Return to Transcripts main page
Connect the World
Trump Ordered Hold on Ukraine Military Aid Days before Call with Ukrainian President; Trump at UNGA: "Must Never" Allow Iran to Have Nuclear Weapons; Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn to Deliver Speech; Trump Vows to Reform International Trade; Iran Defiant Despite Sanctions; Trump and Boris Johnson Meet at UNGA. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired September 24, 2019 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: All nations have a duty to act. No responsible government should subsidize Iran's bloodlust. As
long as Iran's menacing behavior continues, sanctions will not be lifted, they will be tightened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST (voice-over): Tonight, Donald Trump gets to the U.N. We'll tell you what he said there, as Britain's prime minister takes
a monumental knocking.
We're into our second hour and there's a lot to get through. So let's do it.
U.S. president Donald Trump just wrapping up his speech at the U.N. General Assembly. It was very much a message of nationalism over globalism. Trump
arguing when nations invest in themselves, it benefits everyone.
That argument played into his defense of his strict immigration policies, which he says protects migrants, who are often abused by their smugglers.
On his tough trade stance of with China, he says the relationship with China has been unfair for far too long.
He says Iran, too, needs to focus on their own people, instead of its nuclear ambitions. He added, also, instead of its missiles.
We've got this covered from every angle. I'm joined by White House reporter Steven Collinson, who is in New York. Regular guest on this show,
our military and diplomatic analyst, John Kirby is in Washington for you.
And Richard Gowan directs the International Crisis group's efforts at the U.N. He argues Donald Trump's long running disdain for the authority of
the United Nations will hurt him at a time when he needs support on, for example, Iran.
Thank you for joining us.
Fred is in Tehran.
Fred, I will get to you. I will get to Iran but I want to get to what Donald Trump did not talk about in his speech, Ukraine.
Stephen, I want to start with you on that, if we can. Just before he entered the hall, Donald Trump was stopped by reporters. This is what he
said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: As far as withholding funds, those funds were paid. They were fully paid. But my complaint has always been -- and I'd withhold again and
I'll continue to withhold until such time as Europe and other nations contribute to Ukraine because they're not doing it. So it's the United
States. We're putting up the bulk of the money.
And I'm asking why is that?
And I want Europe -- and it's always been this. And everybody knows it. Every single reporter knows it. Everybody in the administration knows that
what I want and I insist on it is that Europe has to put up money for Ukraine, also.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Whether he likes it or not, Ukraine is exercising pretty much everybody in Washington. It has to be said, much of the U.S. -- and it's
the I word once again, impeachment.
What's going on, Stephen?
STEPHEN COLLINSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Becky, it was very interesting. What the president is doing is trying to come up with an alternative
rationale for delaying $400 million in military and security aid for Ukraine that does not involve telling the president of Ukraine, you have to
investigate my potential general election opponent, Joe Biden.
He is saying he did it because he wants Europe to stump up more money for Ukraine. At the same time, the president has been saying in public that
Ukraine should have investigated Joe Biden and his son, Hunter, for corruption, even though there's no evidence there was any corruption.
I think what's happening in Washington is the House Democrats are getting far closer to initiating impeachment proceedings against president Donald
Trump than they ever have all through the Russia investigation even.
[11:05:00]
COLLINSON: What's happening is the political temperature is shifting in Washington towards impeachment. I think it was almost ironic there in that
speech that, at one stage, the president said that wisely leaders always put the interests of their countries and their people first.
He is accused of doing exactly the opposite thing. He's accused of using the power of the presidency to try to initiate an investigation into a
political opponent by a foreign leader. That by any definition has to be an impeachable offense. It's an abuse of power and of the public trust
invested in the president.
You can see why Democrats, even though House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been loath to move towards impeachment because she fears there will be a
political backlash in 2020, almost are getting to where they have no choice but to initiate impeachment proceedings, which would be a political
earthquake.
Only two presidents from U.S. history have actually been impeached.
ANDERSON: Fascinating.
John, I was assuming we were talking Iran, I know you know Washington inside out. I want to read an op-ed in "The Washington Post" penned by
seven freshmen Democrats.
