General news

• Brexit: What happened on Monday?

  02-09-2019 23:49 via bbc.co.uk
  Jonathan Blake gives his daily roundup of the key Brexit events in British politics.
  
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• Yellow vest protester Goddard arrested after blocking Jeremy Corbyn car

  02-09-2019 23:20
  Footage shared to his YouTube channel shows him shouting at the vehicle.
  
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• EU should be open for 'creative' solutions on Irish border - Brexit minister

  02-09-2019 23:04
  Brexit Minister Stephen Barclay said in an interview with several European newspapers published on Monday that the European Union should be open to "creative and flexible" solutions to the Irish border question.The EU's top negotiator is pessimistic about avoiding a no-deal scenario as the bloc is not budging on Britain's demand to remove the so-called "backstop", ensuring an open border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, from the withdrawal pact.Barclay insisted in the interview, according t
  
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• Corbyn: Labour ‘ready to take the fight to the Tories’ in general election

  02-09-2019 22:43
  Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage predicted Boris Johnson will lose a Commons vote on stopping a no-deal exit.
  
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• Boris Johnson’s ultimatum: back me or face a snap Brexit election

  02-09-2019 22:41
  Boris Johnson has issued a final Brexit ultimatum to rebel MPs by pledging to call a snap general election next month if the House of Commons pushes ahead with a bill tabled by a cross-party group of backbenchers seeking to block no deal.In a carefully choreographed sequence, Johnson held an emergency cabinet meeting, addressed Conservative MPs at a Downing Street reception and then made a live television address outside No 10 to say there were “no circumstances” under which departur
  
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• Boris Johnson’s ultimatum: back me or face 14 October election

  02-09-2019 22:41
  Boris Johnson has issued a final Brexit ultimatum to rebel MPs by pledging to call a snap general election next month if the House of Commons pushes ahead with a bill tabled by a cross-party group of backbenchers seeking to block no deal.In a carefully choreographed sequence, Johnson held an emergency cabinet meeting, addressed Conservative MPs at a Downing Street reception and then made a live television address outside No 10 to say there were “no circumstances” under which departur
  
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• Rebel Tories defiant in face of deselection and election threats

  02-09-2019 22:01
  Philip Hammond wrote to Boris Johnson to express regret the rebel group of MPs had a meeting with the PM cancelled.Photograph: Kirsty O’Connor/PARebel Conservatives were defiant on Monday night about Boris Johnson’s threats of deselection and an early general election, with at least 17 Conservative MPs saying privately or publicly that they have not been deterred from voting to stop a no-deal Brexit.The work and pensions secretary, Amber Rudd, voiced unease at the persuasion tactics
  
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• Irish central bank's Brexit authorisations top 100

  02-09-2019 21:55
  Well over 100 financial-services firms that applied to set up or extend operations in Ireland because of Britain's plans to quit the European Union have been authorised to do so by the Irish central bank, deputy governor Ed Sibley said on Thursday.Banks, insurers and asset managers have spent the last three years moving operations to Dublin and other financial centres like Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Luxembourg to ensure they keep servicing clients in the EU's single market after Brexit.Irel
  
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• Brexit's most important week? Five things that happened on Monday

  02-09-2019 21:55 via bbc.co.uk
  At the start of a potentially decisive week for Brexit, here are five key things that happened on Monday.
  
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• Boris Johnson's Speech Was Almost Drowned Out By People Shouting 'Stop The Coup'

  02-09-2019 21:49
  Boris Johnson's speech outside No
  
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• A guide to the looming Commons showdown over Brexit

  02-09-2019 21:32
  MPs will attempt to take control of Commons business and force Boris Johnson to delay Brexit rather than push through a no-deal outcome.
  
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• Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters performs at rally in aid of Julian Assange

  02-09-2019 21:30
  The singer and bass guitarist called for the jailed WikiLeaks founder's release.
  
