General news

• Pc Palmer's family pay emotional tribute to 'our Keith' and thank those who tried to save murdered cop

  25-03-2017 23:49
  
  In an emotional statement, they said they had been “overwhelmed” by the “outpouring of love” for Pc Palmer who was stabbed to death by terrorist Khalid Masood.The statement reads: “We have been overwhelmed by the love and support for our family and most especially the outpouring of love and respect for our Keith.“It has made us realise what a caring, strong and supporting family Keith was part of during his career with the police.
  
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• Dozens of people have been injured after a massive explosion in the Wirral

  25-03-2017 23:40
  
  Dozens of people have been injured following a large explosion in the Wirral area of Merseyside.The incident happened at 9.15pm on Saturday night and is believed to have come from a disused dance studio in the New Ferry area.A spokeswoman for Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service said: "There has been a suspected gas explosion resulting in a building collapse.
  
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• Westminster attacker acted alone and motive may never be known, say police

  25-03-2017 23:30
  
  Flowers outside parliament remember the victims of the Westminster attack.Police investigating the Westminster attack have concluded that Khalid Masood acted entirely alone for reasons that may never be known.In the most detailed breakdown yet of events on Westminster Bridge and parliament on Wednesday, police said that the entire attack, in which Masood had killed four people before being shot dead, lasted a mere 82 seconds.
  
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• We used to feel shielded at the Palace of Westminster. Suddenly all that changed

  25-03-2017 23:30
  
  One of the joys of showing visitors round the Houses of Parliament – a friend or family member – is that they remind us how special our world is.This is a place of work for MPs, peers, officials, palace staff, we journalists.
  
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• Terror attack throws plan for renovating parliament building into confusion

  25-03-2017 23:30
  
  Armed police outside an entrance to the Houses of Parliament yesterday.The Westminster terror attack has strengthened the case for MPs and peers to remain in parliament under one roof during a £4bn restoration, rather than undergo evacuation to different buildings, a former independent reviewer of terrorism legislation has said.Lord Carlile, who sits as a non-aligned peer in the House of Lords, told the Observer that the security implications and costs of “decanting” all MPs, p
  
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• Huge explosion flattens buildings in Wirral

  25-03-2017 23:15
  
  A huge explosion has flattened at least one building in Wirral.Emergency services rushed to the scene in New Ferry, where a furniture shop was reduced to rubble at around 9.15pm, Capital FM reported.It is not yet clear if anyone was inside the building at the time, but injured people were seen walking to ambulances, according to the Liverpool Echo, one with a "serious head bandage".
  
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• Ukip civil war erupts as only MP Douglas Carswell quits

  25-03-2017 23:00
  
  An explosive civil war in Ukip has broken out as its only MP resigned and suggested that the party no longer needed to exist. 
  
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• Parliament 'weak spot': Intruder walked through Carriage Gates last year without being stopped

  25-03-2017 23:00
  
  Parliament’s “weak spot” exploited by a terror attacker this week was breached last year by an intruder who walked straight past guards, it can be revealed.
  
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• Momentum welcomes expelled Labour activists, says founder

  25-03-2017 23:00
  
  People expelled from Labour after exhaustive disciplinary inquiries will still be welcome inside the leftwing grassroots organisation Momentum – despite a new constitution designed to pave the way for its formal affiliation with the party.Last week, the Observer revealed details of a secret recording of a meeting at which Momentum’s founder, Jon Lansman, outlined plans for its activists to build influence at all levels of the party, in order to ensure a hard-left successor is install
  
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• European Parliament chief Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt says Westminster attack shows European nations need to stay united

  25-03-2017 23:00
  
  The European Parliament’s chief Brexit negotiator has said the devastating terror attack at Westminster shows why it is so important that European nations remain united.Writing exclusively for The Independent, Guy Verhofstadt said no single country could tackle the scourge of international terrorism on its own.With Theresa May set to trigger the Article 50 Brexit process on Wednesday, the former Belgian Prime Minister accepted that the negotiations ahead would “at times become challe
  
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• Cabinet ministers warned social care crisis could exacerbate if UK pensioners return from abroad over Brexit

  25-03-2017 23:00
  Failure to secure continued access to healthcare for elderly Britons based on the Continent could trigger many to move back to the UK, ministers were told.A Government source said: “While we hope and expect to reach a deal, the Government wants to make sure they cover every precaution.“Cabinet ministers were warned about it by government officials.
  
