May's 12-point plan for clean break from EU

Theresa May will delight Brexiteers and dismay Remainers by pledging a clean break from the EU in her long-awaited speech spelling out her Brexit strategy.

Unveiling a 12-point plan for Brexit, she will propose a "new and equal partnership" between an "independent, self-governing Global Britain" and its friends and allies in the EU.

And in her clearest statement yet on Brexit, she will declare: "Not partial membership of the European Union, associate membership of the European Union, or anything that leaves us half-in, half-out.

"We do not seek to adopt a model already enjoyed by other countries. We do not seek to hold on to bits of membership as we leave.

"The United Kingdom is leaving the European Union. My job is to get the right deal for Britain as we do."

The PM's speech comes after No 10 officials expressed delight at Donald Trump's pledge at the weekend to work to secure a rapid trade agreement with the UK after Brexit.

The Chancellor, Philip Hammond, also suggested at the weekend that Britain could cut taxes to create a corporate tax haven if the EU fails to provide it with an agreement on market access after Brexit.

And Mrs May's "half-in, half-out" remarks appear to confirm that she will announce that the UK is prepared to leave the single market, the European Court of Justice, and probably the customs union as well.

:: Ian King: Increasingly clear a 'hard Brexit' is on the cards

:: Brexit terms explained: What you need to know

She will say leaving the EU presents the UK with an opportunity to build a stronger economy and a fairer society by embracing genuine economic and social reform – and an opportunity to build a brighter future for the country’s children and grandchildren.

"A little over six months ago the British people voted for change," she will say.

"They voted to shape a brighter future for our country. They voted to leave the European Union and embrace the world.

"And they did so with their eyes open: accepting that the road ahead will be uncertain at time, but believing that it leads towards a brighter future for their children - and their grandchildren too.

"And it is the job of this Government to deliver it. That means more than negotiating our new relationship with the EU. It means taking the opportunity of this great moment of national change to step back and ask ourselves what kind of country we want to be.

"My answer is clear. I want this United Kingdom to emerge from this period of change stronger, fairer, more united and more outward-looking than ever before.

"I want us to be secure, prosperous, tolerant country - a magnet for international talent and a home to the pioneers and innovators who will shape the world ahead.

"I want us to be a truly Global Britain - the best friend and neighbour to our European partners, but a country that reaches beyond the borders of Europe too.

"A country that gets out into the world to build relationships with old friends and new allies alike.

"I want Britain to be what we have the potential and ambition to be: a great, global trading nation that is respected around the world and strong, confident and united at home."

And in a message directed partly at a European audience, the Prime Minister will say that it remains overwhelmingly and compellingly in Britain’s national interest that the EU should succeed.

And she will repeat her message that although the UK is leaving the European Union, it is not leaving Europe.

"Our vote to leave the European Union was no rejection of the values we share," she will say.

"The decision to leave the EU represents no desire to become more distant to you, our friends and neighbours.

"We will continue to be reliable partners, willing allies and close friends. We want to buy your goods, sell you ours, trade with you as freely as possible, and work with one another to make sure we are all safer, more secure and more prosperous through continued friendship."

On her plan for Brexit, the Prime Minister will says she has 12 negotiating priorities driven by four key principles:

:: Certainty and clarity

:: A stronger Britain

:: A fairer Britain

:: A truly global Britain

"We have 12 objectives that amount to one big goal: a new, positive and constructive partnership between Britain and the European Union," she will say.

"And as we negotiate that partnership, we will be driven by some simple principles: we will provide as much certainty and clarity as we can at every stage.

"And we will take this opportunity to make Britain stronger, to make Britain fairer, and to build a more Global Britain too."

Pound slides ahead of key Theresa May Brexit speech

The pound has fallen below $1.20 amid reports Theresa May will set Britain on course for a "hard Brexit" in a major speech.

Sterling slid to its lowest level against the dollar since October's "flash crash" in Asian trade ahead of the address - in which the Prime Minister is expected to signal that Britain will quit the European Union's single market.

It also fell to a two-month low versus the euro.

But the currency edged up slightly, back above $1.20, after it emerged that Donald Trump had told The Times he hoped a new US-UK trade deal could be negotiated "quickly" after Brexit.

The pound is 20% down on the dollar since last June's referendum - a level not regularly seen since the mid-1980s.

While a weaker sterling makes UK goods more competitive abroad, it means imports are more expensive.

