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- UK finance minister strikes blow as Johnson prepares to become PM
British finance minister Philip Hammond said Sunday he would make a point of resigning before Boris Johnson became prime minister, saying he could never agree to his Brexit strategy. Former London mayor Johnson is the runaway favourite to win the governing Conservative Party's leadership contest on Tuesday and then replace Prime Minister Theresa May when she quits the premiership on Wednesday. The postal ballot of 160,000 grassroots party members is expected to return Johnson, 55, as the new Conservative leader over his contender, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt.
- Anti-Establishment Uprising Set to Upend Ukraine?s Parliament
![Anti-Establishment Uprising Set to Upend Ukraine?s Parliament]( "Anti-Establishment Uprising Set to Upend Ukraine?s Parliament")
(Bloomberg) -- Ukraine?s anti-establishment political turn is poised to accelerate in Sunday?s snap general elections, with ex-comedian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy?s movement on track to sweep traditional forces out of power.Half a decade after street protests that toppled Russian-backed leader Viktor Yanukovych, Zelenskiy has tapped into voter anger over the lack of progress in flushing dirty officials out of state institutions and companies. His Servant of the People party -- named after the television show that propelled him to fame -- built up a commanding lead in opinion polls in less than a year of existence, while more established rivals withered.Like the main character of his television show, a teacher who is thrust into the position of head of state, Zelenskiy had no political experience before winning a landslide election in April. He has pledged to tackle corruption, energize the economy and resolve the violent conflict with Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine?s east that has killed at least 13,000 people since 2014.Ukraine?s complex electoral system means that Zelenskiy?s party, whose popularity has more than tripled since his election, may need a coalition partner and will face strong opposition in a political arena that has humbled more experienced candidates, including his predecessor Petro Poroshenko.?It will mean a new wave of structural and anti-corruption reforms,? said Volodymyr Fesenko, head of the Penta research institute in Kiev. ?His main problem will be to keep unity in his team.?Opinion polls show Servant of the People poised to clinch more than 40% of the vote, a possible record in the nation of 42 million, after Zelenskiy ignored opposition from the sitting parliament and called the elections three months early.If it needs a partner to rule, the most likely candidate is another upstart party, Holos, led by Ukraine?s most popular rock singer Svyatoslav Vakarchuk. After voting Sunday in Kiev, Zelenskiy said he wanted to appoint a ?professional economist? who hasn?t been a prime minister, parliament speaker or leader of a party, to lead the next government. That fits the description of former Finance Minister Oleksandr Danylyuk, who has expressed interest.Zelenskiy has rejected the idea of tie-ups with Poroshenko?s ruling party, which had about 6% in polls this month. Support for political forces sympathetic to Russia remains unchanged from five years ago. For his part, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the two countries will mend ties despite the conflict, according to the transcript of a June 19 interview with American film director Oliver Stone.?Rapprochement is inevitable,? Putin said.Voting ends at 8 p.m., when an exit poll of the party list winners making make up half of the chamber?s 450 seats, is expected. The other half go to individual mandates, and those results will be expected later.The latter portion of seats are being contested by oligarchs, sports stars, showbiz celebrities and activists with their own agendas, potentially complicating Zelenskiy?s promise to overhaul Ukraine.Most candidates in Servant of the People are political neophytes. Still, some of Zelenskiy?s early appointments and business links to billionaire Igor Kolomoisky, whose television channel airs his shows, have drawn criticism that he won?t be able to escape the orbit of the country?s all-powerful oligarchs.Zelenskiy has pledged to revoke automatic immunity from prosecution for lawmakers, a perk that pro-democracy activists say has packed the legislature with businessmen and government officials who have run for office mainly as a way to avoid jail time.He has also vowed to step up anti-corruption efforts after the previous administration adopted laws only under intense pressure from voters and foreign creditors.Zelenskiy has focused particular attention on this last group, which includes the International Monetary Fund, promising to renew cooperation to secure new aid funds. The Washington-based lender repeatedly held back financial assistance due to a failure by Poroshenko?s administration to push measures through the assembly, known as the Rada, to restructure the economy and fight graft.?I see the political will, but there are many obstacles,? said Balazs Jarabik, a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. ?Much will depend how Zelenskiy and his team can manage the state and the Rada differently than Poroshenko did.?(Updates with Zelenskiy comments in eighth paragraph, Putin in ninth)\--With assistance from Volodymyr Verbyany and Kateryna Choursina.To contact the reporters on this story: Daryna Krasnolutska in Kiev at dkrasnolutsk@bloomberg.net;Yulia Surkova in Kiev at ysurkova@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Andrea Dudik at adudik@bloomberg.net, Michael Winfrey, Paul AbelskyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
- Iran's Zarif calls for 'prudence and foresight' as tensions mount
![Iran's Zarif calls for 'prudence and foresight' as tensions mount]( "Iran's Zarif calls for 'prudence and foresight' as tensions mount")
Iran's top diplomat said on Sunday that only "prudence and foresight" could alleviate tensions between his country and Britain after Tehran's seizure of a British-flagged oil tanker. "Having failed to lure @realDonaldTrump into War of the Century, and fearing collapse of his #B_Team, @AmbJohnBolton is turning his venom against the UK in hopes of dragging it into a quagmire," Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Twitter.