"We have devoted our lives to the service and security of our country and throughout our careers we have sworn oaths to defend the Constitution of
the United States many times over.
"If these allegations are true," they say, "we believe these actions represent an impeachable offense."
Adam Schiff, a powerful Democrat, said earlier this week that with this Ukraine affair, Donald Trump may have crossed the Rubicon. You could say
Adam Schiff would say that, wouldn't he?
But is he right?
ADM. JOHN KIRBY (RET.), CNN MILITARY AND DIPLOMATIC ANALYST: I don't know enough about the particulars here to say for sure that he's right or not.
I'm not an expert on politics.
Becky, I mean, we need to get away from talking about whether there was a quid quo pro for aid and investigation and just go back to -- I think
Steven makes a very good point -- just the fact -- and he's admitted to it as recently as this morning -- that he spoke to a foreign leader about
investigating one of his political opponents.
That on its face, we don't need any more evidence. That on its face is worth further investigation by the Congress.
Whether it goes to impeachment or not, I'm not a political expert. I think what's remarkable about that op-ed, all those authors are moderate
Democrats. They are not hardliners. They're not extremely left leaning. They're not the ultraprogressive side of the party.
These are pretty middle of the road Democrats, who have been very cautious of late in terms of jumping into the impeachment fray. For them, one of
whom I know, I worked with her at the Pentagon, for them to say so boldly they think it's impeachable, I think that's a pretty stark statement.
ANDERSON: All right. Let's leave Ukraine for a moment. But this is dominating headlines in the U.S. and exercising those in Washington and
beyond. I do want to talk to our panel about what Donald Trump did talk about today, of course, and that is Iran.
He criticized Iran at length. He called Tehran a threat to global peace and security. All nations, he said, have a responsibility to act as long
as Iran's menacing behavior continues. No nation should subsidize Iran's bloodlust.
Fred, how is that going to go down in Tehran?
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Presumably not very well it's going to go down here in Tehran. If you look at what's been
going on, you can see the Iranians have been building up to the speech. I think they were expecting for President Trump to say pretty much exactly
what he said, to be ripping into the Iranian leadership.
To say he believes they're trying to get nuclear weapons, to defend his decision to get out of the nuclear agreement, even though the International
Atomic Energy Agency was saying that nuclear agreement was working.
The Iranians today, very senior politicians and military leaders, have said that, under the current circumstances, under the maximum pressure campaign
that President Trump outlined in that U.N. speech again as well, that for them right now negotiations with the Trump administration would be nothing
short of humiliating and will not take place.
Now of course, President Trump has said in the past that he wants to negotiate as he put it without preconditions. That's something that
Iranians are not willing to do. I think one of the things that many people have been looking to hear is if the president lays out this campaign of
maximum pressure.
[11:10:00]
PLEITGEN: And one of the things he said, sanctions will be tightened, they will not be lifted.
There may be a way forward as to how a diplomatic process can be jumpstarted. Of course, he did say the U.S. doesn't believe in permanent
enemies but there wasn't anything in the way in how he thinks he can bring the Iranians back to the table.
I think it's been interesting over the past couple of days there, especially in New York, that there have been senior Iranian politicians who
have laid out certain conditions under which they'd be willing to go back to the negotiating table.
Javad Zarif, the foreign minister, has said the Iranians envision something like a permanent for permanent. They want permanent sanctions relief and,
in return, would allow permanent inspections of nuclear facilities.
President Rouhani has said he might be willing to accept some sort of changes but they want the U.S. to get back to the nuclear agreement as
well.
I think one of the things the Iranians were looking to hear is if there would be diplomatic initiative or some movement put forward by the U.S.
president. Certainly didn't see that today. I believe there's going to be harsh statements coming out of various circles here in Iran.
Of course, the highest circles will be commenting on this very shortly, I believe, Becky.
ANDERSON: Richard Gowan, you have written, and I quote, "Since Trump came to power, he has systematically disrespected the United Nations."
Now all that, you say, could backfire on him at a moment when he might well need key partners, such as Britain, France and Germany if he hopes to avoid
military conflict in the Gulf.