Analysts said the latest move downwards for sterling reflected market jitters over the Brexit negotiations and the prospect of Britain crashing out of the European trading bloc.

Several Sunday newspapers reported that Mrs May will say the UK is prepared to leave the single market, customs union and European Court of Justice in her speech at Lancaster House on Tuesday.

:: Brexit terms explained: What you need to know

:: Sky Views: Get used to having Brexit deja vu

Her red lines for the negotiations will reportedly be an end to free movement from the EU and freedom to strike new trade deals around the world - neither of which are thought to be achievable within the single market.

Downing Street described the reports as "speculation" but the approach appeared to be backed up by Chancellor Philip Hammond - who warned the UK could slash business taxes if it is denied access to European markets after Brexit.

In an interview with the German Welt am Sonntag newspaper, Mr Hammond said: "If we have no access to the European market, if we are closed off, if Britain were to leave the European Union without an agreement on market access, then we could suffer from economic damage at least in the short-term.

"In this case, we could be forced to change our economic model and we will have to change our model to regain competitiveness. And you can be sure we will do whatever we have to do.

"The British people are not going to lie down and say, too bad, we've been wounded. We will change our model, and we will come back, and we will be competitively engaged."

Kathleen Brooks, an analyst at City Index, said reports of the UK leaving the single market had been "like kryptonite" to traders.

She wrote: "The FX market has spoken, and, as of Sunday night, it is not confident that Theresa May can deliver the necessary clarity and confidence when she lays out her Brexit plans."

Sean Callow, a senior currency strategist at Westpac Bank in Sydney, told Bloomberg: "It is difficult to make the case for the pound to avoid testing - probably breaking - the 'flash crash' lows in coming weeks."

The flash crash on 7 October saw the pound fall below $1.19 - its lowest post-referendum level - before recovering.

A report published last week said the crash, during Asian trading, was caused by a range of factors, including the time of day.

Eight billionaires own same as poorest half of the world - Oxfam

Inequality is so stark that a small group of men own the same wealth as half the world, say campaigners ahead of the high-profile World Economic Forum in Davos.

According to research by Oxfam, the eight billionaires, including Bill Gates who tops the list, have riches equivalent to the wealth of the world's 3.6 billion poorest people.

The gap between rich and poor was far greater than feared, and the charity has called for an overhaul of a "warped" economy that allows one in nine people to go hungry.

Theresa May and Philip Hammond will attend the World Economic Forum in Switzerland this week.

Critics of the annual event, held in the luxury Swiss ski resort, say it is little more than a talking shop for the rich and powerful.

Oxfam has called on leaders to improve international cooperation to stop tax dodging, action to encourage companies to act for the benefit of staff as well as shareholders, wealth taxes to fund healthcare, education and job creation, and improvements in opportunities for women.

It is also urging business chiefs to commit to paying a living wage and their fair share of tax.

Mark Goldring, Oxfam GB chief executive, said: "This year's snapshot of inequality is clearer, more accurate and more shocking than ever before.

"It is beyond grotesque that a group of men who could easily fit in a single golf buggy own more than the poorest half of humanity.

"While one in nine people on the planet will go to bed hungry tonight, a small handful of billionaires have so much wealth they would need several lifetimes to spend it."

Oxfam said out-of-control pay ratios meant the average pay of FTSE 100 chief executives was 129 times that of the average employee and works out at the equivalent of 10,000 people working in Bangladeshi garment factories.

New and better data on the distribution of global wealth, particularly in India and China, showed the poorest had less wealth than previously thought, the charity said.

The eight billionaires named in the report are Microsoft founder Mr Gates, who has a personal fortune of $75bn according to Forbes; Inditex founder Amancio Ortega ($67bn), veteran investor Warren Buffett ($60.8bn) Mexico's Carlos Slim ($50bn), Amazon boss Jeff Bezos ($45.2bn), Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg ($44.6bn), Oracle's Larry Ellison ($43.6bn) and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg ($40bn).

Many of those in the report have also given billions to charity.

Trump says trade deal will be done 'quickly and properly'

Donald Trump has pledged to secure a quick post-Brexit trade deal with the UK in an interview with MP Michael Gove.

The US President-elect told The Times newspaper leaving the European Union would be a "great thing" for the UK, hailing the referendum result as a demonstration that British people "want their own identity".

In contrast to Barack Obama, who said the UK would be at the "back of the queue" for trade talks, Mr Trump made clear a deal with Britain would be a priority for his administration.

