Connect with us

Published

on

Ukraine is set to be top of the agenda as Foreign Secretary James Cleverly begins a two-day trip to the US and Canada.

Speaking ahead of his departure, Mr Cleverly said: “The UK, US and Canada always have each other’s backs when it counts, protecting the rules-based order for nearly 80 years.”

He continued: “Today we stand united against Putin’s illegal war, and we will continue to use our uniquely strong defence and security ties to ensure that, in the end, the Ukrainian people will win.”

He will deliver a keynote speech at Washington’s Centre for Strategic and International Studies, at which he is set to outline Britain’s foreign policy priorities before talks with his US counterpart Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The two will then hold a joint news conference.

On Monday, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace announced that British tanks, artillery pieces and armoured vehicles are to be sent to Ukraine.

Mr Cleverly is set to use this British pledge to persuade the Americans and the Canadians to follow the UK’s lead. He is expected to stress the need for the right battlefield tools to be given to the Ukrainians quickly to allow them to win the war.

The Americans have delivered billions of dollars worth of weaponry to Ukraine over the past 11 months, but only in carefully managed tranches with limited capability for fear of provoking Russia.

James Cleverly and Anthony Blinken met in New York in September 2022
Image:
James Cleverly and Anthony Blinken met in New York in September 2022

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said he is committed to the acceleration of the UK’s diplomatic and military assistance to Ukraine as Russia prepares to launch a new offensive.

Top members of President Biden’s team are in the Ukrainian capital this week for meetings with President Zelenskyy.

Antony Blinken’s deputy Wendy Sherman, Dr. Colin Kahl, undersecretary of defence for policy and Jon Finer, principal deputy national security adviser, are all in Kyiv after meetings in Germany and Poland where they discussed continued US support for Ukraine.

Beyond Ukraine, the British government hopes the elusive UK-US trade deal will be discussed with the Americans in Washington.

Read more from around Sky News
Met Police reviews complaints against staff in wake of David Carrick case
Father arrested on live TV after toddler seen waving handgun outside apartment
PM set to toughen up Online Safety Bill after pressure from Tory rebels

In Toronto, on Wednesday, Mr Cleverly is set to discuss British efforts to become a member of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a key free trade agreement between 11 countries including Canada.

Britain has reached the final phase of CPTPP accession, but disagreements remain over levels of market access the existing members would have to Britain.

Northern Ireland is also set to feature in discussions between Mr Cleverly and Mr Blinken. As speculation mounts that a EU-UK compromise over the Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol may be close, the UK will seek the support of the US.

President Biden has taken a close interest in negotiations over Northern Ireland and has made clear that the UK’s handling of the issue could impact the chances of a US-UK trade deal.

Cleverly has a tricky job

This is the most important trip for James Cleverly since he became foreign secretary last year.

He was appointed by Liz Truss but survived that chaos and was retained by Rishi Sunak. He’s quickly built a reputation for impressive diplomacy.

Comfortable in his own skin and outwardly confident with his brief, he is popular within the Foreign Office and, it seems, liked by his counterparts in foreign capitals.

But as Britain’s top diplomat, he has a tricky job. The UK’s global position is diminished. The world has looked at usually stable Britain in surprise as our politics has faltered and our economy sputters.

Cleverly will be pushing progress on the illusive US-UK trade deal and trying to reassure the Americans that Britain is now close to a workable solution for Northern Ireland. Biden, with his Irish roots, is watching closely. The shadow of Brexit is long.

But Ukraine will be the thrust for Cleverly.

Rishi Sunak’s government is trying to fill the hole left by Boris Johnson’s departure. Johnson’s forthright stance on the defence of Ukraine was admired across Western nations.

There will be an attempt on this trip to show clear British leadership and initiative to encourage deeper, faster international alignment over Ukraine.

We’re told that Cleverly will attempt to persuade his American and Canadian counterparts that now is the time to give Ukraine the tools it needs to win the war, not just to hold the frontline.

The British consignment of tanks, artillery and armoured vehicles will do little to change the battlefield picture on their own. Indeed, prepare for the prized Russian propaganda image of a Challenger 2 burned and destroyed.

