Tory MP suggests all English people entitled to Irish passport
'I do have the right to go over to Ireland and I believe that I can ask for a passport. Can't I?' says West Leicestershire MP Andrew Bridgen
A Tory MP has made the bewildering and incorrect claim that all English people are entitled to an Irish passport.
MP for West Leicestershire Andrew Bridgen made the bizarre comments on BBC Radio Ulster during a conversation about the impact of Brexit and the Irish border question.
When asked whether he understood the fact Northern Irish citizens will also remain EU citizens after Brexit due to the Good Friday Agreement, he said: “Well, that's the common travel area as well, isn't it? We do have the right to go over to Ireland, don't we?”
He added: “As an English person, I do have the right to go over to Ireland and I believe that I can ask for a passport. Can't I?”
The Irish Post said Mr Bridgen’s remarks displayed “astounding ignorance over Anglo-Irish relations and the border issue”.
The terms of the 1999 Good Friday Agreement, which provides the basis for Northern Ireland’s devolved government, means anyone born in Northern Ireland is entitled to an Irish passport, which therefore confers EU citizenship because of the Republic’s membership of the EU.
When BBC Radio Ulster host Stephen Nolan said to Mr Bridgen the Brexit negotiations had “nothing to do with your right as an English person to come over to Ireland”, the Conservative MP replied with another perplexing claim.
He said: “We have a reciprocal agreement where I can go to Ireland and ask for an Irish passport, and someone from Ireland can come to the UK and ask for a British passport. We have that system. That's the system we have, isn't it?”
There is no reciprocal system in place – Irish citizenship can be granted to British passport holders, but there are several criteria which must be met. Normally, a British citizen will obtain Irish citizenship through birth, descent or marriage.
There is also no particular provision for Irish citizens who want to become British citizens. Irish citizens, in common with people living in the countries that make up the Commonwealth, would be required to apply for naturalisation as British citizens rather than registration after five years' residence in the UK.
UK news in pictures
Show all 50
UK news in pictures
1/50 26 February 2019
Alastair Cook after he received his knighthood at Buckingham Palace
PA
2/50 25 February 2019
Nobby the polar bear cools down at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park during unseasonably warm weather. The park was covered in a blanket of snow at the end of February 2018 as the UK was hit by sub-zero temperatures. Forecasters have said that after this weekend's warm weather, temperatures later this week should return to normal
PA
3/50 24 February 2019
Olivia Colman won the best actress in a leading role award for 'The Favourite' at the 91st Academy Awards in Hollywood
PA
4/50 23 February 2019
Former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson seen on the big screen as he addresses a protest over the BBC's Panorama programme outside the BBC in MediaCityUK, Salford
PA
5/50 22 February 2019
A girl takes a photo of her dog with daffodils in St James's Park in London
PA
6/50 21 February 2019
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and the party's Shadow Secretary of State for Departing the European Union Keir Starmer leave a meeting with European Union Chief Brexit Negotiator Michel Barnier at the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels
Reuters
7/50 20 February 2019
Chris Leslie, Gavin Shuker, Chuka Umunna and Mike Gapes, (middle row, left to right) Angela Smith, Luciana Berger and Ann Coffey, (front row, left to right) Sarah Woollaston, Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry and Joan Ryan, following a press conference for the Independent Group where the three Conservative MPs, Woollaston, Allen and Soubry, announced their resignation from the party
PA
8/50 19 February 2019
A full moon sets near Whitley Bay, North Tyneside as the sun begins to rise, ahead of the super snow moon on Tuesday evening
PA
9/50 18 February 2019
MP Chuka Umunna speaks during the announcement of his resignation, along with a group of six other Labour MPs, including, Luciana Berger, Mike Gapes, Angela Smith, Chris Leslie, Ann Coffey and Gavin Shuker and who will be known as the Independent Group
PA
10/50 17 February 2019
Climate change activists block the road as part of an Extinction Rebellion protest outside a London Fashion Week event at Tate Britain in London, calling on the fashion industry to use its influence to help to create a sustainable world.
