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U.K. Prime Minister Facing Cabinet Overdraft Brexit Deal; Israel Defense Minister Resigns over Cease-Fire Deal; Ceasefire Ends Biggest Israel Gaza Firefight since 2014; First Lady Calls for Firing of Top National Security Aide; Prince Charles Turned 70. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired November 14, 2018 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00] HANNAH VAUGHAN JONES, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD, I'm Hannah Vaughan Jones live in London for you.
Right now, the British Prime Minister is in the grip of an emergency meeting. This outcome could help determine her legacy. She is facing her
cabinet right now to try to sell a draft divorce deal with EU negotiators. Something that in itself was years in the making. Theresa May insisted she
is delivering on Brexit when she faced the House of Commons in the past couple of hours. But even if she can win over her cabinet, there's still
the question of Parliament, before we even get to the rest of the EU. And with just four months to go, until Britain leaves the European Union, the
pressure is certainly on. Let's go to Max Foster, my colleague is live in Westminster. Max, a very big day for Theresa May, a very big day for the
country.
MAX FOSTER, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT: It really is. And the big day for all those cabinet members as well gathered around the table with Theresa
May right now. A lot of them, perhaps most of them aren't entirely happy with a deal she is presenting to them. But it's a huge decision to vote
against it. Some of them might decide to go with it and then resign later on. That's some of the speculation here. The big thing that will be
weighing on their minds is the fact that many people here in the House of Parliament don't believe this deal would get through the House of Commons.
So therefore, what point would it be for the cabinet to pass it through? But this is complex stuff, Nic Robertson, why might someone who doesn't
believe in this deal vote for it in the cabinet today?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Because they wouldn't be wanting to be seen as the person who brought down the Conservative
Party. They wouldn't want to be seen as being treacherous and undermining to Theresa May. That they'd be looking to their sort of longer political
careers. That could be the reason for that. But as you were saying, that once, if it passes today, if it goes to the European Union, if the leaders
there agree, if it gets tied up and agreed, it comes back to Parliament and faces tough challenges. And Theresa May, today, who's had every evidence
and every sense of what those challenges are going to be, was facing them again today from the leader of the opposition, Jeremy Corbyn, saying that
the deal that she is trying to negotiate isn't strong enough, isn't tough enough. Leaves Britain in a weak position. This is how Theresa May
responded.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THERESA MAY, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Time and time again, he has stood up in this House and complained and said that the government isn't making
progress, the government isn't anywhere close to a deal. Now when we're making progress and close to a deal, he is complaining about that. And can
I just say, I think, I think what that clearly shows is that he and the Labour Party have only one intention, that is to frustrate Brexit and the
trade of those of the British people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: Theresa May as well, for so long, she is accused of not having a deal on the table and finally she has something which Brussels has agreed
to and she saying, look, I can't do any more than this.
ROBERTSON: She is and if we go back a week or so ago, she was saying this is the best deal we can get. And she went back to Brussels because she was
told that wasn't good enough. She went back to Brussels. She's got a little bit more from them, but again it's what she's got that may not be
palatable. It's this idea that the last few days have been these sort of secret meetings, these tunneling meetings between her negotiators and the
EU negotiators. But what they've delivered is a potentially, as we hear so far, a longer transition period. Britain being in an "a" customs agreement
for a longer period of time, and the possibility of sort of different regulation emerging over time, affecting North Ireland. As opposed to the
rest of Britain, which is a red line for the Democratic Unionist Party, the supporters.
So, as she gets a little bit more on one hand, it takes away on the other hand. And this, frankly, has exposed her to criticism on both sides, from
remainers, and from the sort of hard Brexiteer leavers that it leaves the U.K. for too long subject to EU law without Britain having a voice at that
table.
FOSTER: And the sounding, from Brussels, appears to be that they're actually quite comfortable with this deal, because what it does, it only
gets us to the point by which the trade negotiations begin. And they're saying what the deal effectively does is ties anything that the U.K. wants
to do to European law, which effectively puts them in control, because they run European law.
ROBERTSON: Which is where they want to be. And this is where Theresa May faces the toughest criticism from both sides and that's why in Parliament,
she may bring her cabinet on board. It's a much tighter group of hand- picked people, let's not forget in Parliament she has less control over the opposition who've said there are six key tests of this. And if it doesn't
-- and if it fails in any one of those tests, and they're indicating by description they've called the negotiations so far shambolic. They're
indicating that they don't think it'll meet those six tests.
[10:05:02] FOSTER: If she doesn't get through the cabinet today, the deal is rejected by the cabinet, does it make it inevitable that she has to
resign because she's presented this fait accompli to them.