He said: "We're gonna work very hard to get it done quickly and done properly. Good for both sides."

The President-elect spoke to the prominent Leave campaigner in his New York office - making Mr Gove the second British politician, and the first MP, to get a meeting.

:: Watch Michael Gove being interviewed live on Sky News at around 9.45am this morning

He made clear that, unlike Mr Obama who backed Remain in the referendum, he supported the narrow win for the Leave campaign.

He said: "People, countries, want their own identity and the UK wanted its own identity. Brexit is going to end up being a great thing."

:: What date is Trump's inauguration and when does he become President?

:: The world according to Trump: 14 burning issues

:: Your guide to Donald Trump's inauguration

Mr Trump said he believed Europe's migration crisis had been the deciding factor in the referendum.

He said: "I do believe this, if they (EU countries) hadn't been forced to take in all of the refugees, so many, with all the problems that it... entails, I think that you wouldn't have a Brexit.

"It probably could have worked out but this was the final straw, this was the final straw that broke the camel's back."

Mr Trump also signalled his desire to reach a new agreement with Russia on reducing stocks of nuclear weapons.

Despite having prompted fears of a new arms race last year when he said the US needed to "greatly strengthen and expand" its nuclear capability, Mr Trump indicated he would like to strike a deal with Vladimir Putin.

He said: "For one thing, I think nuclear weapons should be way down and reduced very substantially, that's part of it."

He did have some criticism for his Russian counterpart, calling Moscow's intervention in Syria "a very bad thing" which had created a "terrible humanitarian situation".

But, in comments that will please Mr Putin, Mr Trump told Germany's newspaper the NATO military alliance was "obsolete", complaining that some countries don't contribute their share financially and criticising its lack of a clear anti-terror strategy.

The President-elect said orders would be signed the Monday after his inauguration to strengthen America's borders.

They could include travel restrictions on Europeans as well as "extreme vetting" of those from areas known for Islamist terrorism.

He also said he believed German Chancellor Angela Merkel had made an error when she opened Germany's doors to migrants.

"I think she made one very catastrophic mistake and that was taking all of these illegals," he said.

The meeting between Mr Trump and former Tory leadership contender Mr Gove is another potentially awkward episode for the Prime Minister, who will not visit the new President in the White House until some weeks from now.

Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage also met Mr Trump last year.

But he revealed Mrs May had written to him and said: "I love the UK. She's requesting a meeting and we'll have a meeting right after I get into the White House and it'll be, I think we're gonna get something done very quickly."

He said the PM's letter - sent shortly after Christmas - had included a copy of Winston Churchill's address to the US after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour.

In the letter, she said she hoped the feeling of "unity and fraternal association" between the two countries was "as true today as it ever has been".

Mr Trump was scathing about US foreign policy, describing the invasion of Iraq as "possibly the worst decision ever made in the history of our country".

He said Afghanistan was "going badly" and the offensive to retake Mosul - Islamic State's last stronghold in Iraq - had been a disaster.

:: Watch live coverage of the inauguration on Sky News from 3pm and Sky Atlantic from 4pm on 20 January. Adam Boulton is in the US presenting a special Sky News programme - Trump: America's President - every day at midnight from now until Friday.

Turkish Airlines cargo jet crash kills 30

A Turkish Airlines cargo jet has crashed in Kyrgyzstan, killing a pilot and dozens of people on the ground.

Most of the victims are believed to be residents of a village in the crash area when the Boeing 747 came down in dense fog near Manas airport.

The plane reportedly crashed as it tried to land at around 7.30am local time (1.30am UK time) near the capital Biskek, in an area with a number of summer houses.

Mukhammed Svarov, head of the crisis management centre at the emergencies ministry, said at least 30 people were dead after the plane damaged 15 buildings.

The healthcare ministry said rescue workers had recovered the body of a pilot and 15 villagers.

Airport officials said the jet had been due to make a stopover at Manas on its way from Hong Kong to Istanbul.

Kyrgyzstan's transport ministry said there were five people on board.

It identified the plane as a Turkish Airlines Boeing 747-400, but the company said it belonged to another Turkish firm, ACT Airlines.

"Our condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives in the tragic incident involving an ACT Airlines aircraft in Kyrgyzstan," Turkish Airlines said on its Twitter account.