PA
11/50 16 February 2019
Demonstrators hold a banner during a protest over BP and Iraq at the British Museum in London, Britain
Reuters
12/50 15 February 2019
Schoolchildren take part in a student climate march in Parliament Square in London. Thousands of UK pupils from schools, colleges and universities will walk out for a nationwide climate change strike. Students in 60 cities from the West Country to Scotland are protesting, urging the government to declare a climate emergency and take action over the problem. They are keen that the national curriculum is reformed and the environmental crisis is communicated to the public. Similar strikes have taken place in Australia and in European countries such as Belgium and Sweden
Getty
13/50 14 February 2019
A lady enjoys the beach in sunshine in Brighton, East Sussex. The Met Office forecast said Thursday and Friday would see early fog patches followed by plenty of sunshine
PA
14/50 13 February 2019
Jockeys compete in the space hopper derby during the Injured Jockeys Fund Charity Raceday at Plumpton Racecourse
PA
15/50 12 February 2019
Young members of Britain's opposition Labour party write on a billboard why they want Jeremy Corbyn the party leader to back a "People's Vote" second referendum on Britain's European Union membership, during a publicity stunt in Islington North, Corbyn's north London constituency. The event was organized Tuesday by "For our Future's Sake" (FFS), a nationwide group of students and young people working to stop Brexit, with the billboard provided by "Led By Donkeys" a remain supporting group using online crowd funding to pay for billboard space to put up posters highlighting quotes on Brexit made by politicians and organizations.
AP
16/50 11 February 2019
Western lowland gorilla Kera, opens presents intended for her daughter Afia, in celebration of her third birthday at Bristol Zoo Gardens
PA
17/50 10 February 2019
Olivia Colman with her Bafta award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for 'The Favourite' at the 72nd British Academy Film Awards held at the Royal Albert Hall. The Favourite took home seven awards during the night
PA
18/50 9 February 2019
Dwain Chambers made his sprint comeback in the 60m event at the British Indoor Championships. The 40-year-old came in second during his heat with a time of 6.78 however after a false start and a disqualification in the semi-final he failed to progress any further. The qualifying time for next month's European Indoor Championships in Glasgow is 6.60 seconds
PA
19/50 8 February 2019
A model during a photo call for fashion presentation Fashion in Motion: Inspired by Christian Dior at the Victoria and Albert Museum, in South Kensington, London
PA
20/50 7 February 2019
President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker receives Prime Minister Theresa May, in the VIP corner of The Berlaymont, the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels. The EU and UK have agreed to restart Brexit talks to find “a way through” the deadlock in Westminster, following her visit
Getty
21/50 6 February 2019
The group of activists who stopped a deportation flight leaving Stansted Airport have walked free from court and are to appeal their convictions. The defendants, who have become known as the Stansted 15, said they were “guilty of nothing more than intervening to prevent harm” to migrants on board the plane
PA
22/50 5 February 2019
Emergency services attend to a house fire Stafford in which four children have died. Two adults and a fifth child are being treated in hospital
SWNS
23/50 4 February 2019
Hamish, the UK's only polar bear cub, enjoying the snow at RZSS's Highland Wildlife Park in the Cairngorms. Hamish was the first polar bear cub to be born in the UK for 25 years when he arrived on December 18, 2017
RZSS/PA
24/50 3 February 2019
British Prime Minister Theresa May leaves after attending a Sunday church service in Maidenhead
Getty
25/50 2 February 2019
Owen Farrell celebrates as he walks down the tunnel after England beat Ireland in their Six Nations match at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin
Reuters
26/50 1 February 2019
Dog walkers in Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve on the Chilterns escarpment, in Oxfordshire. Snowfall and icy conditions are expected to cause widespread travel disruption after temperatures plummeted as low as minus 15.4C (4.3F) overnight.