ROBERTSON: Well, she has the opportunity to go back to Brussels. What shall no better than anyone else whether or not there are any other sort of
scraps to be had on the table. And Brussels will also be able to make an informed decision about, you know, Theresa May, may have reached her limit,
and we would rather see some form of success than failure, than a hard Brexit. So, is there a possibility of a little more compromise we had at
the table? Let's face it, that's how negotiations always go with the EU and that's what people are demanding of her is to be tougher. So, maybe
she can go back to the table. But the political reality would be that she's arrived at this moment with the clock ticking as we know to get all
of the steps of the process -- include getting through Parliament -- done in time for exiting the European Union on the 29th of March next year. But
the clock is ticking. She doesn't have more time. And so, the reality may be that she, effectively, would have nowhere else to go with this.
FOSTER: A lot of people -- a lot of viewers on CNN suggesting this is now the time for second referendum, because remainers, are as uncomfortable as
leavers with this particular deal. But she's ruling that out. Isn't she? Explain why that.
ROBERTSON: She ruled it out again today. And the logic that's being applied is that this was a democratic process, and the electorate were
asked democratically what they wanted and they were asked to choose and they chose. And she has been even though she voted quietly, it wasn't a
loud voice for remain, but was in the remain camp, has been tried to implement that. That's been her position. Sort of a political reality
that if you go against what the electorate wants, then you will be punished for.
But there are others who are saying, look, when the referendum went head- to-head, people didn't understand the issues. Didn't understand what was at stake. Lives were told. Everyone remembers that 350 million pounds a
week coming back for the National Health Service. And of course, a few days after the election, that was explained that was a lie, that wasn't
true. So, the people who would push for the second referendum would say that is a democratic entitlement to go back and look at this in the light
of what we understand today, where we are today. Is this really in the best economic interest of the country in the long-term going forward? Now
we see what there is. That's the logic.
FOSTER: And they want to see what is in the deal as well, Hannah. We haven't even seen that, because that's still unpublished so far. It's just
around that table on Downing Street where Theresa May is meeting with her cabinet.
JONES: All right, Max, we will know doubt come back to you later on in the hour as well. Thanks very much. Max there talking with Nic, of course,
about the economic prospects for this country what about the EU partners as well? Erin McLaughlin is in Brussels with a view from the European Union
on all of this. And Erin, the draft deal is being hailed as something of a Brexit break through over here. Is there the same kind of enthusiasm where
you are?
ERIN MCLAUGHLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, at this point, EU diplomats, EU officials I've been talking to, Hannah, have been holding their breath,
waiting to see if Theresa May succeeds in getting this past her cabinet. There has been a certain degree of skepticism here as well, pointing to
what happened in October. The two sides were very close to a technical agreement, that agreement was killed on the political level, at Downing
Street, prior to the EU summit in October. So, there is a concern here that this, they could see a repeat of the situation, given the political
dynamics in the U.K., given the EU's red line. And at this hour, the EU ambassadors, as we understand, are meeting, being briefed by the commission
on the state of play, as well as no deal preparations.
But to give you a sense of the fragility of this situation, there are media reports that the EU ambassadors had their phones and iPads taken from them,
going into the meeting, to prevent any leaks. That gives you a sense of the vulnerability, the stakes that are at play here. The EU very aware
that the optics of this situation really matters.
JONES: All right, Erin McLaughlin live for us in Brussels, with a view there from the European side of all of these negotiations. Erin, thank you
so much.
Let's get the view then from the Prime Minister, Theresa May's own party. Crispin Blunt is a Conservative member of Parliament and joins me now live
from Westminster. Mr. Blunt, thank you so much for joining us on the program. These discussions, I believe -- I believe we have Mr. Blunt with
us -- and I will start with a question to see if he can join us. Hello there, sir.
Theresa May, the Prime Minister, currently with her cabinet, pouring over the details of this draft agreement. She says it's as good as it's going
to get.
[10:10:00] Is it good enough?
CRISPIN BLUNT, BRITISH CONSERVATIVE MP: Well, no would appear to be the answer. And of course, those of us who haven't seen, it that is a judgment
based on rumor control. But it doesn't look as though the United Kingdom is going to emerge in this with the sovereign right to leave the customs
union on a date of its choosing. And for me, that would be the critical issue. You then get into all of the other balances that are going to be
within this as to whether or not it's worth the expenditure of 20 plus billion pounds for a transition period and the rest. But if we don't have
sovereign control at the end of this, then it's a nonstarter.
JONES: There has been a lot of hyperbole thrown around in the last couple of days, weeks, things like surrender, this is a capitulation. Is that
just fluff for what is essentially a hard-fought-for deal with our European friends?