So with respect, today, we found out he does seem to have the E3 as they're known on board as they blame Iran for the Saudi oil attack, joining their
U.S. compatriots and their position is shared by Gulf allies, that any new deal must include the Iranians' ballistic missile program.
Where do we go from here?
RICHARD GOWAN, INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP: Well, I think that President Trump was using this speech to show that he does want to deal with the
Iranian problem multilaterally. I think you have to remember that the E3 were very unhappy with the U.S.' unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA in
2018.
That unilateral withdrawal has meant that the Europeans have been wary of following the U.S. on Iran up to this point. I think there is a shift.
The Saudi Aramco attacks have changed the mood in European capitals.
That said, what I also argued in the piece was that the Europeans will support diplomatic condemnations. They may support more sanctions,
although it will be very hard to get any sanctions through the Security Council.
But they will get jittery if there's any sense that Trump is shifting towards the use of force. As soon as there's a sign of an American
military option, I think you'll see the E3 much less keen to follow the U.S.' lead.
ANDERSON: What do you think the Iranian perspective will be?
Let me just -- given what we've heard and given the E3 position, I want to read you the foreign minister's tweet today.
He said, "E3'S paralysis in fulfilling their obligations without U.S. permission has been clear since May 2018. Solution to this deficiency must
forge independent path -- not parroting absurd U.S. claims and requests inconsistent with JCPOA."
He fired that off.
That was a pretty frustrated tweet, wasn't it?
GOWAN: Well, the Iranians had invested in cooperation with the French around the G7 summit to try and create some channel with the Americans. I
think the Iranians have been frustrated that the French initiative has not really delivered them anything.
So, no, this is not a good week for Iran at the United Nations. I think it's facing some very tough diplomatic pushback. Again, I would stipulate
that doesn't mean that the U.S. has carte blanche in the Persian Gulf. And I think a lot of countries continue to watch U.S. policy with some concern.
ANDERSON: With that, we're going to leave it there. We're going to take a very short break. Thank you.
Still to come, still a special relationship, the leaders of the U.S. and U.K. due to sit down together at the United Nations. That is any minute
now.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:15:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANDERSON: This hour for you, you're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Welcome to those of you just joining, you're more than welcome. I'm Becky
Anderson.
Europe is feeling the political shockwaves of the stunning decision from the U.K.'s Supreme Court, which has ruled that the prime minister's advice
to the queen to suspend Parliament was unlawful. Boris Johnson is feeling it as well. A source tells CNN he will leave the United Nations General
Assembly in New York and head back to Britain tonight.
We'll see if he appears in Parliament tomorrow morning, which is now no longer suspended, when MPs pick up where they left off before the now
nullified five week suspension.
Nic Robertson is at the United Nations for us.
You'll continue in New York as the British prime minister returns home. Many will say this is a victory for British democracy. This is definitely
a huge defeat for the prime minister.
Question is, is he now on the cusp?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: I didn't quite hear what you said there, Becky.
Is he on the . ?
ANDERSON: I used the word, is he on the cusp. Let me put it another way.
Will he resign at this point?
Should he?
ROBERTSON: He's not showing any inclinations of doing it. He's showing every inclination to battle on. How it stands right now is his own party
is going to have to take him down. The opposition party won't do it. He refuses to set the condition for the Labour Party to do that, which would
be to, you know, ask the E.U. for an extension on Brexit.
He says that's not a path he's going down. I think we're seeing a prime minister that was selected by his party to try to deliver Brexit, even if
it's a no-deal Brexit. He suspects the party will continue to support him.
The early indications are they wouldn't have a vote of no confidence in him. Therefore, he continues. It's a -- it's very difficult to see how he
can get any way close to an ultimate set of arrangements for the backstop. That's been clear from his talks here so far with European Union leaders.
[11:20:00]
ROBERTSON: He'll meet with the Irish prime minister, the taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, in a couple hours. He's meeting around now with President Trump.
He did get a very positive shoutout from President Trump during President Trump's speech that is dealing with Boris Johnson, that there will be a
very good and strong trade relationship between Britain and the United States in the future after Brexit.