PA
27/50 31 January 2019
A person walks past the frozen Sefton Park Lake in Liverpool after the UK had its coldest night of the winter so far as the cold snap continues to cause icy conditions across the country
PA
28/50 30 January 2019
Police searching near the scene in Islington, north London where 17-year-old boy, Nedim Bilgin, was pronounced dead after being stabbed on Tuesday evening
PA
29/50 29 January 2019
A vehicle navigates in snowy conditions near Newby Head in North Yorkshire, as up to 10cm of snow could fall on higher ground as temperatures drop across the UK this week
PA
30/50 28 January 2019
A Union flag flies from a pole in front of the Elizabeth Tower, commonly known as Big Ben, near the Houses of Parliament in central London. Despite the humiliating rejection of Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal, Britain is no closer to knowing the end result of its vote to leave the European Union. A raft of amendments to be voted on by MPs on Tuesday threaten to further muddy the waters as the clock ticks down to Britain's scheduled departure from the EU on March 29
AFP/Getty
31/50 27 January 2019
Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney being interviewed by host Andrew Marr on the BBC1 current affairs programme, Simon Coveney told the Show that the EU would not ratify a Brexit deal without a backstop.
PA
32/50 26 january 2019
Michael Russell, the Scottish government's minister with responsibility for Brexit negotiations attends a Rally for Europe at Augustine United Church in Edinburgh, Scotland. With only two months to go until the UK is scheduled to leave the EU, people attended the rally to listen to speakers as they called for Brexit to be halted and for a second people’s vote to take place.
Getty
33/50 25 January 2019
Former engineers Derek Mack (left) and Mike Kelloway, both from the Isle of Wight, inside the remains of the Black Arrow projectile, the UK's only rocket to successfully launch a satellite into orbit, are unveiled at a storage facility in Penicuik, near Edinburgh, after almost 50 years languishing in the Australian Outback
PA
34/50 24 January 2019
Former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond makes a statement outside Edinburgh Sheriff Court after he was arrested and charged by police. No further details of the charge against the 64-year-old have been released. A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that a 64-year-old man has been arrested and charged, and a report will be sent to the procurator fiscal
PA
35/50 23 January 2019
A couple walk through a park, in High Wycombe, as some areas of the UK see the first snow of the year
Getty
36/50 22 January 2019
Ttributes left outside Cardiff City Stadium after a plane carrying their new signing Emiliano Sala disappeared over the English Channel on Monday night. The aircraft disappeared off radar after losing contact with air traffic control around 8:20pm, with rescue attempts abandoned through the night due to worsening conditions. Lifeboats and helicopters resumed the search 8am on Tuesday morning, but the latest update from Guernsey Police is that there is “no trace of the aircraft” and officials have now said that they are "not expecting anyone to be alive"
Reuters
37/50 21 January 2019
A super blood wolf moon over the peace statue on Brighton seafront during a lunar eclipse
PA
38/50 20 January 2019
Forensic officers inspect the remains of the van used as a car bomb on an attack outside Derry Court House in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Dissident republicans are suspected to have carried out the attack which has been condemned by Northern Ireland politicians
Getty
39/50 19 January 2019
Women's march for “bread and roses”, rally against austerity in London
Angela Christofilou/The Independent
40/50 18 January 2019
A team of specialists who are tasked with piecing together the iconic dinosaur Dippy unpack bespoke crates containing the bone structure at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow. As part of a road trip across the UK, Dippy has arrived in Scotland and will be on show
Getty
41/50 17 January 2019
A farmer rides a quad bike as snow and frost settles on the peaks of the hills in the Brecon Beacons
PA
42/50 16 January 2019
Theresa May speaking during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons the day after her Brexit deal was defeated in Parliament
PA
43/50 15 January 2019
Police monitor Brexit protesters outside the houses of parliament in London. Parliamentarians are voting on the postponed Brexit EU Withdrawal Agreement, commonly known as The Meaningful Vote, deciding on Britain's future relationship with the European Union
EPA
44/50 14 January 2019
Andy Murray produced one of the performances of his career, but after more than four hours and with an injured hip that will inevitably end his career at some point this year, he exited the Australian Open in the first round at the hands of 22nd seed Roberto Bautista Agut. It looked to be a straight-forward victory for the Spaniard as he surged into a two-set lead, but Murray is not a three-time Grand Slam champion for nothing and he supremely levelled the match despite hobbling around the court from the get-go. However, in the end his hip injury just took too much out of him, and Bautista Agut clinched a breath-taking 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-7 (4-7), 2-6 victory to reach the second round where he'll face Australia's John Millman
Reuters
45/50 13 January 2019
British Prime Minister, Theresa May and her husband Philip attend Sunday morning prayers at her local church in Maidenhead, Britain, 13 January 2019. Members of the British Parliament are due to vote on Theresa May's Brexit deal on 15 January 2019, with Britain set to leave the European Union on 29 March 2019.