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• Boris takes a leaf out of Cummings' Game Theory for Dommies

  02-09-2019 21:19
  ‘What do we do now?’ Boris Johnson in Downing Street. Photograph: Leon Neal/Getty Images“Let’s stick together,” said Boris Johnson, oblivious to the irony of threatening to sling 20 MPs out of his own party for doing what he had repeatedly done only months before. As impromptu statements outside Downing Street go, this was right up there with any of the more pointless ones given by Theresa May.A speech that was muddled and half-arsed, whose only obvious purpose was
  
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• Johnson wants snap general election if bid to block no-deal Brexit succeeds

  02-09-2019 20:40
  Prime Minister Boris Johnson will seek an October 14 general election if a cross-party bid to seize control of Commons business succeeds.
  
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• Johnson insists he does not want election as he urges MPs not to delay Brexit

  02-09-2019 20:30
  Boris Johnson used a statement in Downing Street to call on MPs to resist an attempt to block a no-deal Brexit.
  
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• Johnson to seek Oct. 14 election if rebels block his Brexit plan - source

  02-09-2019 20:24
  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will move to call an Oct. 14 election if lawmakers block the option of leaving the European Union without a deal, a senior government source said on Monday.Lawmakers are expected to vote on Tuesday on a plan that would give members of parliament who are opposed to Johnson's Brexit strategy control of the parliamentary agenda.If that group is successful in defeating the government, the source said Johnson would then take the first step to calling an election -
  
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• TUV leader writes to National Crime Agency over £1.5m donation to Sinn Fein

  02-09-2019 20:15
  It emerged last week that Sinn Fein was left a substantial donation in the will of a party supporter.
  
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• DNA mutations cause people to age quicker, scientists find

  02-09-2019 19:52
  Mutations to a person's DNA can cause them to age quicker biologically and make them more susceptible to heart conditions, according to scientists.
  
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• Pound sinks to new lows against the dollar on election speculation

  02-09-2019 19:44
  Investors in the currency are now contending with uncertainty around Brexit and a possible general election.
  
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• Boris Johnson threatens to ignore MPs on no-deal Brexit

  02-09-2019 19:42
  Boris Johnson has issued a final Brexit ultimatum to rebel MPs, pledging to call a snap general election next month if the Commons pushes ahead with a bill tabled by a cross-party group of backbenchers seeking to block no deal.In a carefully choreographed sequence, Johnson held an emergency cabinet meeting, addressed Conservative MPs at a Downing Street reception, and then made a live TV address outside No 10 to say there were “no circumstances” under which departure would not happen
  
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• Lord Advocate to argue that suspending Parliament is an ‘abuse of power’

  02-09-2019 19:33
  Scotland's Lord Advocate has applied to argue against Boris Johnson's attempts to prorogue Parliament ahead of the Brexit deadline.
  
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• Police chiefs order urgent review into officer safety

  02-09-2019 19:30
  The National Police Chiefs’ Council said nothing was more important 'than protecting our people so they can effectively protect the public'.
  
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• I don't want an election, says PM Johnson as he urges against Brexit delay

  02-09-2019 19:28
  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Monday he did not want an election as he called on lawmakers not to vote for a further delay to Brexit.Lawmakers plan to try to seize parliamentary time on Wednesday to pass legislation which would force Johnson to ask for an extension to Britain's exit from the European Union, currently due to take place on Oct. 31.
  
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• Boris Johnson To Seek October 14 Snap Election If MPs Vote To Block No-Deal Brexit

  02-09-2019 19:28
  Boris Johnson will attempt to force a snap general election on October 14 ifMPs vote to block a no-deal Brexit on Tuesday, a senior government source hassaid
  
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• Trump firm pledges to fund new school as part of luxury housing deal

  02-09-2019 19:24
  Donald Trump at his Aberdeenshire resort, where he plans to build 550 luxury homes and villas. Photograph: Andy Buchanan/AFP/Getty ImagesThe Trump Organization has promised to fund a new school and a health centre in order to win permission for a luxury housing estate near Donald Trump’s Aberdeenshire golf resort.The local council’s head of infrastructure, Stephen Archer, recommended councillors approve plans from Trump Golf Scotland to build 550 luxury homes and holiday villas in th
  
