#jonhson

Boris Johnson has been warned that his governing majority could vanish overnight as more Conservative MPs consider defecting to other parties or sitting as independents. The Conservatives’ majority in the House of Commons was cut to just one after they lost the Brecon and Radnorshire seat to the Liberal Democrats in Thursday’s by-election.

Jo Swinson’s party overturned a majority of more than 8,000 to win the seat from Tory MP Chris Davies by a margin of 1,425. Mr Davies faced the by-election after a successful recall petition following his conviction for filing false expenses. The result means that Mr Johnson would be forced to lead a minority government if just one more Tory MP decided to defect to another party.

The Trump administration has made it clear to Boris Johnson that any post-Brexit US-UK free trade deal would rely on Britain dropping plans to tax large American tech firms, according to reports. 

Last month, Donald Trump announced that he and the British prime minister had already discussed the projects of a free trade relationship, when he telephoned to congratulate him on winning his way to No 10. “We’re working already on a trade agreement,” Mr Trump told reporters. “And I think it’ll be a very substantial trade agreement, you know we can do with the UK, we can do three to four times, we were actually impeded by their relationship with the European Union.” 

Now it has been reported any special deal between the two countries would depend on Britain dropping the digital services tax, which was first announced by then chancellor Phillip Hammond in his October 2018 budget, and which is due to come into affect in April next year.