EPA
46/50 12 January 2019
Demonstrators wearing yellow vests protest near Broadcasting House on in London, England. Demonstrators from both the left and the right wings of British politics have adopted the 'Gilets Jaunes' or Yellow Vest form of protest that first became prominent in France throughout November and December 2018. Various groups meet in London today to protest the Brexit deal due to be voted on in the UK Parliament
Getty Images
47/50 11 January 2019
An emotional Andy Murray revealed this year's Australian Open could be the last tournament of his career. Struggling to hold back tears, the 31-year-old Scot said that the continuing pain from what he described as his “severely damaged right hip” had led him to decide to end his career this year. He said that he had been planning to make this summer’s Wimbledon his farewell tournament, but feared that he might have to bring down the curtain before then
Getty Images
48/50 10 January 2019
Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe were greeted by Chase Bridge Primary School children waving UK and Japanese national flags during a visit to Twickenham Rugby Stadium in, west London. Abe is visiting Britain and set to hold talks with May following her visit to Tokyo and Kyoto last year
AFP/Getty
49/50 9 January 2019
Former leader of the Liberal Democrats, Tim Farron (right) speaks to a pro-Brexit protester outside the Houses of Parliament. MPs will resume debating Theresa May's Brexit plan a month after she postponed the original commons vote. Met police have been urged to take action against protesters who abuse MP's. This comes after Conservative MP Anna Soubry was verbally abused and called 'Nazi scum' by pro-Brexit protesters on 7 January
EPA
50/50 8 January 2019
Alex Salmond speaking outside the Court of Session in Edinburgh after it ruled that the Scottish Government acted unlawfully regarding sexual harassment complaints against the former first minister
PA
1/50 26 February 2019
Alastair Cook after he received his knighthood at Buckingham Palace
PA
2/50 25 February 2019
Nobby the polar bear cools down at the Yorkshire Wildlife Park during unseasonably warm weather. The park was covered in a blanket of snow at the end of February 2018 as the UK was hit by sub-zero temperatures. Forecasters have said that after this weekend's warm weather, temperatures later this week should return to normal
PA
3/50 24 February 2019
Olivia Colman won the best actress in a leading role award for 'The Favourite' at the 91st Academy Awards in Hollywood
PA
4/50 23 February 2019
Former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson seen on the big screen as he addresses a protest over the BBC's Panorama programme outside the BBC in MediaCityUK, Salford
PA
5/50 22 February 2019
A girl takes a photo of her dog with daffodils in St James's Park in London
PA
6/50 21 February 2019
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and the party's Shadow Secretary of State for Departing the European Union Keir Starmer leave a meeting with European Union Chief Brexit Negotiator Michel Barnier at the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels
Reuters
7/50 20 February 2019
Chris Leslie, Gavin Shuker, Chuka Umunna and Mike Gapes, (middle row, left to right) Angela Smith, Luciana Berger and Ann Coffey, (front row, left to right) Sarah Woollaston, Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry and Joan Ryan, following a press conference for the Independent Group where the three Conservative MPs, Woollaston, Allen and Soubry, announced their resignation from the party
PA
8/50 19 February 2019
A full moon sets near Whitley Bay, North Tyneside as the sun begins to rise, ahead of the super snow moon on Tuesday evening
PA
9/50 18 February 2019
MP Chuka Umunna speaks during the announcement of his resignation, along with a group of six other Labour MPs, including, Luciana Berger, Mike Gapes, Angela Smith, Chris Leslie, Ann Coffey and Gavin Shuker and who will be known as the Independent Group
PA
10/50 17 February 2019
Climate change activists block the road as part of an Extinction Rebellion protest outside a London Fashion Week event at Tate Britain in London, calling on the fashion industry to use its influence to help to create a sustainable world.