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• EU could declare no-deal Brexit a major natural disaster

  02-09-2019 19:20
  The EU solidarity fund offers about €500m a year to member states affected by natural disasters. Photograph: Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP/Getty ImagesThe EU is considering whether to categorise a no-deal Brexit as a major natural disaster akin to flooding, fires or earthquakes, a move that would release emergency funds to the member states most affected.The plan would allow EU officials to distribute cash from the bloc’s solidarity fund, set up in 2002 in response to that year’s sever
  
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• Details of ‘last chance’ Bill to block no-deal Brexit revealed

  02-09-2019 19:08
  The Bill requires the Government to either reach a deal with the EU, or gain Parliament's approval for a no-deal exit by October 19.
  
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• UK's Javid says finance sector is top priority as Brexit nears - source

  02-09-2019 19:03
  British finance minister Sajid Javid told representatives of the country's financial services industry on Monday that the sector was a top priority for him as the country prepares to leave the European Union, a person familiar with the discussions said.Sajid said he was committed to close dialogue with the largest firms in the sector at the meeting, his first major encounter with the industry since he took over as finance minister in July, the person said.Brexit topped the agenda as the likeliho
  
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• The new GCSEs are harder but the grades remain the same

  02-09-2019 19:01
  ‘There is a widespread naive acceptance of a myth created by government spin that Michael Gove’s reformed GCSEs have created a “rigorous” educational “gold standard”,’ writes Peter Thomas. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PAImportant details seem to be missing from the coverage of the changes to the GCSE model and the inclusion of IGCSE into the argument (Letters, 27 August). GCSE grades are, and have always been, decided by norm referencing: papers are marked,
  
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• Mike Pence pledges US will play a ‘constructive’ role in Brexit

  02-09-2019 19:01
  The US Vice President was speaking shortly after touching down in Ireland for his first official visit to the country.
  
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• Humans have shaped dogs’ brains through selective breeding, scientists say

  02-09-2019 19:00
  Over several hundred years, people have bred different lineages of domestic dogs for tasks such as hunting, herding, guarding or companionship.
  
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• Gove and Rees-Mogg criticised for inflating settled status figures

  02-09-2019 18:53
  Michael Gove dismissed the concerns of lawyers and charities supporting EU nationals and accused them of making political capital out of the situation. Photograph: Jeff Overs/AFP/Getty ImagesMichael Gove and Jacob Rees-Mogg have been criticised for inflating the numbers of EU citizens who have been given settled status under a Home Office scheme, neglecting to distinguish between those given permanent rights and those granted a more precarious, temporary status.Both cabinet members have appeared
  
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• Brexit: ‘Rebel Alliance’ Of MPs Reveal Plan To Stop No-Deal

  02-09-2019 18:47
  The plan is to first use Tuesday to pass a motion which will give the alliancecontrol of Commons business from 3pm on Wednesday
  
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• Outstanding schools should be treated fairly

  02-09-2019 18:44
  ‘If Gavin Williamson [the education secretary] is serious about delivering great education for all, he will work to ensure that Ofsted is a supportive process for schools,’ writes Rachel Hornsey. Photograph: Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty ImagesIn your report (Outstanding schools to lose exemption from Ofsted inspections, 1 September), Gavin Williamson claims he will leave no stone unturned in his drive to deliver great education for all children. Most school leaders and teachers will welcom
  
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• It’s not easy to apply for settled status

  02-09-2019 18:39
  A poster advertising the government’s post-Brexit EU settlement scheme for non-UK EU citizens who wish to remain resident in Britain. Photograph: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty ImagesIt irritates me when it seems to be implied that the 2.6 million EU citizens who have not yet applied for settled status in the UK are simply not “getting on with the job” in what is claimed will prove an easy process (Alarm as EU citizens denied settled status, 31 August) .My 84-year-old wife (of 43 year
  
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• Advisers advise, but do ministers decide?