He believes Boris Johnson can deliver Brexit. The reality is, Boris Johnson is weakened but he is showing no signs of resigning and no
indication yet from his party -- I know it's early hours yet -- that they're ready to take him down over this.
ANDERSON: Yes, well, you're right to point that out. He shows no signs. Let's listen to what he said an hour or so ago when asked about the Supreme
Court decision in New York. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, U.K. PRIME MINISTER: I have the highest respect, of course, for our judiciary and for the independence of our courts. But I must say,
I strongly disagree with this judgment. And we in the U.K. will not be deterred from getting on and delivering on the will of the people to come
out of the E.U. on October the 31st.
Because that is what we were mandated to do. And we will simultaneously refuse to be deterred from delivering on what I think you would all expect
an exciting, dynamic domestic agenda intended to make our country ever more attractive to live in and to invest in.
So we'll be pushing with infrastructure investment with 20,000 police. We're investing in our NHS. And to do that, we will need a queen's speech
to set out what we're going to do.
And I think frankly that's what the people of my country of the U.K. want to see. They want to see us getting on with a strong domestic agenda and,
believe you me, they want to see Brexit delivered by October the 31st.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Right. He says nothing changes with regard to Brexit and that date, that exit date that he says he would rather die in a ditch than
change at this point, October the 31st.
Do you think that this is just business as usual as far as Brexit is concerned?
ROBERTSON: Look, I think, while he's here in New York, Boris Johnson is isolated from a lot of the political noise and, to a degree, the political
heat from the outfall of what's going on in London.
He has a very full agenda today and he does need, as prime minister of the United Kingdom, to focus on that. The meeting with President Trump, other
bilateral meetings, the speech that he has to give later today as the number 37 out of 38 speakers at the U.N. General Assembly.
There's a lot on his plate to keep him focused. Perhaps when he goes home he takes a slightly different view. But this is what the Conservative
Party voted in Boris Johnson to do, to be tough, to be charismatic, to be a leader. And he took on that mantle with the vision of a potential of a no-
deal Brexit, that he was going to push ahead with that regardless.
He knew that this was going to be a tough row to go down. He knew he'd get a huge amount of criticism. There are many things that he has not
correctly anticipated, that the opposition wouldn't sign up to a vote of no confidence and the government and, therefore, trigger a general election.
That seems to be a miscalculation.
He's left with limited alternatives and this is a prime minister doggedly determined to go down in history, if nothing else, not perhaps as only the
shortest term ever prime minister of 60 days and counting so far, he's still got to double that to avoid being the shortest serving prime minister
ever.
That he will continue unless he is taken down on this part. The only people right now that can take him down is his own party.
Can he succeed on the no-deal, on achieving a Brexit deal?
It seems utterly unlikely.
Can he get to the point of a no-deal Brexit?
It also seems utterly unlikely because he's compelled by British law to seek an extension to the negotiations with the European Union. So it's
hard to see how he gets through this. The way he's doing it is to put his head down, to get to the goalpost of what was set, 31st of October and out
of the E.U. one way or another. Do or die is how he put it campaigning to be leader. And it seems do or die is how he's setting about it in office
with the toughest of hurdles.
ANDERSON: Nic Robertson in New York, that's where the British prime minister is at present. He'll be back on his way to the U.K. as Parliament
reconvenes tomorrow.
I want to get back to our story this hour.
[11:25:00]
ANDERSON: That is the U.S. president's speech during which he made pointed comments on trade, singling out China. Clare Sebastian was monitoring that
speech. She joins me now from New York with more on that -- Clare.
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Very tough talk we heard from the president. In terms of concepts, nothing new. This pretty much was the
stump speech we've heard on China's unfair trade practices.
But the rhetoric was definitely heightened. He talked about grave economic injustice. He said China has embraced an economic model dependent on
massive market barriers and proceeded to list those barriers.
The timing of this is interesting; this comes at a time when they're at the negotiating table, the U.S. and China. They just finished deputy level
talks in the U.S. last week. That culminated in the cancellation of a visit by Chinese delegates to visit U.S. farmers in Montana.
