Political news

• Scottish independence: May has sealed fate of UK, says Sturgeon

  16-03-2017 23:35 via theguardian.com
  
  First minister attacks ‘outrageous’ refusal to allow second referendum before Brexit talks conclude
  Nicola Sturgeon has accused Theresa May of sealing the fate of the United Kingdom after the prime minister rejected her demand for a second Scottish independence referendum before the Brexit talks conclude.The first minister said May’s stance was “completely outrageous and unacceptable”, hours after the prime minister had insisted that “now is not the time&rdquo
  
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• Q&A: Where Tory campaign spending went wrong

  16-03-2017 23:19 via ft.com
  ‘Numerous failures’ to report accurately might force some MPs into election re-runs
  
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• How the Tories’ campaign spending went wrong

  16-03-2017 23:19 via ft.com
  ‘Numerous failures’ to report accurately might force some MPs into election re-runs
  
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• White House Floats Unfounded Claim Obama Used GCHQ To Wiretap Trump

  16-03-2017 22:38
  
  The White House has raised the claim Barack Obama used Britain’s spy agency to wiretap Donald Trump, which UK intelligence agencies broke with conventions to dismiss as “nonsense, utterly ridiculous and should be ignored”.
  White House press secretary Sean Spicer repeated a claim first made by a Fox News pundit as he attempted to blitz media with a series of reports and comments hinting at surveillance to justify his boss’s unfounded tweets.
  In yet another extraordinary p
  
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• White House Floats Unfounded Claim Obama Used British Spies To Wiretap Trump

  16-03-2017 22:38
  
  The White House has raised the claim Barack Obama used Britain’s spy agency to wiretap Donald Trump, despite a blanket denial by UK officials and Obama.
  White House press secretary Sean Spicer repeated a claim first made by a Fox News pundit as he attempted to blitz media with a series of reports and comments hinting at surveillance to justify his boss’s unfounded tweets.
  In yet another extraordinary press conference, Spicer read out articles written by the New York Times, the Guard
  
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• Conservative Party fined £70,000 over election expenses

  16-03-2017 21:39 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Conservatives fined a record amount for breaching expenses rules, says Electoral Commission.
  
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• Tories condemn May over chancellor's national insurance humiliation

  16-03-2017 21:29 via theguardian.com
  
  Prime minister accused of shabby treatment of Philip Hammond, while one ex-minister says there is ‘a battle for the future of our party’Moderate Conservative backbenchers have rallied behind Philip Hammond and said Theresa May should have done more to defend his plan to increase national insurance contributions for the self-employed. Related: Theresa May declares 'absolute faith' in Hammond after U-turnContinue reading...
  
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• Heseltine to Theresa May: There was no need to sack me

  16-03-2017 21:18 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The former deputy prime minister who rebelled over Brexit writes back to Theresa May.
  
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• Lord Heseltine Writes Classy And Withering Rebuke To Theresa May After His Brexit Sacking

  16-03-2017 21:10
  
  Conservative former Cabinet minister Lord Heseltine has penned a polite but stinging rebuke to Theresa May after he was sacked as a Government adviser for rebelling over Brexit - reminding the PM she was once pro-EU too.
  The 83-year-old ex-deputy Prime Minister was last week among 13 Conservative peers who voted to give Parliament final approval on the deal the UK secures when quitting the bloc.
  The amendment was stripped out of the ‘Brexit Bill’ when it returned to MPs and has
  
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• May determined to call shots on Scottish referendum

  16-03-2017 20:13 via ft.com
  After a Budget U-turn on tax rises, the prime minister is in no mood to concede ground
  
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• Toyota and Nissan take different roads to Brexit

  16-03-2017 19:29 via ft.com
  Quiet diplomacy over Burnaston plant contrasts with Sunderland rival’s tactics
  
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• Donald Trump Glibly Acknowledges His Healthcare Plan Will Hit The Poor Worst

  16-03-2017 19:01
  
  This literally happened...
  Tucker Carlson: "The counties who voted for you will do far worse under your plan"
  Donald Trump: "Oh, I know..." pic.twitter.com/tsG96kybxe— William LeGate (@williamlegate) March 16, 2017
  Donald Trump has blithely said he knows his healthcare plan will hurt poorer Americans the worst.
  The president said “yeah” as he nodded along during a Fox News interview on Thursday as host Tucker Carlson noted problems with the plan he is mooting to introduce, rep
  
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• Everything you need to know about the English schools funding row

  16-03-2017 18:56 via theguardian.com
  
  Why are the DfE’s proposals to change the national funding formula for schools controversial?It is about a plan from the Department for Education (DfE) to revise the national funding formula for schools in England.Continue reading...
  
