Page 35 - Londra Gazete Sayı 1112

6 LondraGazete.com/English Londra Gazete, 30 June 2022

Johnson says he ‘doesn’t think’

Britain is facing war with Russia

BORIS Johnson has insisted
he does not believe that the UK is
heading towards war with Russia.
Defence secretary Ben Wallace
is understood to have asked the
prime minister for an increase in
the defence budget from around
2 to 2.5 per cent of GDP – the
Nicola Sturgeon to set equivalent of an additional 20 per
cent per year.
The call came as the head of the
out plan for second British Army warned that Brit-
independence referendum ain and its Nato allies are facing
a “1937 moment” and must be
“unequivocally prepared to fight”
SCOTLAND'SW first minister posals, but stressed that its po- if Russia attacks any of their ter-
has proposed 19 October 2023 as sition that "now is not the time" ritory.
the date for another referendum for another referendum had not In a speech in London, chief
on independence. changed. It has also said that it is of general staff General Sir Pat-
Nicola Sturgeon said the ques- "clear" that the constitution is re- rick Sanders said that Russia was
tion would be the same as in the served to Westminster. likely to emerge from the Ukraine
last referendum in 2014: "Should Mr Johnson said: "We'll study it war as an even greater threat to On defence spending, Mr John- a third biggest defence spender in
Scotland be an independent coun- very carefully and respond prop- European security and the West son said that the UK must “re- the world. We’re making massive
try?". Ms Sturgeon has written to erly. I think the focus of the coun- must be ready to “meet strength spond to the way that threats commitments.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson to try should be building a stronger with strength”. continue to change”. Mr Johnson said the UK had
ask for formal consent for the vote economy. That's what we're doing. But asked whether the UK was But he added: “We’ve now got “more than met our pledge” to ex-
to be held. I certainly think that we'll have a preparing for war with Russia, Mr a defence budget that’s £24bn ceed the Nato target of 2 per cent
She said she would press on with stronger economy and a stronger Johnson replied: “I don’t think it bigger under the spending review of GDP for defence, and had been
her plan if this was not granted by country together." will come to that. We’re working - the biggest increase in defence instrumental in encouraging
the UK government. Ms Sturgeon said Scotland's top very hard to make sure that we spending since the end of the other member states to increase
But she stressed that any ref- law officer, the Lord Advocate, had confine this to Ukraine.” Cold War. Last year, the UK was spending.
erendum would need to be "indis- referred the case to the UK's high-
putably lawful" and constitutional est court, with court papers being
- with the Supreme Court being served on UK government law of-
asked to rule on whether the Scot- ficers on Tuesday afternoon. Move to override Brexit deal gets
tish government has the power to Next, the president of the Su-
hold a vote without UK govern- preme Court will decide if there
ment approval. are preliminary matters to be ad- initial backing from MPs
The UK government said it would dressed and when the case will be
examine the first minister's pro- heard.
GOVERNMENT plans to over- The bill began its journey ative MPs voted against the bill.
ride parts of the Brexit deal re- through Parliament on Monday, However during the debate, some
Government under lating to Northern Ireland have with MPs voting to give it initial joined opposition MPs in warn-
approval and allowing it to pro-
passed their first hurdle in Parlia-
ing that the legislation breaches
investigation over handling ment. gress for further scrutiny. international law.
By 295 votes to 221, MPs gave
Ms Truss argued the bill was
The government won the vote
of sewage dumped in rivers initial approval to a controversial with a majority of 74, with North- justified because the EU had not
bill allowing ministers to scrap ern Ireland's Democratic Union-
shown enough "flexibility" during
parts of the Northern Ireland ist Party (DUP) MPs supporting negotiations change the relevant
AN environmental watchdog has nies’ own duties to manage sewage", Protocol. the bill. part of the 2019 deal, known as
announced it is to carry out an in- the OEP said in a statement. It comes despite warnings, in- Voting lists showed no Conserv- the Northern Ireland Protocol.
vestigation into the enforcement The announcement of the inves- cluding from former PM Theresa
of rules on untreated sewage being tigation comes after England’s chief May, that it breaches internation-
pumped into rivers and seas in Eng- medical officer Professor Chris Whit- al law.
land. ty described the growing problem The move also risks fresh ten-
The recently formed Office for of faeces in river water as a "major sions with the EU, which has tak-
Environmental Protection will in- issue" and "unacceptable on health en legal action.
vestigate the environment secretary grounds", in a statement urging wa- But Foreign Secretary Liz Truss
George Eustice, as well as the Envi- ter companies to act faster. said there was no other option to
ronment Agency and Ofwat – the The investigation follows a com- "fix" problems the deal has creat-
water services regulation authori- plaint made by the organisation ed.
ty – in how they regulate the use of Salmon & Trout Conservation. The bill would allow minis-
combined sewer overflows (CSOs), The group’s solicitor Guy Lin- ters to change the part of 2019
as concerns about deteriorating wa- ley-Adams, who submitted the com- deal that introduced post-Brexit
ter quality mount. plaint said: "Make no mistake, the checks on goods sent from Great
The investigation will seek "to de- pollution we see today in English riv- Britain to Northern Ireland.
termine whether these authorities ers is the direct and inevitable result Those were designed to avoid
have failed to comply with their of the appallingly soft touch regula- checks at the UK's border with
respective duties in relation to the tion applied to the water companies the Republic of Ireland, but they
regulation, including the monitoring by both the Environment Agency are highly unpopular among un-
and enforcement, of water compa- and Ofwat over many years.” ionists in Northern Ireland.