BLUNT: I'm afraid our European friends haven't been behaving as friends in the conduct of this entire negotiation. Despite the fact that the Prime
Minister has conducted this negotiation with the utmost courtesy and has chased around after the priorities dictated to her by the European Union
Commission, both in a sequencing of the negotiation that we weren't allowed to talk about. The key issue, which is the future of partnership, before
we settle or withdraw an agreement in the transition period and the money. And Britain just satisfied itself by saying, well, nothing is agreed until
everything is agreed. And of course, we now arrive at this position, where it's clear that the move to the future partnership -- which should be
relatively straightforward.
A deep and comprehensive free trade agreement, with elements of security and defense and foreign policy cooperation, written into that as well,
which is for the United Kingdom. And we just need to sit and wait for the European Union to wake up to the fact that there is a perfectly acceptable
protocol to be had over the North Ireland border, and this, we have been crudely jerked around with the North Ireland border partly at the behest of
the Irish t-shirt. Who's proceed a strategy that seems utterly extraordinary to me. And we should simply sit and wait for them to work
out whether interest lie.
JONES: There are many people, Mr. Blunt, who are saying that today is very much a test of Theresa May's very leadership as well. Others saying that
any conservative members of Parliament who vote against it, in particular, in her cabinet as well. People who defy this deal that she's got will be
treacherous to her and potentially to the country as well, because, as we just said, she thinks this is as good a deal as we are going to get. Do
you think that -- will that be part of your conscious, if and when this particular deal comes to Parliament and you get to vote on it?
BLUNT: No, because if, the choice is -- the choice again to face Parliament is this deal or no deal. And all that no deal means is that
there would have been no agreement by the time we leave the European Union on the 29th of March and we will default to World Trade Organization terms.
And then there will be a series of problems and issues that arise out of that position.
Now, the foreign affairs committee that I chaired 20 months ago did an inquiry into this and produced a report on the implications of no deal.
The government has been working away on this allegedly. There's a question of how much resources have been given to it. But certainly, every
government department appears to have been working away on a no deal plan. And once we've left, we will be sitting with 39 billion pounds in the
kitty, deciding exactly what the issues are that we are going to have to immediately address to make sure there isn't a nonsense over flights or
freight traffic and the rest.
JONES: But Mr. Blunt, if I can --
BLUNT: and to move to our new future partnership with the European Union. There is nothing to be frightened of.
JONES: If I could just say, on Theresa May's own position, sorry, sir, to interrupt you, if I could push you on her own position, her own leadership,
do you think that someone else could get a better deal?
BLUNT: The European Union, well, had someone else conducted this negotiation from the beginning, with some understanding, a clear
understanding of the strength of the United Kingdom's position, that we were going to be generous in terms of the money, generous in terms of
citizenship right for European Union citizens, generous in terms of future security and defense and foreign policy cooperation with our European
partners, I think this negotiation wouldn't have been conducted by the United Kingdom, apparently, on its knees and then being kicked around by
the European Union Commission.
JONES: Is there time still to get a better deal?
BLUNT: Not in my judgment. But that will be up to the European Union who will have to face up to the -- whatever happens at the cabinet today.
[10:15:02] And I rather expect the cabinet will, in a very lukewarm way, support the Prime Minister. They may come out and invite her to go back to
Brussels to seek an improvement in the terms, but it doesn't look as well as negotiations could be up to the minutes. They will dramatically
improve, and if they don't, then the House of Commons will reject this deal, unless something very surprising happens in the Labour Party that
none of us are expecting.
JONES: OK. And then we're back to square one of course. Crispin Blunt, we very much appreciate your time on the program. Thank you, sir.
And let's move on to other news then. Israel's defense minister has resigned over a cease fire agreement between Israel and Hamas. The deal
ended intense fighting across the Gaza border. The hostilities were the worst between the two sides since the 2014 war. But Avigdor Lieberman
called the truce, and I quote, a capitulation to terror. His resignation is an enormous blow to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government, and
could bring about an early election.
Well, for more on, this I want to bring in CNN's Oren Liebermann who's in Jerusalem and also, Arwa Damon, who standing by for us in Gaza city. Oren,
to you first. How much instability is this putting not just on the Israeli government, as a whole, but also in particular, on Benjamin Netanyahu and
his leadership?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the key part here, and this is something Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu knows very well, is that the
defense minister doesn't have enough seats in his party to take down the government. Netanyahu had a 66-seat coalition, that's now a 61-seat
coalition. That's the bare minimum. But it's stable. Netanyahu's party spokesman already said that the coalition chair is in touch with the other
parties to try to stabilize the coalition. It does open up the Prime Minister to demands made by other parties, for example the hardline right-
wing education minister has demanded the defense portfolio. Netanyahu has to make a choice whether to give it to him.