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• Artist gives Leicester's new windows an extra kick 

  25-03-2017 23:00
  
  In its thousand-year history Leicester Cathedral has been home to many secrets.Celebrated stained-glass artist Tom Denny was commissioned to create two windows for St Katharine's Chapel in the Cathedral to commemorate King Richard III.Shortly before the windows were installed last year the artist decided to add in a tiny picture of a football in a nod to Leicester City's unexpected triumph in the Premier League - even though the team had not yet won.
  
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• Antiques dealers accused of flouting ivory laws despite Duke of Cambridge's campaign 

  25-03-2017 23:00
  
  Antiques dealers have been accused of flouting laws to sell banned ivory, fibbing about its age to bypass sanctions despite a high profile campaign led by the Duke of Cambridge to secure an outright ban.A study has shown that three-quarters of antiques dealers admit being aware of illegal trading, knowing colleagues or auctioneers happy to sell modern ivory passing it off as a still-legal pre-1947 artefact.The evidence, reported by Portsmouth University’s School of Law, has been described
  
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• Uber suspends self-driving car programme after Arizona crash

  25-03-2017 22:54
  
  Uber has  suspended its pilot program for driverless cars on Saturday after a vehicle equipped with the nascent technology crashed on an Arizona roadway, the ride-hailing company and local police said.The accident, the latest involving a self-driving vehicle operated by one of several companies experimenting with autonomous vehicles, caused no serious injuries, Uber said.
  
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• One person killed on Las Vegas strip before suspected gunman surrenders after barricading himself on a bus

  25-03-2017 22:16
  
  A gunman barricaded himself inside a bus along the Las Vegas Strip, prompting a partial closure of the busy boulevard.The standoff began after a shooting was reported on Saturday on Las Vegas Boulevard in the heart of the Strip near the Cosmopolitan hotel-casino.One dead, one wounded by shooter on Las Vegas Strip, police say.
  
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• One person killed on Las Vegas strip as suspected gunman barricades himself on bus

  25-03-2017 22:16
  
  A gunman has barricaded himself inside a bus along the Las Vegas Strip, prompting a partial closure of the busy boulevard.The standoff began after a shooting was reported Saturday on Las Vegas Boulevard in the heart of the Strip near the Cosmopolitan hotel-casino.One dead, one wounded by shooter on Las Vegas Strip, police say.
  
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• Baby joy for former X Factor judge Cheryl and One Direction star Liam Payne

  25-03-2017 22:14
  
  Former X Factor judge Cheryl has given birth to a baby boy.The 33-year-old singer announced on her Instagram page on Saturday evening that she and Liam Payne had become parents on Wednesday.Cheryl Cole and Liam Payne are parents to a baby boy.
  
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• One person remains in custody in wake of Westminster attack

  25-03-2017 20:41
  
  Ten of the 11 people taken into custody during police raids after the Westminster attack have now been released.Two people arrested in connection with the attack in Westminster have been released and will not face further action, leaving just one of the 11 originally detained by police in the aftermath of the incident in custody.The Metropolitan police said on Saturday that one man, a 58-year-old arrested in Birmingham the morning after the attack, was still being held while further enquiries we
  
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• Peckham stabbing: Police trace possible second victim after man found with stab wounds

  25-03-2017 20:29
  
  Police are attempting to trace a possible second victim of a stabbing after a man was found with stab wounds in south London.A residential street in Peckham was cordoned off by detectives after the man was found stabbed on Saturday afternoon.Emergency services were called to Cronin Street at 4pm and discovered the victim, aged in his mid-thirties.
  
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• Boris Johnson 'said David Cameron should take Nato role'

  25-03-2017 20:23
  
  Boris Johnson reportedly urged David Cameron to apply for the role of Nato secretary-general, when the pair met for dinner in New York.The Foreign Secretary and former Prime Minister were seen leaving the Red Rooster restaurant in Harlem earlier this week.As the pair shared a meal, Mr Johnson is said to have urged his former schoolmate to consider the senior role with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato).
  