Eight billionaires own same as poorest half of the world - Oxfam

Inequality is so stark that a small group of men own the same wealth as half the world, say campaigners ahead of the high-profile World Economic Forum in Davos.

According to research by Oxfam, the eight billionaires, including Bill Gates who tops the list, have riches equivalent to the wealth of the world's 3.6 billion poorest people.

The gap between rich and poor was far greater than feared, and the charity has called for an overhaul of a "warped" economy that allows one in nine people to go hungry.

Theresa May and Philip Hammond will attend the World Economic Forum in Switzerland this week.

Critics of the annual event, held in the luxury Swiss ski resort, say it is little more than a talking shop for the rich and powerful.

Oxfam has called on leaders to improve international cooperation to stop tax dodging, action to encourage companies to act for the benefit of staff as well as shareholders, wealth taxes to fund healthcare, education and job creation, and improvements in opportunities for women.

It is also urging business chiefs to commit to paying a living wage and their fair share of tax.

Mark Goldring, Oxfam GB chief executive, said: "This year's snapshot of inequality is clearer, more accurate and more shocking than ever before.

"It is beyond grotesque that a group of men who could easily fit in a single golf buggy own more than the poorest half of humanity.

"While one in nine people on the planet will go to bed hungry tonight, a small handful of billionaires have so much wealth they would need several lifetimes to spend it."

Oxfam said out-of-control pay ratios meant the average pay of FTSE 100 chief executives was 129 times that of the average employee and works out at the equivalent of 10,000 people working in Bangladeshi garment factories.

New and better data on the distribution of global wealth, particularly in India and China, showed the poorest had less wealth than previously thought, the charity said.

The eight billionaires named in the report are Microsoft founder Mr Gates, Inditex founder Amancio Ortega, veteran investor Warren Buffett, Mexico's Carlos Slim, Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, Oracle's Larry Ellison and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.

YouTube removes influential conservative website's channel

The YouTube channel of influential conservative politics and law website Legal Insurrection has been removed by the video sharing service, citing copyright infringement claims.

“This account has been terminated because we received multiple third-party claims of copyright infringement regarding material the user posted,” explains YouTube, in a notice posted to channel’s page.

Legal Insurrection founder and publisher and Cornell University Law Professor William Jacobson voiced his anger and astonishment at the channel’s removal. “It’s very frustrating, it’s very scary, to have 8 years of content removed without a chance to defend yourself,” he told FoxNews.com.

WIKILEAKS PROPOSES DATABASE OF VERIFIED TWITTER USERS' INFO, SPARKS UPROAR

In an email, Jacobson said that he never received notice of the claims prior to the channel's removal on Thursday. On Friday the publisher received notification from YouTube that the copyright claims were filed by the Modern Languages Association (MLA) based on audio posted of a recent MLA vote on a resolution to boycott Israeli universities. The boycott resolution at the MLA Delegate Assembly failed.

"Clearly this was a politically motivated move," he told FoxNews.com. "I never received any request or complaint from MLA. These were perfectly legitimate fair use excerpts with great news value."

"This is an attempt to silence our reporting on a matter of great public importance," added Jacobson, whose website reported on the vote. "We intend to pursue all available remedies, and call on YouTube to restore our account."

FACEBOOK ANNOUNCES JOURNALISM PROJECT, LOOKS TO STRENGTHEN LINKS WITH MEDIA

The Legal Insurrection website, which is widely cited in the conservative media, receives hundreds of thousands of visitors a month. Its YouTube channel contained a wealth of content, including original reporting, according to Jacobson.

“We take copyright issues very seriously both on YouTube and our website," he said.” We have a large readership, and the videos that disappeared included substantial original content that has been shared widely at other websites."

Owners of copyright-protected work that was posted on YouTube without their authorization can submit a copyright infringement notification to the video sharing site, according to YouTube's website. YouTube also has a counter-notification process in place if a user believes a content owner has misidentified their video, and will reinstate videos if a user succeeds in that process or if it receives a retraction from the content owner that submitted the original notification.

FACEBOOK'S 'FAKE NEWS' HIGHLIGHTS NEED FOR SOCIAL MEDIA REVAMP, EXPERTS SAY

"It is the MLA's practice to issue takedown notices when its proprietary material is used without permission," an MLA spokeswoman told FoxNews.com, via email.


Founded in 2005, YouTube was bought by Google for $1.65 billion the following year. YouTube now has over a billion users, encompassing almost one third of all users on the Internet.