But right now, the assessment here from analysts looks like Netanyahu's coalition holds for now. If Netanyahu wants to, he has reasons he could go
to an election but right now, the efforts from Netanyahu are to hold this coalition together and either to work something out with other politicians,
or to find some sort of solution. But the coalition looks stable right now. Even with the defense minister resigning. Because frankly, he wanted
to drink a harsher blow to Hamas and opposed the cease fire.
JONES: Let's get the position then from Gaza city and Hamas. Arwa Damon is standing by for us there. Arwa, as far as the cease fire is concerned
then, is it currently holding or is there still an exchange of fire across the border?
ARWA DAMON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No, it is pretty much holding, Hannah, and in fact, being touted as a victory by Hamas and the
other factions here. There was a short rally just a while ago, where a Hamas speaker said that they had won this latest round of hostilities and
they were in fact, crediting themselves for the resignation of the Israeli Defense Minister.
And throughout the entire city, where we were going around, we were beginning to already see that cleanup effort under way. There is sort of a
resilience here that can best be defined as resignation, as well as that may seem to be a contradiction. But you talk to people and they say look,
this is what we have to live with, we don't have a choice because we can't just pick up and leave Gaza. And even if we could, we wouldn't necessarily
want to do that. This is our land and we have to continue to defend it.
We went out to Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV station, their main headquarters, or what was their main headquarters. It was destroyed in one of the Israeli air
strikes. And they were broadcasting their regular morning show from the street in front of the rubble of the building. And then we went to another
site that had been hit and next door to what seems to be the main target, what we were told was a residential building.
There was a kindergarten that had also been damaged. And one of the school girls had returned with her mother, and her mother said that she wanted to
go and see what had happened to her classroom, her books. And she described her daughter as normally being a chatterbox, but once we got
inside, she was completely silent. This little 5-year-old girl, seeming to try to come to terms with what it was that she was looking at. Even though
no one had been killed or wounded, at this particular location, because the Israelis had issued a warning, telling people to evacuate and the strike
could happen in the very early hours of the morning.
But you get a sense that the population here is on the one hand acknowledges that it has to get used to the cycles of violence and on the
other hand also perhaps reluctant to acknowledge and accept that they don't know what the way out is, and what sort of sustainable solution there can
be to bring about this fear that they say they are continuously living in.
JONES: Arwa Damon, live for us there in Gaza city. Also, Oren Liebermann in Jerusalem, my thanks to you both.
Still to come on the program, a stunning power play by Melania Trump. We'll see how a feud with the U.S. first lady could cost a top national
security advisor her job.
[10:20:30](COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANDERSON: It looks like hell on earth. Another new wildfire has broken out in the L.A. suburbs. The Sierra fire sprung up overnight making it
the third separate fire burning around Los Angeles. And in Northern California, the death toll from another massive blaze still raging
continues to grow. 48 people are confirmed dead, and it seems like new bodies are discovered daily in the ashes that used to be the town of
Paradise. Now, the wildfires across California have burned more land than the cities of Chicago and Boston combined.
Now, to a dramatic move by Melania Trump that apparently blind-sided top White House aides. The first lady made a stunning power play, essentially
calling for the firing of a deputy national security adviser. Mrs. Trump's office released a statement saying that Mira Ricardel, quote, no
longer deserves the honor of serving in this White House.
The news comes in a growing speculation that a wider staff shakeup in the administration is in the works. Let's get more on all of this now from
White House reporter Jeremy Diamond standing by for us. Jeremy, good to see you. How unusual is it then for the East Wing to get quite so involved
so publicly with West Wing affairs?
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: Well, you know, there have been first ladies in the past who have talked to their husbands about certain
staff on their team, certain administration officials they feel should be there, should not be there, but to do so publicly, is extremely, extremely
unusual. And it was quite a stunning moment yesterday to see the first lady spokeswoman put out this statement, essentially calling for the firing
of the deputy national security adviser, which is really a pretty crucial national security position in the Trump administration.
And you know, this all happened without the West Wing's knowledge. West Wing officials were completely blind-sided by this statement. Officials in
the press office in particular had no idea that this statement was going to be coming out. And it followed several reports that we saw indicating that
the President was rearing to fire Mira Ricardel and this appeared to be the first lady's office attempting to put the nail in the coffin here. The
question whether it was actually successful and as of now.
[10:25:00] We don't really know where Mira Ricardel's status as the deputy national security adviser stands. Initially we were told yesterday that
she was going to be fired, that she would be out, but given a little bit of time to clean out her desk. As of today, it appears that she is still in
that position but the White House staying mum if she will remain there and if so, how long. We do know that the national security adviser, John
Bolton, who is in Singapore at the moment, once he found out about this, it happened really overnight in Singapore, he has been trying to plead Mira
Ricardel's case to try to keep her as his deputy.