We learned that was at the initiative of the U.S. Whether or not that bodes well for talks going forward is a big question. And the talks are
set to resume with principals in October. So this tough talk really does set up the notion that the U.S. is going to come to the negotiating table
ready to play hardball.
The president also said he'll not accept a bad deal for the American people, echoing what he said last week. He wanted a complete deal, not an
interim deal. The markets have held up pretty well throughout this. They have held pretty jittery on every issue surrounding trade but have held
pretty steady this morning as the president was speaking.
ANDERSON: How is this all likely to affect the markets and investor sentiment?
SEBASTIAN: They have been buffeted by all of the different ups and downs around these trade talks. Every time you get a headline around this, the
markets move in motion with it.
This really matters to the markets. It's why the Fed is cutting rates. This is why we see the likes of the OECD and the IMF cutting global growth
forecasts. But the word today is resilient. They're pretty flat, despite this tough rhetoric. I think they're going to wait to see what kind of
news we get out as the talks continue.
So today, holding up pretty well but, overall, the markets are watching this incredibly closely.
ANDERSON: Clare Sebastian is in New York. That's where many of the world's leaders are gathered for the UNGA. Lots more to come this hour.
I'm going to take a short break. Back after this.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:30:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANDERSON: Right, for those of you who may just be joining us, it's 7:30 here in Abu Dhabi. This is CONNECT THE WORLD. We're standing by to hear
from the U.K.'s opposition leader.
He will be responding to an explosive decision from the U.K.'s Supreme Court earlier today, which makes things very tough for the British prime
minister, Boris Johnson. I would expect that predictably there will be calls by Jeremy Corbyn in the next few minutes for the British prime
minister to resign. Coming back to that.
We were expecting harsh words on Iran earlier today from the U.S. president and he delivered. Mr. Trump addressed the United Nations General Assembly,
calling on all countries to act on Iran and referring to what he called the nation's bloodlust. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: All nations have a duty to act. No responsible government should subsidize Iran's bloodlust. As long as Iran's menacing behavior continues,
sanctions will not be lifted. They will be tightened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Fred Pleitgen is joining us from the Iranian capital.
One expert described it as simply outrageous effectively, "insulting" is the word he used.
Any response where you are at this point?
PLEITGEN: There's been very little so far. The Iranians have been building up to President Trump's speech throughout the entire course of the
day. They've been ripping into the United States. They have been saying any sort of even a hint of negotiations with the United States at this
point in time is something they'd say would be humiliating to Iran.
Also, in light of the things they knew they were going to hear from President Trump -- you're absolutely right, he did deliver on -- I think
one of the key things that President Trump said there, he said at this point there's not going to be sanctions relief. The sanctions are going to
be tightened.
That's a position the Iranians have been finding themselves in over the past couple of decades, especially since the Trump administration has come
into office, one where the Iranians believe they're the ones who are in a resistance.
Let's have a look at Iran's history.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PLEITGEN (voice-over): As the U.S. piles ever more sanctions on Iran, Tehran is keen to show the country is standing strong, despite President
Trump's tough talk.
TRUMP: Iran knows, if they misbehave, they're on borrowed time. They're not doing well.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Iran's leaders say they won't back down, diplomatically or militarily.
PLEITGEN: The Trump administration defined its policy toward Iran as one of maximum pressure. The Iranians say that their answer is what they call
a policy of maximum resistance. and the conflict between these two adversaries is already leading to major tensions in the Middle East.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): The U.S. and Iran seem to be on a dangerous collision course, Washington accusing Tehran of being involved on attacks
on two Saudi oil facilities, claims Iran's leadership rejects.
And after Iran's military recently shot down a U.S. drone, claiming it strayed into its airspace, which Washington says is not true, Iran's
military leadership warning President Trump not to take military action.
"Be careful," the head of the Revolutionary Guard said. "A limited aggression that would not remain limited. We are after punishment and
prosecution. We have shown this. We will continue until the full destruction of any aggressor."
After the Trump administration left the Iran nuclear agreement, a deal that curbed Iran's nuclear program in return for sanctions relief, Iran's
defiant answer has been to ramp up its nuclear activity.
