Iran seizes British-flagged tanker

A British-flagged oil tanker, the Stena Impero, was captured by the Iranian National Guard on Friday. The UK Chamber of Shipping reports that the ship was in Omani waters at the time, rendering its seizure a “clear violation of international law.” The 23 crew members, comprising four different nationalities, are being detained and questioned in Iran. Audio exchanges reveal how the Royal Navy tried and failed to prevent Iranian naval vessels intercepting the ship.

Questions have been raised as to why the tanker did not have greater protection from the Navy, given an escalation in tensions with Iran in recent weeks over the future of its nuclear deal with the UK, France, Germany, China, Russia and the EU (the United States withdrew in May 2018). Asked on Sky News if the UK had “taken its eye off the ball,” Defence Minister Tobias Ellwood replied, “No, not at all.” Jeremy Hunt, the Foreign Secretary, has warned Iran of “serious consequences,” while Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn has called for restraint. The diplomatic crisis takes place against the backdrop of a leadership transition in the UK.

 

A kipper and red herrings

It was the final week of campaigning in the Conservative Party leadership contest. In their last head-to-head debate, Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt raised eyebrows by agreeing that the Irish backstop was effectively “dead.” By insisting that the backstop must be removed completely from the Withdrawal Agreement, rather than renegotiated to include a possible time limit or a unilateral exit clause, it marks a significant hardening of the two candidates’ positions and arguably increases the prospect of the UK exiting the EU on 31 October without a deal. Meanwhile,the Sunday Times reported that the Irish government is “prepared to compromise” on its position. However, writing in the same newspaper, Tánaiste Simon Coveney suggested no such change on the horizon: “The goal on our side remains a future relationship between the EU and the UK that makes the backstop unnecessary.” This has been the position of Ireland and the EU from the outset.

Ballot papers from Conservative Party members must be received by 5pm on Monday, with the result of the leadership election to be announced at 11am on Tuesday. With Boris Johnson widely expected to be the winner, he is likely to find that becoming Prime Minister was only the easy bit. In the event that he walks through the door of Number 10 on Wednesday, he will face a number of constraints: the Commons passed an amendment to help prevent no deal coming about through the prorogation of Parliament, while a number of Conservative MPs have signalled that they could vote against the government in a confidence motion.

So far Mr Johnson has been vague on how he would address such constraints. Instead he has preferred to “peddle optimism” and to theatrically shift attention to the villains, “Brussels bureaucrats,” who he blamed for imposing rules requiring kippers to be transported with an “ice pillow.” It turns out that these rules are set in the UK.

 

Ursula von der Leyen confirmed as Commission President

In Strasbourg, the European Parliament voted to approve Ursula von der Leyen as the new President of the European Commission. When she succeeds Jean-Claude Juncker on 1 November she will become the first woman to hold the job. The vote was closer than expected: von der Leyen received the support of 383 MEPs under a secret ballot – a majority of just nine votes. The incoming President declared: “The trust you place in me is confidence you place in Europe. Confidence in a united and strong Europe, from east to west, from south to north. The confidence in a Europe that is ready to fight for the future rather than fight against each other.” However, the tight confirmation vote reflects a more fragmented European Parliament since June’s elections, signalling a challenging five years ahead for the new Commission.

In Germany, von der Leyen had served in the Cabinet since 2005, making her the longest-serving minister in Angela Merkel’s administration. This week it was announced that Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (AKA ‘AKK’) would succeed her as Defence Minister. AKK is currently the chairwoman of the governing CDU party and is lined up to take over as Chancellor when Angela Merkel retires. Having so far struggled to establish her credentials as Merkel’s successor, AKK will be looking to prove herself in the Defence Ministry, although, like the job of Home Secretary in the UK, it is renowned as a ‘graveyard’ post.

 

Trump denies racist tweets were racist

Crossing yet another line in his presidency, Donald Trump provoked outrage when he claimed that four Democratic congresswomen known as ‘The Squad’ should “go back” to the countries they “originally came from.” Three of the four women were born in America; all are American citizens. Rather than apologise, the President fanned the flames with further tweets, with either excuses or silence from most prominent politicians in the Republican Party. Only four Republicans in the House of Representatives voted in support of a motion condemning the remarks. In a chilling display at a rally in North Carolina, Trump supporters openly chanted, “Send her back,” specifically targeting Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.

Beyond the United States, the racist tweets – and the further expressions of hatred they fuelled – led to highly unusual interventions from the leaders of traditional allies. Theresa May’s spokesperson described the President’s remarks as “completely unacceptable,” with even more pointed comments delivered by Angela Merkel in a news conference.

 

Lowry wins The Open in Portrush

Ireland’s Shane Lowry won the 148thOpen at Royal Portrush, the first time the tournament has been held in Northern Ireland in 68 years. It was a first for Lowry himself: he had never previously won a major. “I feel like it’s an out-of-body experience. What a day,” reflected the County Offaly man on lifting the Claret Jug. The Open was also good news for Northern Ireland as a whole. Tourism NI estimates that it could be worth up to £100 million to the local economy. As a “watershed moment” for Northern Ireland, there is optimism that The Open will return to the region in the near future.