JONES: And does it signal any division within the Trump camp, the Trump marriage, even, potentially?
DIAMOND: Well, you know, what we do know is that Mira Ricardel is somebody who has had very sharp elbows in this administration. She has made very
few friends. She has feuded with the Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, we are told she has clashed with the White House Chief of Staff, John Kelly. And
with the first lady's staff, particularly over the first lady's trip in Africa. Withholding certain NSC resources according to several resources.
And so clearly, the first lady here felt that she needs to step in to stand up for her staff and to tell the President this is not somebody who is
playing nice in your administration. Not serving out your best interests.
But it's really just the beginnings that we are seeing of a broader staff shakeup that we are expected to see in this administration. The White
House Chief of Staff, John Kelly, once again -- we've seen this movie before, of course -- but once again, he is rumored to be headed potentially
for the exits with the Vice President's chief of staff Nick Ayres rumored as the top candidate take over as the President's chief of staff.
And again, we do know that the President has been wanting to do a staff shakeup around the two-year mark which is typical in most administrations.
There is a lot of coming in and coming out around this two-year mark. What is unusual is the public fashion in which we are seeing this chaos really
unfold. And the public firing that we are seeing between the warring factions within this White House, most notably now involving the first
lady.
JONES: Jeremy Diamond live for us in Washington. Thank you, Jeremy.
And live from London, you are watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Still to come on the program, for months it has been a question of deal or no deal. Now, as
far as Brexit goes, we seem to have that deal, but with it a new question, are you with me or are you against me? That is the issue facing Theresa
May right now. Stay with us for the latest.
[10:30:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JONES: You're watching CNN. This is CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Hannah Vaughn Jones live in London. Welcome back.
Returning now to the top story. British Prime Minister pitches her draft Brexit deal, in an emergency cabinet meeting that's going on right now.
Theresa May is laying her leadership on the line nearly 900 days after the U.K. voted to leave the European Union. She insisted there will be no
second referendum when she faced the House of Commons earlier today. And Mrs. May accused opposition leader, the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, of
trying to block Brexit after he slammed her for offering a choice of a quote, botched deal and no deal.
Max Foster is at Abington Green, we'll get there in a moment to you Max. But first, Bianca Nobilo is at 10 Downing Street for us in London. Bianca,
obviously, this cabinet meeting is still ongoing at the moment. No doubt, they are pouring over the details of any customs arrangements, U.K.
sovereignty as well. Are those the main sticking points as far as those cabinet ministers meeting today?
BIANCA NOBILO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Those are the main sticking points, yes. The cabinet started about 19 minutes ago, it's all going on in the building
behind me, we're expecting it to run for probably another 90 minutes. Because there is so much to get through and it's imperative to Downing
Street that all of the cabinet feels heard because it does represent a complete spectrum of opinion when it comes to Brexit.
You have the ardent Brexiteers, like Andrea Leadsom, who actually ran against Theresa May for leadership, and Penny Mordaunt. You have the
remainers like the Chancellor who want to warn about the economic impact of any form of Brexit. Then you've got those in the middle, her loyalist,
which will be very useful for her today, to try and get everybody on a side. Because it is critical that she can win her cabinet round before she
presents this deal to Parliament.
In terms of what they will be discussing, we understand that last week, the cabinet were able to view 95 percent of the draft Brexit deal. The missing
5 percent was the most controversial, the sticking point of North Ireland and how to avoid a hard border. That has been the most contentious point
of negotiation. It has been the obstacle holding up progress between the EU and the U.K. negotiating teams in recent weeks. But that program has
been achieved and that is what the Prime Minister is presenting to her cabinet today.
We expect to see that text, once she has met with her cabinet and once, they have agreed or haven't agreed, Theresa May will address the nation.
Possibly at Downing Street, possibly in Parliament and we'll get more details about what exactly has been decided between the negotiates teams --
Hannah.
JONES: And all eyes on it, of course, certainly from our perspective. Maxwell is standing by in Westminster for us. Max, the anchor referring to
the battles that Theresa May is going to have within her own cabinet. But of course, many of the leading Brexiteers and the Boris Johnsons and the
like, they've already resigned. They're not going to be in that cabinet meeting. So, I suppose my question to you, are we likely to see any more
resignations from actual cabinet ministers today?
FOSTER: It's possible but the impact of that will depend on how senior they are. Are they the big heavy weights of the cabinet? If that's the
case then it would undermine, of course, Theresa May's position. But it's unclear exactly what they're thinking right now. She's going to
effectively say to the cabinet, this is not a perfect deal but it's the best that I can get. And if they prove it, then later on this evening, the
EU Commission is expected to publish that 500-word document and then it'll be up to EU leaders to get together for a summit to approve it.