PA
11/50 16 February 2019
Demonstrators hold a banner during a protest over BP and Iraq at the British Museum in London, Britain
Reuters
12/50 15 February 2019
Schoolchildren take part in a student climate march in Parliament Square in London. Thousands of UK pupils from schools, colleges and universities will walk out for a nationwide climate change strike. Students in 60 cities from the West Country to Scotland are protesting, urging the government to declare a climate emergency and take action over the problem. They are keen that the national curriculum is reformed and the environmental crisis is communicated to the public. Similar strikes have taken place in Australia and in European countries such as Belgium and Sweden
Getty
13/50 14 February 2019
A lady enjoys the beach in sunshine in Brighton, East Sussex. The Met Office forecast said Thursday and Friday would see early fog patches followed by plenty of sunshine
PA
14/50 13 February 2019
Jockeys compete in the space hopper derby during the Injured Jockeys Fund Charity Raceday at Plumpton Racecourse
PA
15/50 12 February 2019
Young members of Britain's opposition Labour party write on a billboard why they want Jeremy Corbyn the party leader to back a "People's Vote" second referendum on Britain's European Union membership, during a publicity stunt in Islington North, Corbyn's north London constituency. The event was organized Tuesday by "For our Future's Sake" (FFS), a nationwide group of students and young people working to stop Brexit, with the billboard provided by "Led By Donkeys" a remain supporting group using online crowd funding to pay for billboard space to put up posters highlighting quotes on Brexit made by politicians and organizations.
AP
16/50 11 February 2019
Western lowland gorilla Kera, opens presents intended for her daughter Afia, in celebration of her third birthday at Bristol Zoo Gardens
PA
17/50 10 February 2019
Olivia Colman with her Bafta award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for 'The Favourite' at the 72nd British Academy Film Awards held at the Royal Albert Hall. The Favourite took home seven awards during the night
PA
18/50 9 February 2019
Dwain Chambers made his sprint comeback in the 60m event at the British Indoor Championships. The 40-year-old came in second during his heat with a time of 6.78 however after a false start and a disqualification in the semi-final he failed to progress any further. The qualifying time for next month's European Indoor Championships in Glasgow is 6.60 seconds
PA
19/50 8 February 2019
A model during a photo call for fashion presentation Fashion in Motion: Inspired by Christian Dior at the Victoria and Albert Museum, in South Kensington, London
PA
20/50 7 February 2019
President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker receives Prime Minister Theresa May, in the VIP corner of The Berlaymont, the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels. The EU and UK have agreed to restart Brexit talks to find “a way through” the deadlock in Westminster, following her visit
Getty
21/50 6 February 2019
The group of activists who stopped a deportation flight leaving Stansted Airport have walked free from court and are to appeal their convictions. The defendants, who have become known as the Stansted 15, said they were “guilty of nothing more than intervening to prevent harm” to migrants on board the plane
PA
22/50 5 February 2019
Emergency services attend to a house fire Stafford in which four children have died. Two adults and a fifth child are being treated in hospital
SWNS
23/50 4 February 2019
Hamish, the UK's only polar bear cub, enjoying the snow at RZSS's Highland Wildlife Park in the Cairngorms. Hamish was the first polar bear cub to be born in the UK for 25 years when he arrived on December 18, 2017
RZSS/PA
24/50 3 February 2019
British Prime Minister Theresa May leaves after attending a Sunday church service in Maidenhead
Getty
25/50 2 February 2019
Owen Farrell celebrates as he walks down the tunnel after England beat Ireland in their Six Nations match at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin
Reuters
26/50 1 February 2019
Dog walkers in Aston Rowant National Nature Reserve on the Chilterns escarpment, in Oxfordshire. Snowfall and icy conditions are expected to cause widespread travel disruption after temperatures plummeted as low as minus 15.4C (4.3F) overnight.