The British hope is that their tank package will incentivise other nations to follow with their own equipment.

Cleverly’s message will be: arm Ukraine properly now and this can be over sooner rather than later with a weakened Russia forced to negotiate.

The Americans have sent huge quantities of lethal equipment to Ukraine changing the course of the war. But they’ve not yet sent tanks, mechanized artillery or armoured vehicles which could repel Russian advances.

The fear, always, has been Putin’s reaction to the full Western arming of Ukraine. And so, little by little, America has increased what it has been prepared to deliver.

But Biden is under growing domestic congressional pressure to justify his Ukraine spending. On Capitol Hill, lawmakers want audits and proof that America is backing a winner not simply prolonging the conflict and the bloodshed.

Continue Reading

US

Trump or Harris? Millions of Americans set to decide next president

Published

on

By

Trump or Harris? Millions of Americans set to decide next president

Voters across 50 states are preparing to cast their ballots after a bitterly contested US election campaign, which will see Donald Trump or Kamala Harris become president.

In the last few hours, both candidates have been giving their final pitches. “The momentum is on our side,” Ms Harris told a crowd in Philadelphia that chanted back, “We will win”.

“Tonight, then, we finish as we started: with optimism, with energy, with joy,” she said, while enjoying the support of celebrity endorsements on the day from Katy Perry, Lady Gaga and Jon Bon Jovi.

US election latest updates

In contrast, Mr Trump ended his campaign in Michigan, repeating key messages about the economy and immigration.

A handful of states will play a crucial role in determining the outcome of the election. Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin hold the keys to the White House.

To become president, the winning candidate needs 270 electoral votes or more, with each state carrying a different number of votes.

More on Us Election 2024

But the focus has been on Pennsylvania which carries 19 electoral votes, the most of all the swing states.

It has been a remarkable journey for both candidates – with Mr Trump surviving two assassination attempts and Ms Harris not even originally in the running.

Katy Perry performs after an appearance by Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris at a campaign rally at the Carrie Blast Furnaces in Pittsburgh, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Image:
Katy Perry performed in Pittsburgh in support of Kamala Harris. Pic: AP

For more than a year, the 2024 presidential race seemed destined for a rematch between Joe Biden and Mr Trump – but a disastrous TV debate by Mr Biden eventually forced him to withdraw from the ticket.

The Democratic party’s decision to replace Mr Biden with his vice president transformed the race and shifted polls in Ms Harris’s favour. But only just.

Many polls are too tight to call and, with a large margin of error, most experts are refusing to predict the outcome.

Read more:
Overseas ballots face legal challenge

You decide the new president
Should we fear Trumponomics?

Later, attention will turn to those battleground states including Georgia, which is among the first polls to close at 7pm local time (midnight UK time).

State election officials told Sky News they could have a result as early as 10pm (3am UK time).

Even so, it could be several days before the US has a definitive result.

Voters are not just selecting a president. In addition, 10 states will hold abortion-related ballots, half of which would overturn existing restrictions.

Predict who you think will win in each swing state and we’ll tell you who the president will be if you’re right.

Tonight, Sky News will have access to the most comprehensive exit poll and vote-counting results from every state, county and demographic across America through its US-partner network NBC.

You can find out more about Sky News’ coverage here.

Continue Reading

US

Voter in UK ‘terrified’ by US election legal battle, as up to 4,000 ballots challenged in Pennsylvania

Published

on

By

Voter in UK 'terrified' by US election legal battle, as up to 4,000 ballots challenged in Pennsylvania

Up to 4,000 people voting overseas in the US election are having their ballots challenged in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

They include Selma Aldi, 47, from Camden in north London who received a letter on Sunday explaining that her ballot in the US presidential election is at risk of being rejected.

“It was a shock,” she said. “It was terrifying to be targeted, to potentially lose a right that I hold as very important. It’s even a feeling that someone is questioning my identity.”

Latest on US election

The trainee GP, who grew up in Hershey, Pennsylvania left America in 2000 but has voted via absentee ballot in every US presidential election since.

A letter from election officials in Dauphin County outlines the legal challenge. It reads: “The applicant is not registered to vote and therefore is not eligible to vote in Pennsylvania.