Of course, then, it comes to the Houses of Parliament, and here, there's much more doubt, Hannah, about whether or not it will get through. Theresa
May will have a huge amount of work to try to convince the House of Commons that this is the right deal for the country, and the right deal for the
Conservative Party that is pretty split on the issue.
JONES: Max foster, in Westminster, the anchor, of number 10 Downing Street for us, thanks very much indeed. Now our Nic Robertson has been
reporting on Brexit all along.
[10:35:05] And there's another potential obstacle of course from Ireland. The question of the year, Irish backstop, and how that will be resolved.
Now the Irish Prime Minister says he wants his Parliament to vote on the text of this Brexit deal. And for more on this, I want to bring in Fintan
O'Toole. Fintan is a journalist at "The Irish Times" and joins me now from Dublin via Skype. Fintan, good to see you. I can't see you there,
wonderful stuff. And so, this question of the Irish border, whether there will be a hard border or not between the North Ireland and the Republic of
Ireland. The draft deal is now on the table. It's all resolved, right?
FINTAN O'TOOLE, JOURNALIST, THE IRISH TIMES (via Skype): Well, from the Irish point of view, it looks like it's, if this deal goes through. Of
course, we haven't seen the detail on this yet, but it's very interesting watching the demeanor of the Irish governments, who have seen the deal.
They're very confident, very pleased, and the air is very much one of quiet satisfaction. They're so satisfied that they're trying to be quiet about
it. Because they don't want to appear triumphant because obviously these are very sensitive issues. And very aware that Theresa May is dependent on
the small Northern Ireland, Ireland Democratic Unionists who have come out already against her deal -- even though they haven't seen it yet. And what
the Irish government doesn't want to do is really kind of feed any of that animosity. But I think it's a sign of how confident they are that this has
been dealt with.
JONES: She is in a unique position, Theresa May, I guess. And that she's sort of potentially going to upset remainers and leaver, in whichever deal
she puts forward to them today. Boris Johnson has been talking recently about the U.K. being in some sort of colony status from now on, neither
fully in and neither fully out. And I guess that is the problem, that remainers will say that we don't have a seat at the table, and that people
who wanted to leave will say we're still too close to the table.
O'TOOLE: Yes, I mean it's a very strange historical circumstance. It's very hard to think of any other country in history that has ever gone into
negotiations looking for something worse than what it already has. The U.K. has a very good relationship with the European Union. It's a full
member. And it has all sorts of updates that others don't have. It's not in the euro or the free travel area. You know it's really kind of tailored
the European Union very successfully to its own needs. So, it's very hard for other countries like Ireland to understand really exactly what it is
they want. What they're doing. And the irony now is that the best deal they can get is a kind of second-class membership it's recommending, which
is what's on the table. The only other alternative now at this stage is probably crashing out and everybody knows that that's catastrophic.
JONES: I suppose another alternative might potentially be this idea of another referendum. But Theresa May herself has ruled that out. When you
talked about history then. I'm wondering how you think history will judge British politics this period.
O'TOOLE: I think they will be bringing in the psychiatrists really rather than the historians you know. If you stand back from it, you know, it's
just very difficult to understand how a prosperous, reasonably together modern democracy got itself into this state. Where it identified the
European Union as a colonizer, as an invader, as an oppressor. And this is just hype. I mean it's really just hyping up shining, because when you ask
anybody in the world. What exactly is your problem? How they oppressing you?
You know, it came down to minutia and regulations, most of which was just fictional, just stuff that didn't really ever happened. You know, crazy
stuff. Like the European Union was banning donkey rides on beaches. Banning bananas that are not bending enough. You know, crazy stuff. It
really is quite hard when you stand back from it. And it's a bit of a car crash.
To be fair to Theresa May, she's the one who's had to stick with this and try to limit the damage. So, it's a very odd situation we're in. Where
after all of this time, what they have ended up with, even if they do get it through, is the least worse outcome but not a good outcome by any
standards.
JONES: And we don't definitely have any outcome as of yet. That cabinet meeting is still ongoing. It's great to talk to you the Fintan O'Toole,
via skype in Dublin for us, thank you.
Let's get you up to speed now on some other stories that are on our radar right now. The Airplane Pilots Association says Boeing has withheld
important safety information that could be one of the causes of the crash of Lion Air flight 610. The pilots say Boeing should have told them more
about a potentially faulty sensor. Boeing says it cannot comment on the claim until the investigation into the Lion Air crash is complete.