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• Brexit talks will fail without compromise: José Manuel Barroso

  25-03-2017 20:00
  
  José Manuel Barroso says it is possible to come to a constructive agreement that minimises negative aspects of Brexit.Brexit negotiations are on course to fail unless both Britain and the European Union ditch their winner-takes-all approach to the coming talks, the former president of the European commission José Manuel Barroso has said.With just days to go before Theresa May formally notifies Brussels of the UK’s intention to leave the EU, Jean-Claude Juncker’s predece
  
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• Fears heighten that Parliament terrorist Khalid Masood was 'groomed for extremism in prison'

  25-03-2017 19:21
  
  Fears Westminster terrorist Khalid Masood was groomed for extremism in prison have heightened after it was claimed he turned to Islam whilst behind bars.The Saudi Arabian embassy in London said Masood worked in the country, home to some of the most virulent Islamic extremism, for several years, raising the possibility he was radicalised overseas.A childhood friend of the man then known as Adrian Elms told The Sun newspaper he first emerged as a Muslim after serving a jail sentence.
  
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• Major police operation after armed robbery at Cartier store in Monaco

  25-03-2017 19:16
  
  Police ordered shoppers to take refuge in nearby stores and cafés as they set up a huge security perimeter around the store in the Place du Casino on the heart of the Mediterranean principality.Three masked men burst into the upmarket jewellery store mid-afternoon on Saturday and then made off with an as yet undisclosed amount of goods.Police intercepted one of the men and recovered part of the loot as the thieves made their escape but two others managed to flee, Monaco officials said.
  
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• Khalid Masood told friend ‘I want some f***ing blood, I want to kill someone’ before converting to Islam in prison

  25-03-2017 19:13
  
  The Westminster attacker converted to Islam in prison, it has emerged, as police continue to piece together the journey of Khalid Masood from “all-round nice guy”, to violent criminal, to terrorist.The 52-year-old served several prison sentences for offences ranging from grievous bodily harm, to assault and possession of an offensive weapon dating back to his teenage years.Violent episodes peppered his life, with one friend recalling Masood admitting he had dreams “about killin
  
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• Search for missing schoolboy who disappeared on family shopping trip

  25-03-2017 19:07
  
  Fears are growing for a young schoolboy who disappeared after becoming separated from his family during a town centre shopping trip.Despite flooding a town centre with police and contracting scores of shop staff no sign has been found on 10-year-old Oliver Sayer.The primary school pupil has never gone missing before and detectives said they were very concerned about his disappearance because of very young age.
  
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• Trump promises to continue fight against Obamacare as he attempts to move on from humiliating setback

  25-03-2017 19:01
  
  The White House went into full damage control mode on Saturday as Donald Trump tried to draw a line under his humiliating setback on healthcare, casting blame on Democratic opponents and promising to let Obamacare “explode” under its own weight.Critics say his eleventh hour decision to withdraw a bill to repeal Obamacare shows his fragile position at the head of a divided party and casts doubt on his credentials as a negotiator.Mr Trump immediately signaled he pla
  
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• Former Ukip MP Douglas Carswell denies accusations of attempts to undermine party following resignation

  25-03-2017 18:54
  
  Douglas Carswell has denied allegations that he was working to undermine Ukip after announcing he was resigning as the party’s only MP.Mr Carswell announced his decision to quit the party on Saturday, declaring "job done" as Theresa May prepares to trigger Brexit.The Clacton MP has denied that he was involved in "subterfuge".
  
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• Queen’s guard soldier shouts ‘get yersel’ away’ at tourist dancing in front of St James's Palace

  25-03-2017 18:44
  
  The video posted to YouTube, which has been watched more than 46,000 times, shows the man looking startled as the guard, wearing a bearskin hat, suddenly turns and shouts at him to move away from the palace in Westminster.
  
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• Taliban poised to seize key cities in Afghanistan

  25-03-2017 18:41
  
  The Taliban may be poised to seize control of major cities in Afghanistan for the first time since the US-backed intervention ousted the Islamist group from power in 2001, serving and former Afghan officials have warned.The warnings come amid growing concern about the emergence of a “pro-Taliban axis,” including Russia, Iran, and China, who see the group as a bulwark against the Islamic State terror group and would like to see US and other Western powers ousted from the country.The r
  
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• Iraqi forces halt assault on Mosul after fears hundreds of civilians have been killed by US air strikes

  25-03-2017 18:35
  
  Iraqi government forces halted the fight for Mosul on Saturday and promised to review their tactics after reports that hundreds of civilians have been killed in coalition airstrikes."The recent high death toll among civilians inside the Old City forced us to halt operations to review our plans," said an Iraqi Federal Police spokesman.  "It's a time for weighing new offensive plans and tactics.
  