“Under Pennsylvania law, it is a felony to permit any person to vote who is not registered.”

More on Pennsylvania

A hearing on the legal challenge is scheduled for Friday, in which Ms Aldi can respond.

Around 2.8 million US citizens living abroad are entitled to vote in the election, no matter where they are on polling day.

But each state has different procedures and rules on how election paperwork can be sent and received.

Selma Aldi on her graduation from the University of Pennsylvania seated next to a figure of Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the US.   She has received a letter challenging her absentee voter ballot. Pic: handout
Image:
Selma Aldi on her graduation from the University of Pennsylvania, seated next to a figure of Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the US.

But Ari Savitzky, senior staff Attorney at the ACLU said “any attempt to challenge [voters] eligibility is a clear violation of their rights”.

He told Sky News: “Between 3,000 and 4,000 challenges have been filed in Pennsylvania to the absentee ballots of US citizens living abroad.

“For decades, federal law has guaranteed the right of US citizens living abroad to vote in federal elections at their last US residence.

“In addition to being legally baseless, these challenges are an abuse to voters and to election administrators.”

Read more from Sky News:
US election: Colleges, swing states and how it all works
Should we fear Trumponomics?
What happens if there’s a tie in the US election?

Deborah Hinchey from another voting rights group, All Voting is Local, said: “Election deniers across Pennsylvania have submitted thousands of mass challenges to overseas voters.

“They want to block as many ballots as possible and silence our voices… but these baseless challenges have failed before and the proper checks and balances are in place to make sure they’ll fail again,” she added.

Tonight, Sky News will have access to the most comprehensive exit poll and vote-counting results from every state, county and demographic across America through its US-partner network NBC.

You can find out more about Sky News’ coverage here.

Continue Reading

US

Elon Musk can keep giving away $1m to voters, judge rules – as lawyer admits winners aren’t chosen randomly

Published

on

By

Elon Musk can keep giving away m to voters, judge rules - as lawyer admits winners aren't chosen randomly

Elon Musk can keep giving away $1m to voters in battleground states, a judge has ruled – as a lawyer admitted the winners aren’t chosen randomly.

Musk – a supporter of Republican candidate Donald Trump – launched the giveaways last month via America PAC, his political action committee (PAC).

He has already handed out $16m in the scheme, which is open to registered voters in seven key battleground states – Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – who sign a petition pledging to support free speech and gun rights.

On Monday, Pennsylvania Judge Angelo Foglietta ruled the giveaways could carry on, rejecting a district attorney’s request that he shut it down because it allegedly violated state election law.

US election latest: Harris team reveals when it expects results

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Elon Musk hands out $1m cheques

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, a Democrat, said it was “a political marketing masquerading as a lottery”, adding “That’s what it is. A grift.”

Judge Foglietta did not explain his ruling on the matter but Chris Gober, a lawyer for America PAC, had argued the winners are not chosen by chance and are instead hand-picked based on who would be the best spokespeople for the group – despite Musk’s assertion that they would be chosen randomly.

More on Donald Trump

Mr Gober said the final two winners before Tuesday’s presidential election will be in Arizona on Monday and Michigan on Tuesday.

He said the recipients “are not chosen by chance”, adding: “We know exactly who will be announced as the recipient today and tomorrow.”

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Musk: Mark Stone’s deep dive

America PAC director Chris Young said recipients are vetted ahead of time to “feel out their personality, (and) make sure they were someone whose values aligned” with the group.

In closing arguments, Musk’s legal team said it was “core political speech” as anyone taking part had to sign a petition endorsing the US Constitution.

Given there will be no more Pennsylvania winners before the programme ends, Musk’s lawyers said any legal bid to stop it under Pennsylvania law was irrelevant.

Launching the plan in the state on 19 October, Musk said they would be “awarding a million dollars randomly to people who have signed the petition every day from now until the election.”

Read more:
The celebrities backing Trump or Harris
What happens if there’s a tie in the US election?
Harris and Trump’s final rallies before vote

The following day, he said in a social media post shown in court that anyone signing the petition had “a daily chance of winning one million dollars!”

Musk did not attend the hearing.

Continue Reading

Trending