- UPDATE 1-Chinese companies looking to buy U.S. farm products -Xinhua
![UPDATE 1-Chinese companies looking to buy U.S. farm products -Xinhua]( "UPDATE 1-Chinese companies looking to buy U.S. farm products -Xinhua")
Some Chinese companies are seeking new purchases of U.S. agricultural products, China's official Xinhua news agency said on Sunday, citing authorities, as Beijing and Washington look for ways to end a protracted trade war. U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed at last month's G20 summit in Osaka to restart trade talks that stalled in May. Trump said at the time he would not impose new tariffs and U.S. officials said China agreed to make agricultural purchases.
- UK navy heard in audio trying to thwart Iran ship seizure
In an audio recording released Sunday, a British naval officer can be heard saying the transit of a British-flagged vessel through the Strait of Hormuz must not be impaired under international law as Iranian naval forces warn the vessel to change course. The audio, released by maritime security risk firm Dryad Global, shows how the British navy was unable to prevent the ship's seizure by Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces on Friday. The seizure has prompted condemnation from the U.K. and its European allies as they continue to call for a de-escalation of tensions in the critical waterway.
- UPDATE 2-UK finance minister to quit over no-deal Brexit if Johnson become PM
![UPDATE 2-UK finance minister to quit over no-deal Brexit if Johnson become PM]( "UPDATE 2-UK finance minister to quit over no-deal Brexit if Johnson become PM")
British finance minister Philip Hammond said on Sunday he would resign if Boris Johnson became prime minister because he felt unable to support a leader happy to take the country out of the European Union without a deal. Hammond's decision underlines the strength of feeling in parliament against a no-deal Brexit, which some lawmakers and many businesses say would be catastrophic for the economy. Britain's new prime minister is tipped to be former London mayor Johnson, who has promised to leave the EU "do or die" by an Oct. 31 deadline.
- The Latest: Israel minister says strikes deter Iran
An Israeli Cabinet minister says Iran knows "who not to mess with" because Israel is the only country in the world that is killing Iranian operatives. Tzachi Hanegbi spoke to Israel Radio on Sunday after Iran's seizure of a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.
