Stef Blok
Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok said on Tuesday that the Netherlands was hoping for a deal on Britain's orderly exit from the European Union but he added his country was also preparing for a no-deal scenario.
"We hope for a negotiated Brexit," he told reporters at an EU ministers' meeting in Luxembourg which will discuss Brexit ahead of a EU leaders' summit on Wednesday and Thursday.
"At the same time we hope for the best and we prepare for the worst. So we also prepare for a hard Brexit," Blok said.
He also said that he hoped there will be an extraordinary summit of EU leaders on Brexit in November, as this would mean that a deal was close.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu met with British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt in London Monday and discussed a range of issues.Among the topics addressed in their closed-door meeting was the case of missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which Hunt said remains “deeply concerning”.“The UK fully supports the Turkish investigation into the incident as I reiterated in person to Mr. Cavusoglu today,” Hunt said.“We have been urging Saudi Arabia to cooperate fully with the investigation. There remain questions about the disappearance of Mr. Khashoggi that only Saudi Arabia can answer.”Hunt said the UK welcomes Saudi King Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s agreement yesterday to establish a joint working group to look into the matter.He also said they welcome Saudi Arabia’s decision to ask the prosecutor general to establish an internal investigation into Khashoggi’s disappearance and hold people accountable if the evidence warrants it.On Saturday, Çavuşoğlu said Turkey expected cooperation from Saudi officials.Turkish and Saudi officials arrived earlier Monday at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul for a joint probe into Khashoggi's case.On the same day Khashoggi went missing, 15 other Saudis, including several officials, arrived in Istanbul on two planes and visited the consulate while Khashoggi was inside, according to Turkish police sources. All of the identified individuals have since left Turkey.Çavusoğlu and Hunt also talked about bilateral and regional relations, the agreement between Turkey and Russia to establish a demilitarized zone in Idlib, Syria, the fight against terrorism and Brexit, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.A British Foreign Office statement said Hunt “raised the situation in Syria, stressing the importance of ensuring the safety of civilians in Idlib and commended Turkey for hosting over 3.6 million refugees”.Turkey slams developed nations over migration issuePompeo to visit Turkey after Riyadh over KhashoggiTurkish, US army chiefs meet in Washington
British, Turkish foreign ministers meet in London
Britain's lower house of parliament has allowed a culture of bullying and sexual harassment to thrive, and its top officials may need to be replaced to restore confidence, an investigation published on Monday said.A report, commissioned by the British legislature in March after a string of harassment allegations, said it found institutional failings in the way the House of Commons responded to complaints against lawmakers and staff.It described a "culture, cascading from the top down, of deference, subservience, acquiescence and silence, in which bullying, harassment and sexual harassment have been able to thrive and have long been tolerated and concealed."Laura Cox, a former British judge who wrote the report, said fundamental and permanent change would need genuine commitment on the part of the leadership of the House of Commons.UK PM May to update parliament on Brexit negotiations on Monday"I find it difficult to envisage how the necessary changes can be successfully delivered, and the confidence of the staff restored, under the current senior House administration."In May, a committee of members of parliament voted against launching an investigation into allegations of bullying by the speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow. His office rejected the claims.In her report, Cox named no individuals.She said that lawmakers should play no part in hearing allegations of harassment involving members of parliament and that the process should be completely independent of them.Ireland demands May keep promise on Brexit border"This is not to demonise the entire institution, but unacceptable behaviour by some, whether elected members or House staff, inflicts damage on everyone and undermines the legitimacy and authority of the House of Commons," she said. "Parliament is diminished."The House of Commons issued a statement, saying the wellbeing of staff was its top priority and improvements to its complaints system were under way."Urgent work has already been undertaken to improve internal processes – including the introduction of new confidential support services and helplines run by external, independent specialist providers and a clear pathway for the investigation of allegations," it said. 
UK parliament must fix culture of bullying, top officials may have to go: report
Britain believes there are a number of ways to achieve a so-called backstop arrangement for its only land border with the European Union and Prime Minister Theresa May is still confident of getting a Brexit deal, her spokesman said on Monday."There are a number of means of achieving what we want to achieve," he said, declining to give further details of the talks.Her spokesman told reporters talks reached a stalemate at the weekend because the EU continued to insist on the backstop involving a border down the Irish Sea - something May has ruled out because she says it would break up the United Kingdom.He also said May was planning to make a statement to parliament later on Monday on the failure of the weekend talks.UK Brexit minister to hold talks with EU on SundayMay's team must force change in Brexit policy, says former ministerDUP leader regards no-deal Brexit as 'likeliest outcome'Boris Johnson calls for PM May to ditch Brexit border backstop
Britain believes there are ways to solve Brexit backstop