Today’s political headlines includes Corbyn saying Assange should not be extradited to the USA, Government stands down no-deal Brexit planning and May’s attempts to break the deadlock.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
Corbyn says Assange should not be extradited to the USA<\/span> Government stands down no-deal Brexit planning<\/span> May hints at using Withdrawal Agreement Bill to break deadlock<\/span> Labour considering automatic voter registration<\/span> Johnson meets DUP leadership<\/span> Conservative Party plans leadership contest<\/span> Tory MPs may refuse to campaign in European elections<\/span> May tells MPs to reflect during Easter recess<\/span>
\n<\/strong>As the BBC\u00a0reports<\/a>, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has called on the UK not to extradite Julian Assange to the USA as he had revealed \u2018evidence of atrocities in Iraq and Afghanistan\u2019. The WikiLeaks founder, who was arrested yesterday after losing the diplomatic protection which had allowed him to stay in the Ecuadorian embassy for the last seven years, faces a computer hacking charge in the USA, while Sweden is considering whether to reopen a sexual assault case against him. Theresa May said his arrest showed \u2018no-one is above the law\u2019.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Sky News\u00a0<\/em>has\u00a0obtained<\/a>\u00a0an email sent to civil servants in a \u2018frontline Brexit department\u2019 announcing that the Government has \u2018stood down our no-deal operational planning with immediate effect\u2019 following a meeting chaired by Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill yesterday. A Government spokesperson said it would \u2018continue to make all necessary preparations\u2019.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Times\u00a0<\/em>says<\/a>\u00a0that Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn agreed to continue Brexit talks after a short meeting yesterday, with May suggesting that the two sides were closer than thought but that if no agreement could be reached they would agree on a \u2018small number\u2019 of options to put to MPs. She suggested that the Withdrawal Agreement Bill could be introduced \u2018soon\u2019 and that it might be \u2018a useful forum to resolve some of the outstanding issues\u2019.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Guardian\u00a0<\/em>reports<\/a>\u00a0that Cat Smith, Labour\u2019s shadow minister for voter engagement has said that the party is considering automatic voter registration in a bid to increase turnout at elections. An estimated 7 million people in the UK are not on the electoral register and the policy has been introduced in places such as Canada and Belgium.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Times\u00a0<\/em>says<\/a>\u00a0that Boris Johnson and his leadership campaign team held a private meeting with the DUP\u2019s leader Arlene Foster and deputy leader Nigel Dpdds yesterday, with a source telling the paper that potential Conservative leadership candidates wanted to \u2018pay homage\u2019 to the Northern Irish party.\u00a0 Foster refused to say if she had confidence in Theresa May.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The\u00a0Daily Mail\u00a0<\/em>reveals<\/a>\u00a0that the Conservative Party has drawn up plans for a summer leadership contest, including locations around the country for six hustings between the candidates. Yesterday, Anne Marie Morris and Greg Hands called for new leadership, but other MPs such as Ken Clarke and Nicky Morgan said Theresa May should continue.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>According<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0The Guardian<\/em>, some Conservative MPs have threatened to boycott the European elections, saying that they will instruct their local associations not to campaign, claiming that they are concerned about the safety of their activists. Conservative MP Anne Marie Morris refused to rule out voting for Nigel Farage\u2019s Brexit Party, which launches today.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Sun<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0that it was confirmed yesterday that MPs would now enter an 11-day recess, with Theresa May telling them to use the time to \u2018reflect\u2019 on Brexit. The news came mere hours after European Council President Donald Tusk told the UK not to \u2018waste\u2019 the extension it had been granted.<\/p>\n