- U.K.'s Hammond to Quit If Johnson Becomes Premier: Brexit Update
(Bloomberg) -- Follow @Brexit on Twitter, join our Facebook group and sign up to our Brexit Bulletin.U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond said he?ll quit his post if Boris Johnson wins the Conservative Party leadership contest on Monday, because of his own opposition to a possible no-deal Brexit on Oct. 31.Key Developments:Michael Gove set for more responsibility in Johnson-led governmentHammond says he?ll quit on Wednesday if Johnson wins leadership contestDefense Minister Tobias Ellwood says U.K. looking at options on IranHammond Says He?ll Quit if Johnson Succeeds May (10:45 a.m.)Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond said he plans to quit his post on Wednesday if Boris Johnson beats Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt in the race to succeed Prime Minister Theresa May. In a BBC TV interview, he cited Johnson?s demand that members of his government should accept the chance of a no-deal Brexit on Oct. 31."That is not something I could ever sign up to," Hammond said. "It?s very important that a prime minister is able to have a chancellor who is closely aligned with him in terms of policy, and I therefore intend to resign to Theresa May before she goes to the palace to tender her own resignation on Wednesday."Asked if he?d also quit if Hunt were to pull of a surprise and beat the favorite, Hammond suggested he wouldn?t, saying "Jeremy?s position is more nuanced and I haven?t heard him express clearly a requirement for a sort of loyalty pledge around the Oct. 31 no-deal exit."Ireland Pushes Back Against Johnson Proposals (10:30 a.m.)Irish Deputy Prime Minister Simon Coveney on Sunday pushed back against a number of Brexit positions espoused by Boris Johnson. In a BBC interview, he said Ireland isn?t prepared to renegotiate the Brexit withdrawal agreement negotiated by Theresa May and won?t drop the Irish backstop provision in it.?If the approach of the new British PM is that they?re going to tear up the withdrawal agreement then I think that we?re in trouble,? Coveney said. ?It?s important to say very clearly if respectfully that the facts don?t change around Brexit.?Coveney also said Johnson?s suggestion to keep no-tariff and no-quota trade after a no-deal Brexit by relying on the World Trade Organization?s GATT treaty isn?t a ?viable option at all.? He did say, however, that Ireland is prepared to countenance a different vision of the future relationship between the U.K. and EU than that advanced by May. Ireland would also look at realistic options for alternative arrangements to ensure frictionless trade at the border with Northern Ireland.U.K. Looking at ?Options? on Iran: Defense Minister (9:15 a.m.)The U.K. is looking at ?a series of options? on how to deal with the situation in Iran, Defense Minister Tobias Ellwood said on Sunday, adding that Britain wants a ?professional relationship? with the Middle East nation.?We?ve seen a ratcheting up of tensions in the Middle East,? Ellwood said in a Sky News interview. ?We need to try and de-escalate this.?Ellwood also said the U.K. is ?absolutely committed? to maintaining a military presence in the Persian Gulf and keeping the Strait of Hormuz open. He warned the U.K. needs to invest more in defense, including the Royal Navy. ?That?s something the next prime minister will need to recognize,? he said.Brexit Mustn?t Detract from Iran: Former Navy Chief (Earlier)Alan West, a member of the House of Lords and former chief of naval staff, warned the next prime minister that there?s a ?very real risk? of war in the Middle East and that they cannot ignore the situation in the Persian Gulf.?Whoever the next prime minister is, he is going to face a major international crisis as soon as he is in post,? West wrote in The Observer. ?It cannot be ignored because of Brexit.?West said the U.K. should make clear to Iran that while up until now Britain has tried to persuade the U.S. to ease sanctions on the middle eastern nation, it will now back stronger sanctions unless Iran releases the British tanker.Coveney: Ireland Will Engage with Next U.K. Premier (Earlier)Irish Deputy Prime Minister Simon Coveney said his country will ?work closely? with the next prime minister to safeguard common interests. Writing in the Sunday Times, he said Ireland?s one red line is to ensure the peace process in Northern Ireland isn?t put at risk. He warned of the dangers of a no-deal Brexit, which he said would ?cause huge damage to us all.?While Coveney said the withdrawal agreement negotiated by Prime Minister Theresa May isn?t up for negotiation, he extended an olive branch to the new leader by stressing that Ireland?s goal remains a future relationship with the U.K. that renders ?unnecessary? the so-called backstop -- the part of the deal that both candidates say needs to be dropped.Gove Set for Cabinet Promotion under Johnson (Earlier)Both the Sunday Times and the Sunday Telegraph report that Boris Johnson?s one-time nemesis Michael Gove, who scuppered his bid in 2016 for the party leadership, is set for a promotion if Johnson wins the leadership contest. The Sunday Times says the environment secretary may be put in charge of the communities department, with responsibility for increasing housebuilding. The Telegraph suggests he may be given added responsibilities for climate change while staying in his current role.To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.netTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Tim Ross at tross54@bloomberg.net, ;Andrew Davis at abdavis@bloomberg.net, Lars Paulsson, Sam UnstedFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.
