Committed to working together with India to tackle global challenges: UK

Hailing the "longstanding" UK-India ties, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Tuesday that the UK was committed to working together with India to tackle global challenges.

In his message to India on its Independence Day, Johnson, whose wife is of Sikh origin, said the India-UK partnership was rooted in the Indian diaspora population based in the UK.

He said: "On behalf of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, I extend my warmest wishes to the people of India and the British-Indian community in the United Kingdom on the occasion of India's Independence Day.

"The United Kingdom and India share a deep and longstanding partnership, rooted in the 1.5 million British Indian diaspora in the UK who contribute so richly to our society. Our two countries are committed to working together to promote our people's prosperity, improve global security and tackle the global challenges that we face today."

Making a reference to the ongoing 2017 UK-India Year of Culture, the Conservative Party minister said the UK will continue to celebrate the strength of the bilateral ties including "our shared history, values, culture and language".
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Fifteen Tory MPs agree to sign no-trust motion against Theresa May: Report

Around 15 Conservative party MPs have agreed to sign a no-confidence motion against British Prime Minister Theresa May as part of a plot to oust her, according to a media report.

Although the letter of no confidence falls short of the 48 names required to trigger a leadership contest, the UK Parliament's summer break could prove critical for May's future as British prime minister, The Sunday Times reported.

"The numbers change from day to day depending on what's happened but there are about 15 who are fairly consistent in their desire for change. If she has a quiet summer and there are no crises and things are not mismanaged then she might be able to cling on beyond conference, but that is still a big if," a former minister was quoted as saying.

The reports come days after a summer party in the House of Commons last week where May pleaded with her MPs to "go away and have a proper break and come back ready for serious business".

"No backbiting, no carping. The choice is me or (Opposition Labour leader) Jeremy Corbyn — and no one wants him," Conservative MPs who were present reported her as saying.

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UK general elections 2017: All you need to know as Britain goes to polls

It’s going to be a long night as the UK goes to the polls for its snap 2017 general election. So should you stay up all night or take a democracy nap? Here are the key moments to look out for and the seats which might indicate early on whether Theresa May has secured the thumping majority she originally envisaged.

The polls close at 10pm

The doors will shut and ballot boxes will be sealed up and transported to one of the counting centres across the UK. In some places, this involves travelling a significant distance, so delays can occur. In Scotland, helicopters have been used to transfer boxes from remote islands to the mainland.

Counting clerks will then work through the night to count the votes in most cases. If you’re feeling tired by this point, remember that many of these officials will have begun work at 6.30am (or earlier) setting up the poll.

Will there be an exit poll and will it be reliable?

IPSOS-Mori’s exit poll will be reported on the BBC and Sky News at 10pm as soon as polls close.

At the last election, the exit poll caused quite a stir. Announced on the BBC at 10pm, it forecast that the Conservatives would be the largest party. It took an immediate bashing with Paddy Ashdown infamously stating that he would “eat his hat” if it was correct. He had to eat his hat.

As it turned out, that poll was much closer to the eventual reality than polls that took place before the election. The exit poll is therefore a crucial clue as to how things will unfold.

We should nevertheless take exit polls with a pinch of salt. They’ve been wrong before, as they were in 1992. They are based on samples which may not be representative of the whole population, but exit polls do have the advantage of asking people what they really did, rather than what they intend to do at some point in the future.
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