PA
27/50 31 January 2019
A person walks past the frozen Sefton Park Lake in Liverpool after the UK had its coldest night of the winter so far as the cold snap continues to cause icy conditions across the country
PA
28/50 30 January 2019
Police searching near the scene in Islington, north London where 17-year-old boy, Nedim Bilgin, was pronounced dead after being stabbed on Tuesday evening
PA
29/50 29 January 2019
A vehicle navigates in snowy conditions near Newby Head in North Yorkshire, as up to 10cm of snow could fall on higher ground as temperatures drop across the UK this week
PA
30/50 28 January 2019
A Union flag flies from a pole in front of the Elizabeth Tower, commonly known as Big Ben, near the Houses of Parliament in central London. Despite the humiliating rejection of Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit deal, Britain is no closer to knowing the end result of its vote to leave the European Union. A raft of amendments to be voted on by MPs on Tuesday threaten to further muddy the waters as the clock ticks down to Britain's scheduled departure from the EU on March 29
AFP/Getty
31/50 27 January 2019
Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney being interviewed by host Andrew Marr on the BBC1 current affairs programme, Simon Coveney told the Show that the EU would not ratify a Brexit deal without a backstop.
PA
32/50 26 january 2019
Michael Russell, the Scottish government's minister with responsibility for Brexit negotiations attends a Rally for Europe at Augustine United Church in Edinburgh, Scotland. With only two months to go until the UK is scheduled to leave the EU, people attended the rally to listen to speakers as they called for Brexit to be halted and for a second people’s vote to take place.
Getty
33/50 25 January 2019
Former engineers Derek Mack (left) and Mike Kelloway, both from the Isle of Wight, inside the remains of the Black Arrow projectile, the UK's only rocket to successfully launch a satellite into orbit, are unveiled at a storage facility in Penicuik, near Edinburgh, after almost 50 years languishing in the Australian Outback
PA
34/50 24 January 2019
Former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond makes a statement outside Edinburgh Sheriff Court after he was arrested and charged by police. No further details of the charge against the 64-year-old have been released. A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that a 64-year-old man has been arrested and charged, and a report will be sent to the procurator fiscal
PA
35/50 23 January 2019
A couple walk through a park, in High Wycombe, as some areas of the UK see the first snow of the year
Getty
36/50 22 January 2019
Ttributes left outside Cardiff City Stadium after a plane carrying their new signing Emiliano Sala disappeared over the English Channel on Monday night. The aircraft disappeared off radar after losing contact with air traffic control around 8:20pm, with rescue attempts abandoned through the night due to worsening conditions. Lifeboats and helicopters resumed the search 8am on Tuesday morning, but the latest update from Guernsey Police is that there is “no trace of the aircraft” and officials have now said that they are "not expecting anyone to be alive"
Reuters
37/50 21 January 2019
A super blood wolf moon over the peace statue on Brighton seafront during a lunar eclipse
PA
38/50 20 January 2019
Forensic officers inspect the remains of the van used as a car bomb on an attack outside Derry Court House in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Dissident republicans are suspected to have carried out the attack which has been condemned by Northern Ireland politicians
Getty
39/50 19 January 2019
Women's march for “bread and roses”, rally against austerity in London
Angela Christofilou/The Independent
40/50 18 January 2019
A team of specialists who are tasked with piecing together the iconic dinosaur Dippy unpack bespoke crates containing the bone structure at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow. As part of a road trip across the UK, Dippy has arrived in Scotland and will be on show
Getty
41/50 17 January 2019
A farmer rides a quad bike as snow and frost settles on the peaks of the hills in the Brecon Beacons
PA
42/50 16 January 2019
Theresa May speaking during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons the day after her Brexit deal was defeated in Parliament
PA
43/50 15 January 2019
Police monitor Brexit protesters outside the houses of parliament in London. Parliamentarians are voting on the postponed Brexit EU Withdrawal Agreement, commonly known as The Meaningful Vote, deciding on Britain's future relationship with the European Union
EPA
44/50 14 January 2019
Andy Murray produced one of the performances of his career, but after more than four hours and with an injured hip that will inevitably end his career at some point this year, he exited the Australian Open in the first round at the hands of 22nd seed Roberto Bautista Agut. It looked to be a straight-forward victory for the Spaniard as he surged into a two-set lead, but Murray is not a three-time Grand Slam champion for nothing and he supremely levelled the match despite hobbling around the court from the get-go. However, in the end his hip injury just took too much out of him, and Bautista Agut clinched a breath-taking 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-7 (4-7), 2-6 victory to reach the second round where he'll face Australia's John Millman
Reuters
45/50 13 January 2019
British Prime Minister, Theresa May and her husband Philip attend Sunday morning prayers at her local church in Maidenhead, Britain, 13 January 2019. Members of the British Parliament are due to vote on Theresa May's Brexit deal on 15 January 2019, with Britain set to leave the European Union on 29 March 2019.