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• Nick Clegg tells EU march there is a 'perpetual sense of anger' over Brexit

  25-03-2017 18:31
  
  Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of central London on Saturday to protest against Britain’s departure from the European Union, just days before Theresa May begins the process by triggering article 50.Nick Clegg told the crowd in Parliament Square that “sadness” about the outcome of last June’s referendum had given way to “a perpetual sense of anger about the choices that Theresa May and her government have taken since”.
  
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• Douglas Carswell quits Ukip: Paul Nuttall claims departure of party's only MP makes 'no difference'

  25-03-2017 18:24
  
  Ukip leader Paul Nuttall has denied the party is in crisis after his only MP quit, insisting Douglas Carswell was being investigated over an alleged plot to undermine it.Mr Carswell’s dramatic decision to resign and sit in the Commons as an Independent – declaring “job done” after the Brexit vote – would make “no difference”, the embattled leader said.The Clacton MP announced he was walking out because Ukip had “achieved what we set out to achieve&
  
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• UK basks in weather hotter than Madrid or Istanbul

  25-03-2017 18:14
  
  Parts of the UK are basking in weather hotter than Madrid or Istanbul as spring finally makes itself felt.On the day before the clocks go forward, some areas were due to see temperatures hit a balmy 18C, as residents of the Spanish capital languished under cloudy skies and were looking out for rain on Sunday.To the east, in Istanbul, things were little better with temperatures a few degrees higher—13C today and 14C on Sunday—but accompanied by the same blanket of cloud, according to
  
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• Exclusive: Saving the Union from Scottish independence put at the heart of Brexit negotiations

  25-03-2017 18:00
  
  A Whitehall shake-up is underway to make sure that saving the Union from Scottish independence is at the heart of Brexit negotiations.
  
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• Giant yellow bollards installed outside Buckingham Palace in wake of terror attack

  25-03-2017 17:43
  
  Metropolitan police have installed towering yellow bollards near Buckingham Palace in the aftermath of the Westminster terror attack.The bright arches, as well as steel barriers on the Mall, appeared overnight on the paved area linking Green Park and Constitution Hill just a few hundred metres from the royal mansion.A Buckingham Palace spokesman refused to comment but Scotland Yard says the barriers have not been installed because of any intelligence.
  
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• Restaurant owner fed emergency workers for free during Westminster attack

  25-03-2017 17:34
  
  A Muslim-born restaurateur has told how he fed hundreds of emergency service workers for free in the aftermath of Wednesday's terror attack.When police ordered Ibrahim Dogus to evacuate and close his three restaurants in the wake of the incident, he decided to keep Troia, on Belvedere Road yards from Westminster Bridge, open so police officers had a place to eat and keep warm.“I went to one of the officers and said 'I can shut all the businesses, but I want you guys and all the emergency s
  
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• Tories call on Douglas Carswell to rejoin party after quitting Ukip to become independent MP

  25-03-2017 17:31
  
  Andrew Bridgen, Tory MP for North West Leicestershire, told The Telegraph: “Douglas Carswell should return to the Conservatives after a period as an independent, he needs to rebuild a relationship with his local Conservative association .“On the matter of whether he should return to the Conservatives, I don't think he should have ever left.
  
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• Westminster attack: car hire firms urged to tell police about suspicious customers

  25-03-2017 16:56
  
  The branch of car-hire firm Enterprise in Spring Hill, Birmingham used by Westminster attacker Khalid Masood.Car hire companies have been asked to forward details to police of customers suspected of using vehicles for criminal purposes, in the wake of last week’s terror attack.Khalid Masood rented the 4x4 used to mow down pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing three people.
  
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• I tried to take a laptop on a flight - here's what happened

  25-03-2017 16:54
  
  Thousands of travelers were forced to put iPads, laptops and tablets into their checked luggage on Saturday as Britain’s ban on electronics on flights from six predominantly Muslim countries came into effect. 
  