[11:35:00]
PLEITGEN (voice-over): "We will witness new research and development in the field of centrifuges," the country's president said.
"Various types of new centrifuges and whatever we need for enrichment, which will be handled by our atomic energy organization. And we will
observe fast pace in this regard."
Iran's supreme leader even laying out his preconditions for any sort of talks with the Trump administration.
"The U.S. took back its words," he said.
"If they repent and return to the agreement they breached, if they became a member country of the contract parties, then they could participate in the
group of countries negotiating with Iran. Without doing so, no negotiations will take place at any level between the authorities of the
Islamic Republic of Iran and the Americans, either in New York or anywhere else."
But for all the confident rhetoric, Iran is a nation under heavy pressure from the U.S.' crippling sanctions. The country's currency has tumbled.
International investors have withdrawn and unemployment is skyrocketing.
And sanctions are hitting some of the most vulnerable. Many hospitals are having trouble getting specialized instruments and medication, sometimes
with devastating consequences.
HASSAN BANI ASAD, MANAGING DIRECTOR, GHANDI HOSPITAL: Of course, we have the procedures but we don't have the instruments. And it's very difficult
for patients and maybe lead to death.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Ever since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Iran's religious and political leaders have seen their country as the center of
resistance against what they believe is American dominance in the Middle East.
Isolated and virtually without any support when Iran was attacked by Saddam Hussein's Iraq in 1980, Iran resisted and, under heavy casualties, fought
back, reaching a stalemate, even as Saddam Hussein unleashed chemical weapons on Iran's forces.
Iran's leaders still say it is their total will to resist that has made Iran one of the strongest nations in the Middle East.
JAVAD ZARIF, IRANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: How do you think we built all of this?
How do you think we built the missile system that brought down a U.S. drone?
We were not supported by anybody. We were not given any equipment. We were not given any means of defending ourselves. We went through eight
years of war. Nobody gave us means of defense.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Tehran says it will never buckle under the Trump administration's sanctions. And the Islamic Republic's leaders say while
they don't want war with America, they vow all-out retaliation if their country is ever attacked.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PLEITGEN: And the Iranians continue to say they believe it's the U.S. that needs to return to the nuclear agreement. Of course, it seems clear from
President Trump's speech that that's not something that appears to be on his mind.
Some of the interesting things we heard from Iranians, politicians, leaders who were there at the UNGA in New York, is that you had the Javad Zarif,
foreign minister come out and say there are certain terms under which the Iranians might be willing to talk.
He was talking about a permanent for permanent trade off, where the Iranians will allow permanent inspections of their nuclear facility in
return for permanent sanctions relief.
President Rouhani just today said the Iranians would be willing to cope with minor changes to the nuclear agreement if the United States came back.
ANDERSON: Fantastic. Super. Fred's in Tehran.
We're getting you to Brighton in the U.K., where Jeremy Corbyn is set to speak to his party faithful. This in response to the decision by the
U.K.'s Supreme Court that Boris Johnson was misguided in suspending Parliament in the summer. Let's have a listen.
JEREMY CORBYN, LEADER, U.K. LABOUR PARTY: Thank you. Conference, thank you. Thank you for that wonderful welcome.
This is an extraordinary and precarious moment in our country's history.
The prime minister has been found to have acted illegally when he tried to shut down Parliament.
[11:40:00]
CORBYN: The highest court in the land has found that Boris Johnson broke the law when he tried to shut down democratic accountability at a crucial
moment for our public life.
The prime minister acted illegally when he tried to shut down opposition to his reckless and disastrous plan to crash out of the European Union without
a deal. But he has failed. He will never shut down our democracy or silence the voices of the people.
The democracy that Boris Johnson describes as a "rigmarole" will not be stifled and the people will have their say.
Tomorrow Parliament will return. The government will be held to account for what it has done. Boris Johnson has been found to have misled the
country. This unelected prime minister should now resign.
That would make him the shortest serving British prime minister in history and rightly so. His is a born-to-rule government of the entitled who
believe that the rules they set for everyone else don't apply to them.
