Free Republic

A leading Brexiteer has said the UK cannot become a "colony" of the EU during the two year transition period after Britain's withdrawal in 2019. EU leaders have agreed Brexit talks can move on, with the UK staying in the customs union, single market and under the European Court of Justice's jurisdiction during the transition. ... Mrs May suffered her first Commons Brexit defeat earlier this week when MPs voted to give Parliament a legal guarantee of a vote on the final Brexit deal struck with Brussels. Among the Tory rebels was Mr Clarke, who told Newsnight his actions had...

The four men vying to be Tory leader are preparing for the first knock-out vote by the parliamentary party. David Cameron, Ken Clarke, David Davis and Liam Fox face the ballot a day after being questioned individually by MPs at a hustings in the Commons. The man with fewest votes will drop out before Thursday's second ballot, after which the two winning candidates will be put forward to all party members. Mr Cameron is favourite but the other three men say they remain confident. Conservative MPs have from 1300 BST to 1700 BST to cast their secret ballot in a...

Conservative leadership contender Ken Clarke has said Tony Blair made a "catastrophic error" in involving the UK in the war with Iraq. The ex-chancellor, who opposed the war, said the reasons given for the UK supporting the war were "bogus". The war had increased the threat to the UK from Islamic extremists, he said. If Mr Blair believed there was no connection between his Iraq policy and the London bombs "he must be the only person left who thinks that", he said. Mr Clarke also warned against "instant legislation" after terrorist attacks. "There is no evidence that any bomb has...