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• Westminster staff and MPs to be offered counselling after attack

  25-03-2017 16:47
  
  Floral tributes left near parliament in honour of the victims of the London attack.MPs and staff at the houses of parliament are to be offered counselling in the wake of the terrorist attack in Westminster.Khalid Masood, 52, killed four people and injured more than 50 when he drove into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge and attacked two police officers as he tried to enter parliament.
  
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• JustGiving takes over terror victim fundraising page amid fraud concerns

  25-03-2017 16:37
  
  A fundraising page for a Westminster terror attack victim has been taken over by JustGiving amid fears it was set up by a fraudster.Concerns were raised about the fund that was set up to raise money for the family of Aysha Frade.The 43-year-old was mowed down when killer Khalid Masood drove a 4x4 into crowds of unsuspecting pedestrians on Westminster Bridge.
  
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• Two teenage boys found dead at foot of North Yorkshire cliffs

  25-03-2017 16:32
  
  Bodies of two 17-year-old boys have been found at cliffs in North Yorkshire.
  
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• Lawyer who led Iraq veterans 'witch hunt' failed to convince tribunal he was too unwell and poor to turn up

  25-03-2017 16:15
  
  The disgraced lawyer who led the witch hunt against Iraq war veterans failed to convince a disciplinary tribunal that he was too unwell to attend, it has been revealed.Phil Shiner was struck off the solicitor roll after pursuing a decade-long "witch hunt" against innocent British soldiers in Iraq which prompted a failed £100m taxpayer-funded investigation."The tribunal was not satisfied that the respondent was too unwell to attend or unfit to participate," wrote panel chairwoman Nicola Luc
  
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• When is Mother's Day 2017? UK date, facts and traditions

  25-03-2017 16:01
  
  It's Mother's Day tomorrow
  
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• Northolt stabbing: Police probe double stabbing in busy north-west London

  25-03-2017 15:41
  
  Two people were stabbed in a subway underneath a busy road in north-west London, police say.Police and London Ambulance Service paramedics arrived to find a 16-year-old boy and a 20-year-old man suffering stab wounds.Both were rushed to a central London hospital.
  
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• Thousands demonstrate in London against leaving the EU

  25-03-2017 15:19
  
  Thousands of people marched through London on Saturday to protest against Britain leaving the European Union, just four days before Prime Minister Theresa May launches the start of the formal divorce process from the bloc it joined 44 years ago.The Unite for Europe march was due to end with a rally in Parliament Square, scene of this week's attack by British-born Islam convert Khalid Masood in which four people died.One banner from a marcher in Hastings on the south coast - scene of England's ep
  
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• Cranky Douglas Carswell can stop holding Ukip back now

  25-03-2017 15:19
  
  It’s not often a party celebrates losing representation in Westminster, but today I am doing just that.  Douglas Carswell has been a malevolent influence in Ukip and today he has removed himself, following calls from many people, myself included, that he needs to go.In his book The Brexit Club, author Owen Bennett claimed that Mr Carswell joined the party to “undermine” the man who brought us Brexit, Nigel Farage.With him gone, Ukip can now move forward as a united, radica
  
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• BBC weather reporter appears to 'wing it' in bizarre video

  25-03-2017 15:19
  
  A BBC weather reporter has caused much  mirth and confusion after appearing to 'wing it' on the job.
  
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• Unite for Europe: Tens of thousands take to streets to demand Brexit be reversed

  25-03-2017 15:11
  
  Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of London to demand plans for Brexit are reversed.It also coincides with the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome, which established the European Economic Community, the EU's precursor.Many EU nationals living in Britain joined the crowd, represented by the group The 3 Million, but many British citizens and families also marched in protest to the government’s plans for a hard Brexit.
  
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• Douglas Carswell 'was a Tory plant all along', Leave.EU campaign suggests

  25-03-2017 14:57
  
  The official Leave.EU campaign has asked whether Douglas Carswell — who has announced he will quit Ukip and sit as an independent MP — was "a Tory plant all along".Mr Carswell has clashed with Ukip's leadership in recent months and was its only MP.Party donor Arron Banks reacted to the news with a smiling face emoji.
  
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