  02-09-2019 18:39
  The prime minister’s special adviser Dominic Cummings. ‘Clearly in Boris Johnson’s Downing Street, advisers now decide without reference to ministers,’ writes Steve Griffiths. Photograph: Tolga Akmen/AFP/Getty ImagesThe sacking of the chancellor’s special adviser, Sonia Khan, by the prime minister’s special adviser, Dominic Cummings, has turned Margaret Thatcher’s famous maxim, that “advisers advise and ministers decide”, on its head (Report,
  
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• Election speculation sweeps Westminster ahead of Brexit showdown

  02-09-2019 18:24
  Prime Minister Boris Johnson will face a rebel alliance of MPs on Tuesday intent on blocking a no-deal Brexit.
  
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• Former British spy says police report confirms he was shot by IRA

  02-09-2019 18:08
  Police at the scene in Whitley Bay, Tyneside, where Martin McGartland was shot in 1999. Photograph: Owen Humphreys/PAA former British agent who infiltrated the IRA says an internal police report has finally confirmed that he was targeted and shot by the group in a murder plot that he alleges was covered up by the government.The Guardian has seen a copy of a review by three forces into Northumbria police’s investigation of the 1999 attempted murder of Martin McGartland.McGartland was recrui
  
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• Sir Philip Green loses Arcadia executive as David Shepherd departs

  02-09-2019 18:00
  The former Topman boss is taking early retirement.
  
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• Ashley funding Debenhams CVA challenge to ‘eliminate a competitor’, court told

  02-09-2019 17:57
  The CVA would see some landlords' rents reduced by between 35% and 50%.
  
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• Harris Tweed mill in Lewis given to its manager as a gift

  02-09-2019 17:51 via bbc.co.uk
  Its former owner, a Yorkshire businessman, says he wants to stop it being bought by 'financial vultures'.
  
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• Geese migration habits changed due to climate change, say scientists

  02-09-2019 17:39
  A 45-year study by the University of St Andrews has found the birds are now stopping farther north in response to global warming.
  
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• Ex-minister’s son guilty of tragic Alfie Lamb killing

  02-09-2019 17:37
  It is the first time anyone in the UK has died from crush asphyxiation as a result of an electronic car seat, police said.
  
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• Man admits intentionally driving digger into Travelodge

  02-09-2019 17:32
  John Manley drove into the front of the hotel on the day it was due to be completed after his employers allegedly failed to pay him.
  
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• Betting firm bosses pull out of grilling by MPs

  02-09-2019 17:31
  The chief executive of Flutter Entertainment, previously known as Paddy Power Betfair, was one of the betting firm bosses due to meet MPs on Wednesday. Photograph: John Stillwell/PAThe bosses of three of the UK’s largest gambling companies have infuriated MPs by pulling out of a meeting at which they were due to face questions about their efforts to reduce the dangers of online betting, the Guardian has learned.The chief executives of William Hill, Flutter Entertainment – previously
  
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• Julian Smith called back from Irish border for Cabinet meeting

  02-09-2019 17:28
  A planned protest outside one of the venues the Northern Ireland Secretary was due to visit was called off.
  
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• Cabinet minister raises idea of not accepting legislation on no deal

  02-09-2019 17:25
  Education Secretary Gavin Williamson raises the prospect of the government ignoring legislation passed by MPs to block a no-deal Brexit
  
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• How unique is the tragic case of Alfie Lamb?

  02-09-2019 17:22
  Alfie died three days after suffering irreversible injuries consistent with crush asphyxiation.
  
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• Hospital staff treated in A&E after ‘unconfirmed substance’ spilled in lab

  02-09-2019 17:07
  More than 20 firefighters attended Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.
  
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• How often do ministers change jobs?

  02-09-2019 17:06 via bbc.co.uk
  Reality Check crunches the numbers on the ministerial merry-go-round.
  
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