Guardian said 'almost 5,000 nurses and midwives from EU27 countries have quit the NHS in the past two years, with many identifying Brexit as the trigger. The referendum result has made many EU nationals feel unwelcome in Britain. It is no surprise nurses and midwives believe they will be better-off elsewhere' said Sara Gorton, the head of health at the trade union Unison

Hotel industry facing staff shortages thanks to Brexit

• The Travelodge budget hotel chain said its aiming to recruit 3,000 students this summer with contracts that allow them to fit work around their studies, as the industry faces a Brexit-fuelled labour shortage

Brexit is a bigger blow to Britain than Suez

• Sir Simon Fraser, who was a top mandarin at the Foreign Office for five years, described Brexit as a bigger blow than the 1956 Suez crisis, which became an emblem of British foreign policy humiliation. The UK's credibility as a country that pragmatically conducts its affairs has been badly damaged by the fallout from quitting the EU. He said the country's pivotal link between the USA and Europe has been hit and our national security diminished

UK reputation tarnished

• May formally recognises the inevitable and accepts the UK will take part in the European Parliamentary elections

Theresa May's team gloomy about the chances of a Labour Brexit deal

• The beleagured PM's cabinet concluded that cross-party talks are stalling and unlikely to deliver an agreement on a way forward. The government now has to decide what happens next and how to put a Plan B to Parliament
• BBC thinks a Brexit breakthough is possible, but not this week
• Labour accused the government of not being willing to compromise in any way. This prevented negotiations moving along. A spokesperson added 'it is difficult to see how any deal can be reached'
• The Guardian's Jessica Elgot believes Labour is ready to do a deal and then promise to whip its backbenchers in favour of a Kyle-Wlison amendment on a second referendum - as a way to show they serious about a fresh poll and, winking at Labour Eurosceptics at the same time

Theresa May cannot ignore her party forever

• Theresa May wants to stick around until the Conservative Party conference in the autumn, according to her close colleagues. Robert Peston writes that 'no senior Tory will permit her to do this' and the chair of the 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, is to meet May again and ask her for a specific resignation timetable. If she does not do so, he'll step up the pressure on her by pushing the Tory party emerging conference which will introduce rule changes to permit a new vote of no confidence in her within weeks. May has until the end of the day to provide a resignation timetable
  
• The Evening Standard reported that Theresa May's allies have warned Tory rebels that any attempt to alter the rules of the Conservative Party would be subject to a legal challenge from Theresa May, or a group of Tories acting on her behalf
  
• Corbyn staring at a possible Labour Party rebellion of his own, if he stitches up a deal with the Tories

The EU's chief Brexit negotiators pulled no punches in their behind the scenes comments about Theresa May and Brexit

• A BBC fly-on-the-wall documentary team has followed the European Parliament's Brexit coordinating team around, led by Guy Verhofstadt, and in the broadcast (due to be later this week) Theresa May is described as 'insane' and 'pathetic' by the EU's chief Brexit negotiators

Cost of staging the European Election rises by £50m

• The extra costs, which is 50% higher than originally thought, includes millions of pounds in contingency costs in case parties have to be reimbursed for the cost of candidates who never get to take up their seats

Boris Johnson to face a private prosecution over his Brexit campaign claims

• Private prosecutor Marcus Ball alleges that the former foreign secretary committed three offences of misconduct in public office by endorsing and making statements which he knew to be false at a time when he was mayor of London and an MP (one of these is the £350m a week claim - found to be misleading by the UK Statistics Authority)

The Brexit Party and UKIP

• Police are investigating comments by UKIP candidate Carl Benjamin, in which he said 'I wouldn't even rape you' to Labour MP Jess Phillips
• Nigel Farage is claiming that former Conservative Party donors are ready to provide 'big bucks' for his new party to fight a General Election
• Nigel Farage denied he was a conspiract theorist and refuted comments about his appearances on the Alex Jones Infowars show. He denied repeating vile and sickening antisemitic tropes such as 'Jewish bankers are plotting to replace nation states with a global government'
• Cambridge UKIP election candidate Peter Burkinshaw called for rough sleepers to be rounded up and put into camps