That's what today's Supreme Court judgment spells out with brutal clarity. There was no reason - "let alone a good reason", the judges concluded, for
the prime minister to have shut down Parliament. Conference, he thought he could do whatever he liked just as he always does. He thinks he's above us
all. He is part of an elite that disdains democracy. He is not fit to be prime minister. Let me quote the Supreme Court's conclusion: "Unlawful,
null and of no effect and should be quashed" - they've got the prime minister down to a tee.
This crisis can only be settled with a general election. That election needs to take place as soon as this government's threat of a disastrous No
Deal is taken off the table. That condition is what MPs passed into law before Boris Johnson illegally closed down Parliament
It's a protection that's clearly essential. After what has taken place no one can trust this government and this prime minister not to use this
crisis of their own making and drive our country over a No Deal cliff edge in five weeks' time. The prime minister has no mandate for a No Deal
crash-out which is opposed by a majority of the public. It would force up food prices cause shortages of medicines and threaten peace in Northern
Ireland thus destroying the work of the Good Friday Agreement.
[11:45:00]
CORBYN: The battle over No Deal is not a struggle between those who want to leave the EU and those who want to remain. It's about a small rightwing
group who are trying to hijack the referendum result to rip up our rights and protections to shift even more power and wealth to those at the top.
Under the cover of No Deal they want to sell off what's left of our public services strip away the regulations that keep us safe while slashing
corporate taxes even further. That would mean a race to the bottom in standards and workers' rights to create an offshore tax haven for the
super-rich. And they want all of this locked in with a one-sided free trade deal that would put our country at the mercy of Donald Trump.
That's why a No Deal Brexit is really a Trump Deal Brexit. That would be the opposite of taking back control. It would be handing our country's
future to the US president and his America First policy. Of course Trump is delighted to have a compliant British prime minister in his back pocket.
A Trump Deal Brexit would mean US corporations getting the green light for a comprehensive takeover of our public services
I am not prepared to stand by while our NHS is sacrificed on the altar of US big business or any other country's big business. And in the coming
general election Labour will be the only major UK party ready to put our trust in the people to have the final say on Brexit.
We need to get Brexit sorted and do it in a way that doesn't leave our economy or our democracy broken. The Tories want to crash out without a
deal and the Liberal Democrats want to cancel the country's largest ever democratic vote with a Parliamentary stitch-up.
Labour will end the Brexit crisis by taking the decision back to the people with the choice of a credible leave deal alongside remain. That's not
complicated Labour is a democratic party that trusts the people. After three and a half years of Tory Brexit failure and division, the only way we
can settle this issue and bring people back together is by taking the decision out of the hands of politicians and letting the people decide.
So within three months of coming to power a Labour government will secure a sensible deal based on the terms we have long advocated and discussed with
the EU trade unions and businesses: a new customs union a close single market relationship . and guarantees of rights and protections. And
within six months of being elected we will put that deal to a public vote alongside remain. And as a Labour prime minister I pledge to carry out
whatever the people decide.
Only a vote for Labour will deliver a public vote on Brexit. Only a Labour government will put the power back into the hands of the people. We can
bring our country and our people together. Let's stop a No Deal Brexit and let the people decide.
We must get Brexit settled not least because Brexit has dominated our politics for too long. The coming election will be a once-in-a-generation
chance for real change.
[11:50:00]
CORBYN: A chance to kick out Boris Johnson's government of the privileged few and put wealth and power in the hands of the many.
A chance to give our NHS, schools and police the money they need by asking those at the top to pay their fair share. A chance to take urgent action
on the environment before it's too late for our children. And a chance to end the Brexit crisis by letting the people, not the politicians, have the
final say.
In a shameless bid to turn reality on its head Boris Johnson's born-to-rule Tories are now claiming to be the voice of the people.
I know it's hard but bear with me.
ANDERSON: Take you away from Brighton and to New York, where, moments ago, U.S. president Donald Trump and U.K. prime minister Boris Johnson were
meeting on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. Let's listen in.