[10:41:00] The U.S. Vice President Mike Pence says there's no excuse for Myanmar's persecution of Rohingya Muslims. He delivered a stinging rebuke
of the military crackdown with Aung San Suu Kyi by his side in Singapore. Miramar's de facto ruler brushed off Mr. Pence's criticism citing a
different point of view.
Almost two years after taking office, U.S. President Donald Trump has finally named an ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Retired General John Abizaid,
will take the post. It comes as U.S. and Saudi relations are, of course, strained in the aftermath of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and
the Saudis' role in the ongoing war in Yemen.
And oil prices are a little bit higher in Wednesday trading. A welcome relief after Tuesday's sell-off. The price of crude oil at its worst day
in three years plummeting amid concerns that oil producers are pumping too much. But the head of OPEC says the cartel is committed to keeping supply
in check.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MOHAMMED BARKINDO, OPEC SECRETARY GENERAL: The group, both OPEC and non- OPEC will stay the course, will stay united, in our noble objective of maintaining stability on a sustainable basis. We are determined to ensure
that we do not relapse into the downturn which had been sent this industry into a spiral in the last couple of years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Live from London, this is CONNECT THE WORLD. Our top story this hour, whether British Prime Minister Theresa May can get her Brexit plan
approved by her cabinet. That meeting is still ongoing, Downing Street. We'll have plenty more coming up after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JONES: You're watching CNN. This is CONNECT THE WORLD. I'm Hannah Vaughn Jones live in London, welcome back.
The British Prime Minister may be facing her cabinet right now, but she faced the entire House of Commons just a few hours ago. At one point, she
lashed out at the opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn saying he is getting in the way of the Brexit process.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THERESA MAY, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Time and time again, he has stood up in this house and complained and said that the government isn't making
progress, the government isn't anywhere close to a deal. Now when we're making progress and close to a deal, he is complaining about that. Can I
just say, I think, I think what that clearly shows is that he and the Labour Party have only one intention, that is to frustrate Brexit and the
trade of those of the British people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES: I speak to Anne McElvoy, Senior editor at "The Economist", who's live for us in Westminster. Anne, good to see you. So, one hurdle that
the Prime Minister might get to might be getting this through Parliament. First of all, though she's got to get this deal past her own cabinet. She
is in a sort of unique position of alienating everyone around her. Can she get over that hurdle in the next few hours?
[10:45:00] ANNE MCELVOY, SENIOR EDITOR, THE ECONOMIST: Well, the argument that she has to make to the cabinet -- in fact, she's probably making it
right now -- is that this is not what you would call a good deal. I think we've moved off that rhetoric that this will be a great deal for Britain.
But she is saying, that if you don't take it worst things could follow. So, you saw her there in your clip saying, for those who really want
Brexit, that Brexit could be frustrated, it might not happen, we might be kicked into that territory oversight. Above all it could be no deal.
Now that is perhaps an area where she does have a bit more pull with her cabinet because even moderate Brexiteers in her cabinet, those people who
sit, if you like, squarely in the center, just a bit to the remain or a bit to the Brexit side, they don't want no deal. They agree about that. And
also, the rising generation likely to exceed her in the Tory Party really don't want that. So, imagine that that is what she'll be hammering home
this afternoon. It's not a great deal but the no deal is a far worst outcome and they should back or on that.
JONES: And if it doesn't work, if she didn't get it passed her own cabinet, what happens next? Does it automatically sort of go back to
Brussels in terms of more negotiating there? Or are we at the point now where Theresa May's own leadership, her own party leadership, is on the
line, and there may be a leadership contest, we might even be talking about, a general election before Christmas?
MCELVOY: I think it's possible. Although, if you go around sniffing the air here in Westminster, you don't actually feel the public gagging for
general election of were thinking of, please no anything but that. But it is possible, as you say. That there are various roads that could follow.
There is a technical answer, which is the deal simply goes for a further round of negotiations. But I think from what we've been able to glean a
bit overnight -- and I've seen snippets and I'm sure others have too -- it does not look like that is the mood of the EU negotiators.
So, you get to the sort of dramatic of it, which is I think if she is unable to get this through her cabinet, then Theresa May -- you saw her
there on her feet, she's like a battered prize fighter. She still going at it. She looks very grave. She is determined to keep fighting this. They
might respect that. Or it could just be too difficult to take, and there's certainly parts of this deal for the Brexiteers to put us so close that the
EU. There's the joke is going around, take back control, was the Brexiteer slogan. This is really EU taking back control. If people who really make
the deciding two or three people in cabinet, jump to that position, then I don't see how she could survive as prime minister. It doesn't mean a
general election, of course, it could just mean Another messy Conservative leadership contest. But I think that was set us on the road towards an
early election.
