Pedro Sánchez ‘has no power' and should quit, says Spanish ex-PM
Felipe González, who played a key role in Spain's transition to democracy in the 1980s, said that Pedro Sánchez 'no longer has a political life'.
González, 83, who was prime minister from 1982 to 1996, added: 'Sánchez should call elections and make way for another Socialist candidate. He has a level of authority unmatched by any prime minister … he has no power at all.'
Felipe González played a key role in Spain's transition to democracy in the 1980s
PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP
He singled out Sánchez's concessions to his ally Bildu — a Basque separatist party that was formerly the political wing of the defunct terrorist group ETA — and an amnesty given to Catalan separatists who took part in an illegal, failed independence attempt in 2017. To retain power after inconclusive elections in 2023, Sánchez agreed to the amnesty in return for the seven votes of the right-wing Junts party of the Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont, a fugitive from Spanish justice.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ITV News
05-08-2025
- ITV News
Channel Islands wrestle to continue French day trip scheme without breaking ETA travel rules
The Government of Jersey says it plans to exempt French nationals from needing an ETA travel permit if they are visiting the island on their ID cards for a day trip. Politicians are set to approve the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme at a debate in September, with the new rules expected to come into force at the end of 2025 or the start of 2026. It would mean most foreign visitors have to pay £16 and complete an online form to enter the island from outside the Common Travel Area (CTA), bringing Jersey in line with UK policy. However, all ETA applications require a passport, which seemed to signal the end of the successful day-trippers scheme, where French visitors currently only need to show their ID card. Now, if the ETA is brought in, Jersey's government says it wants to change the island's immigration law so this initiative can continue outside of the new travel permit rules. Meanwhile, the President of Guernsey's Home Affairs Committee, Deputy Marc Leadbeater, says he has written to the UK Immigration Minister Seema Malhotra "outlining the Bailiwick's desire to continue with the French Identity Card Scheme into 2026, providing it does not place our membership of the CTA at risk". He adds: "The Committee has emphasised the safeguards in place to mitigate any risk of abuse and can report that there have been no cases of non-compliance since the inception of the scheme in 2023. "We remain committed to the implementation of the Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme (ETAs) with the Crown Dependencies now working towards joining the scheme during the 1st quarter of 2026."
The Guardian
05-08-2025
- The Guardian
US sports lobby Home Office for travel exemption after golf caddie refused UK entry
Sports organisations in the US will press the Home Office to apply exemptions to new travel rules for American citizens entering the UK after the caddie of golfer Harris English missed out on around £130,000 by being denied access for the Scottish Open and Open Championship. The case of Eric Larson has alerted the likes of the NFL and NBA, which stage games in London, that sportspeople or staff can be prohibited from entering the UK under Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) rules if they have a criminal conviction. Larson was sentenced to 13 years in prison in 1995 for involvement in drug dealing and rebuilt his career as a caddie for several leading PGA Tour players after serving 10 years. Larson's past had largely been forgotten until the Scottish Open, when it was revealed any American citizen given a custodial sentence of at least 12 months will now be denied UK entry. ETA implementation started in January this year. Larson was refused travel despite lobbying to the Home Office from the PGA Tour and the R&A. English tied 22nd in Scotland and finished second in the Open. Caddies typically receive around 10% of their player's winnings; English earned more than £1.8m from his UK trip. As things stand, Larson will encounter the same situation in 2026. The American bodies will point to the fact Donald Trump's ban on citizens from a dozen countries entering the US – another seven have been served with restrictions – contains an exemption intended to apply to players, staff or associated families linked to the 2026 Fifa World Cup or the 2028 Olympics. No such leeway presently exists for the UK border. 'Sporting bodies are now asking the UK to apply sporting exemptions on this system,' confirmed a senior figure within US sport. The Home Office did not offer comment on whether it has already been asked to apply sporting exemptions on the ETA and what any response towards this might be. A source with knowledge of the Home Office position added: 'Each application for a decision outside the rules is considered on its merits but informed by previous examples and precedents.' The same source confirmed the 'mandatory and automatic refusal of entry clearance for individuals who have received a previous custodial sentence of at least 12 months'. The NFL will return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for matches on back-to-back weekends in October. The NBA announced last week that games will be staged in London in early 2026 and Manchester the following year. Sign up to The Recap The best of our sports journalism from the past seven days and a heads-up on the weekend's action after newsletter promotion An obvious anomaly with the UK's current stance can be demonstrated within golf. Ángel Cabrera received a multi-year prison term for crimes against women. The former Masters champion, from Argentina, played in the Senior Open at Sunningdale in July. The Australian Ryan Peake participated in the Open at Royal Portrush, six years after being released from jail on a serious assault conviction. Peake is understood to hold a UK passport.
BBC News
29-07-2025
- BBC News
Witness History Eta's assassination of Juan Mari Jáuregui
On 29 July 2000, retired Spanish politician Juan Mari Jáuregui was assassinated by Basque separatists Eta. Deemed a terrorist organisation by the European Union, Eta killed more than 800 people between 1968 and 2010. Its goal was to create an independent Basque state out of territory in south-west France and northern Spain. Following Jáuregui's murder, his widow Maixabel Lasa worked to help victims of political violence and highlight their suffering, weakening Eta's support. A decade later, she received a message from one of the men involved in Jáuregui's murder. He wanted to meet her and take responsibility for his actions, beginning a remarkable friendship. In 2011, Eta declared a permanent ceasefire, and formally disbanded in 2018. Maixabel Lasa speaks to Ben Henderson. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron – Argentina's Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous 'tear down this wall' speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler's List; and Jacques Derrida, France's 'rock star' philosopher. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal; and the death of one of the world's oldest languages. (Photo: Maixabel Lasa. Credit: Arnaitz Rubio/Europa Press via Getty Images)