OK, we're having some technical issues with that. Let me bring in Nic Robertson who, of course, has been monitoring everything that's been going
on in New York today.
It's been a busy day. We can't quite hear and we will get it up as soon as we can. What the U.S. president and Boris Johnson were speaking about
there. Your sense, if you will.
Oh, OK. Let's -- I tell you what, we're going to take a very short break, technical gremlins for us tonight. Just after 10 to 8:00 here in Abu
Dhabi. Back after this.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:55:00]
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANDERSON: All right. Well, I'm going to get you to New York at this stage. Boris Johnson and Donald Trump have just been speaking. Of course,
the background to us caring what Boris Johnson about specifically says today is that, relatively soon, he'll be packing his bags and heading home.
A source telling CNN that the British prime minister Boris Johnson is leaving the United Nations General Assembly tonight early after a stunning
decision from the U.K.'s Supreme Court, which ruled the prime minister's advice to the queen to suspend Parliament was unlawful.
I'm sure that's being discussed by Donald Trump and Boris Johnson themselves, who are holding a bilateral meeting in New York ahead of his
departure back to the U.S. Nic Robertson is standing by -- Nic.
ROBERTSON: Yes, I think there's one thing we can be sure of that's being said here. That will be a thank you from Boris Johnson to Donald Trump for
giving him a name to call out during his UNGA speech, where he said Boris Johnson could expect a good trade deal that would benefit both countries
after Britain leaves the European Union.
That was an expression of confidence, coming within hours of that surprise Supreme Court unanimous and historic decision by the Supreme Court. So in
President Trump's eyes at least in public, not questioning Boris Johnson's ability to do what he's said all along, which has be a good leader on
Brexit, be a strong leader, be able to be the one that can deliver Brexit.
Donald Trump has been saying this for some time, even when Theresa May was still prime minister. So not backing away there.
What we're hearing from governments here is that when it comes to what's happening in the U.K., this is an internal U.K. issue and they have to let
that play out.
However, I have to say, having heard what President Trump was talking about in terms of socialism and communism in his speech here, the idea that
perhaps somehow in future months in a general election in the U.K., that Boris Johnson could be replaced by Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the
opposition, it would seem unlikely that President Trump would want to back away from support Boris Johnson; the Jeremy Corbyn option is one that's not
remotely palatable to this U.S. president.
ANDERSON: Yes. Donald Trump specifically saying today, the U.S. will never be a socialist country, certainly not under his watch.
We're standing by to have a listen to specifically what it was that Boris Johnson and Donald Trump have been discussing today. And but ultimately
what has happened in the U.K. thousands of miles away from New York is a victory for British democracy. Doesn't matter in the end who you support,
you vote for. Most would suggest wouldn't they that this is a victory for the British democratic process?
ROBERTSON: This is how it's being read. I think, look, frankly people are rightly confused about what is happening in Britain. They're right to
worry what does it really mean. Britain takes so much of its own time talking about Brexit.
Does it have big implications around the world?
So yes, I think very much the sense is this is a democratic step that this allows Parliament to do their job. That's what's expected. Nations do
look to the U.K. for this sort of leadership.
I think, going back to President Trump-Boris Johnson relationship, it's interesting of course. We've heard Jeremy Corbyn do this time and time
again. He associates Boris Johnson with the elites, with Donald Trump. He associates their relationship as a win for the capitalists and with the
undermining of British values and British workers' rights and the attack and degradation and potential involvement of U.S. insurance companies in
the British National Health Service.
Much concern in the U.K. over that, Jeremy Corbyn raising that very clearly. We heard from Boris Johnson today, when he was speaking to
business leaders, very clearly saying future trade relationships with the United States, whatever it is, the United States does not get its hands on
the National Health Service.
So future debate, future general election at some point, not in the too far distant future in the U.K., that Trump-Johnson relationship, how it affects
the British National Health Service, you can expect it to be front and center of the debate.
Jeremy Corbyn uses this relationship, the one that Boris Johnson is fostering with Trump, to paint Johnson in the most negative of terms.
That's going to be a narrative through the election campaign.
ANDERSON: Nic Robertson.
[12:00:00]
END