JONES: And if there is one of those leadership contests then presumably Boris Johnson would have his name in the hat straight-away. Do you think
the British public are buying his calls for -- this is colony status that we're heading to? This is a threat to our own sovereignty. This is
undemocratic.
MCELVOY: Well, talk about, you know, putting his name in the hat, he was out there yesterday denouncing the deal. Of course, he hadn't seen the
deal at the time but he probably had a fair idea of what was coming. So, either way he's got the hat, he's going around with the hat looking
effectively for nominations from the Brexit base in Parliament, competing there with Jacob Rees-Mogg for that crown. You don't know really what the
public will make of it. The polling seems to come out roughly saying they make of it what they made of it before. Perhaps some doubts there creeping
in on the desirability of Brexit.
But that is a different thing than saying what would people vote for. And of course, in the Tory leadership race, it's really the question of who
comes through the process. That's not a question for the public at large. Boris Johnson not popular. You can see there, the palace of Westminster
here behind me, the Commons is not his natural base. He is too much of a one-man band for that. He does have great support at the grass roots of
the Conservative Party. And that's where you see him doubling down there, on that Brexit message and all of those metaphors about being a vessel to
Brussels, and various other military metaphors. He does not exactly what he's doing. He's saying you got to but me through to that final round of
the Conservative leadership contest because it's what a lot of base wants.
Anne McElvoy, always good to talk to you. Thank you very much, Anne, we appreciate it. Live in Westminster for us.
MCELVOY: Thank you.
JONES: And still ahead, on the program, we are going to step away from politics because it's also another big day in Britain, the Britain's Royal
family. Prince Charles turns 70. We'll show you how the heir to the throne has redefined the Prince of Wales after this break.
[10:50:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JONES: In tonight's parting shots, a celebration fit for a prince.
To mark the 70th birthday of Britain's Prince Charles, a 41-gun royal salute was given in London's Green Park earlier today. The bells of
Westminster Abbey were also rung in honor of the royal occasion. Now, Prince Charles is the longest-serving royal heir in British history. And
over the decades he has redefined the job. One example, his pioneering work in renovating Dumfries estates in Scotland and turning into a base for
charitable causes close to his heart. CNN got a special tour of the home that speaks of the Prince and his legacy. Here is our Max Foster.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER (voice-over): An 18th century stately home, set in a vast estate, about 30 miles south of Glasgow. Not an official royal residence but
particularly close to the heart of the heir of the British throne.
(on camera): The Prince of Wales is one of the busiest members of the royal family, with projects ongoing across the U.K. and indeed the world.
But to mark his 70th birthday, he brought us here Dumfries house. And that's because it encapsulates so many of his passions and his causes.
(voice-over): The wider estate is home to many different projects including this science and technology hub for visiting school groups.
Vocational training for local people is a recurring theme here. As is organic farming and food production. Issues that the Prince has a long
history of promoting.
The house itself had fallen into disrepair in 2007 and was about to have its contents sold off at auction, when the Prince of Wales stepped in and
bought the entire estate. He quickly reopened it as a visitor attraction.
(on camera): Here in the blue drawing room, we have what's thought to be the most expensive item of furniture in the world. It's not the sofas.
It's not the chandelier. It's this. The lady's Chippendale cabinets and it's thought to be worth more than $30 million.
(voice-over): There are no gates on the estate. People wander freely able to enjoy it without having to pay. The Prince's foundation which runs all
of the Dumfries House projects is now the second largest employer in the county. From the start, Charles wanted this to be a community project.
Even going beyond the estate to fund a new town hall, and renovate an outdoor pool, in a deprived former mining town nearby. As Charles turns 70
and marks 50 years of public work, this is the project that best defines his legacy. According to those that work with him closely.
KENNETH DUNSMUIR, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE PRINCE'S FOUNDATION: The things with young adults, who is his concerns about and social and community
issues and ecological issues, but all that has happened, it's that he has more and more involved. And has the time to do that and develop these
ideas and take them further and due to the length of time that was being the Prince of Wales.
[10:55:02] What I would like to think is that in bringing together so many strands, into the Prince's Foundation, of his charitable initiatives and
dedication to charitable work, I would like to think that, you know, as a fantastic physical legacy to that work, that will always be here, in
northern England.
FOSTER: Each Friday night, Charles is sent an update on Dumfries House. The reports stretching to dozens of pages. He writes notes and gets it
back to his team here on Saturday morning I'm told. This is an heir who isn't sitting around waiting to be king. He is busier than ever, even as
he heads into his 70s. Max Foster, CNN, Ayrshire, Scotland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
JONES: I'm Hannah Vaughan Jones live in London. Thank you for your company. That was CONNECT THE WORLD. Stay tuned for more on Brexit latest
here on CNN. And thank you for watching.
END