EPA
46/50 12 January 2019
Demonstrators wearing yellow vests protest near Broadcasting House on in London, England. Demonstrators from both the left and the right wings of British politics have adopted the 'Gilets Jaunes' or Yellow Vest form of protest that first became prominent in France throughout November and December 2018. Various groups meet in London today to protest the Brexit deal due to be voted on in the UK Parliament
Getty Images
47/50 11 January 2019
An emotional Andy Murray revealed this year's Australian Open could be the last tournament of his career. Struggling to hold back tears, the 31-year-old Scot said that the continuing pain from what he described as his “severely damaged right hip” had led him to decide to end his career this year. He said that he had been planning to make this summer’s Wimbledon his farewell tournament, but feared that he might have to bring down the curtain before then
Getty Images
48/50 10 January 2019
Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe were greeted by Chase Bridge Primary School children waving UK and Japanese national flags during a visit to Twickenham Rugby Stadium in, west London. Abe is visiting Britain and set to hold talks with May following her visit to Tokyo and Kyoto last year
AFP/Getty
49/50 9 January 2019
Former leader of the Liberal Democrats, Tim Farron (right) speaks to a pro-Brexit protester outside the Houses of Parliament. MPs will resume debating Theresa May's Brexit plan a month after she postponed the original commons vote. Met police have been urged to take action against protesters who abuse MP's. This comes after Conservative MP Anna Soubry was verbally abused and called 'Nazi scum' by pro-Brexit protesters on 7 January
EPA
50/50 8 January 2019
Alex Salmond speaking outside the Court of Session in Edinburgh after it ruled that the Scottish Government acted unlawfully regarding sexual harassment complaints against the former first minister
PA
Mr Bridgen made the claims on the same day the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier said that no progress had been made on Brexit talks and that “despite intense efforts, some key issues are still open, including the backstop for IE/NI to avoid a hard border.”
We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view.
At The Independent, no one tells us what to write. That’s why, in an era of political lies and Brexit bias, more readers are turning to an independent source. Subscribe from just 15p a day for extra exclusives, events and ebooks – all with no ads.
Comments
Share your thoughts and debate the big issues
Please be respectful when making a comment and adhere to our Community Guidelines.
You can find our Community Guidelines in full here.
Please be respectful when making a comment and adhere to our Community Guidelines.
Community Guidelines
You can find our Community Guidelines in full here.
Follow comments
Vote
Report Comment
Subscribe to Independent Minds to debate the big issues
Want to discuss real-world problems, be involved in the most engaging discussions and hear from the journalists? Try Independent Minds free for 14 days.
Already registered? Log inReport Comment
Delete Comment
Subscribe to Independent Minds to debate the big issues
Want to discuss real-world problems, be involved in the most engaging discussions and hear from the journalists? Try Independent Minds free for 14 days.
Already registered? Log inAbout The Independent commenting
Independent Minds Comments can be posted by members of our membership scheme, Independent Minds. It allows our most engaged readers to debate the big issues, share their own experiences, discuss real-world solutions, and more. Our journalists will try to respond by joining the threads when they can to create a true meeting of independent minds. The most insightful comments on all subjects will be published daily in dedicated articles. You can also choose to be emailed when someone replies to your comment.
The existing Open Comments threads will continue to exist for those who do not subscribe to Independent Minds. Due to the sheer scale of this comment community, we are not able to give each post the same level of attention, but we have preserved this area in the interests of open debate. Please continue to respect all commenters and create constructive debates.