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• Theresa May's Brexit 'Plan For Britain' Was Launched With This Awkward Message

  16-03-2017 18:43
  
  The UK is set to start the process of leaving the EU by the end of the month, and the Government wants to be seen to be doing everything to reassure the country that Brexit will be just fine.
  But Theresa May’s launch of her ‘Plan For Britain’ got off to an ominous start.
  The new slogan was spotted on social media by eagle-eyed Twitter users, but a tweet on the Prime Minister’s official feed was swiftly deleted.A YouTube clip of the PM talking through her vision of a harm
  
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• Child Poverty Figures 'Show Death Of Compassionate Conservatism', Theresa May Told

  16-03-2017 18:35
  
  Child poverty figures that show 30% are classified as poor are an “obituary notice for compassionate conservatism”, Theresa May has been told.
  Official statistics published today by the government showed four million children are now living in poverty.
  In a blog for The Huffington Post UK, Labour MP Dan Jarvis and Professor Neena Modi, the President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health said “no inequality that burns brighter than the deep injustice th
  
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• Nicola Sturgeon tells May blocking Scottish independence referendum would be 'undemocratic' - as it happened

  16-03-2017 18:34 via theguardian.com
  
  Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happenAfternoon summary 5.34pm GMTAny child living in poverty is one too many, but it is truly shocking that four million children are now affected by poverty. The situation is clearly getting worse, with nearly a third of children, or around nine in the average classroom, now living in poverty.It’s a very, very, very complex issue, at least the number of the issues you’ve got to settle and agree on [is] if not millio
  
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• City fears repercussions of Philip Hammond mauling

  16-03-2017 17:43 via ft.com
  FT City Network says it is unfortunate that chancellor has been weakened over Budget
  
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• Brexit Briefing: No Deal? No Idea? No Problem!

  16-03-2017 17:37
  
   
  All you need to know from the world of Brexit this week.
  You can sign up for this briefing by clicking here, and you’ll receive it straight to your inbox every Thursday afternoon.1) The Government Won’t Even Guess What ‘No Deal’ Would Do To The Economy As They’ve Been Wrong About So Many Other ThingsDavid Davis has always done things his own way.
  During his long career, the former Tory leadership contender triggered a by-election in protest at Labou
  
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• Maybot stuck on repeat as Sturgeon lets rip over referendum | John Crace

  16-03-2017 17:31 via theguardian.com
  
  Scottish leader happy to agree with PM that ‘now is not the time’ for new independence vote – and suggests late next year would be perfect “Now is not the time for a second independence referendum,” said Theresa May, tilting her head to one side like a patronising Princess Diana and fluttering her eye-lids over the shoulders of ITV’s Robert Peston into what she imagined was the hearts of the Scottish people.At times like this Theresa felt it was her destiny to
  
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• Researchers win licence for ‘three-parent’ baby trial

  16-03-2017 17:05 via ft.com
  Technique will be used to prevent the transmission of severe genetic disease
  
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• Great Repeal Bill

  16-03-2017 16:36 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The government says EU law will no longer apply in the UK after Brexit - how will it achieve this?
  
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• Labour MP Asks Question In Commons Using British Sign Language

  16-03-2017 16:27
  
  Labour MP Dawn Butler used sign language to ask a question in the House of Commons today. 
  “I would like to sign my question,” She told the speaker.
  “Will the minister agree the 18 of March marks the 14th anniversary since the UK Government recognised British Sign Language.
  “Will the Minister agree [it is] time to bring and get British Sign Language (BSL) legal status like other recognised languages?”
  BSL was recognised as minority language by the government in
  
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• McDonald's Post Tweet Calling Donald Trump A 'Disgusting Excuse Of A President'

  16-03-2017 15:56
  
  McDonald’s may have become the latest company to end up in Donald Trump’s bad books after an abusive tweet was sent out from one of its official accounts.
  A tweet posted from the fast food company’s corporate account on Thursday laid into the new US president.
  The tweet, published just after 1pm (UK time), read: “@realDonaldTrump You are actually a disgusting excuse of a President and we would love to have @BarackOBama back, also you have tiny hands.”The tweet was a
  
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• Expenses row

  16-03-2017 15:40 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Conservatives have been fined £70,000 for breaking election expenses rules - what does it mean and what happens next?
  
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• LSE academic arrested during strike of university's cleaners

  16-03-2017 15:01
  
  Striking cleaners have received support from staff and students at the LSE
  
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• Conservatives face rocky road as CPS probe looms

  16-03-2017 14:53 via ft.com
  Collapsing membership resulted in the use of battle buses at the last general election, writes Sebastian Payne
  
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• Why May wants foreign students in migration figures

  16-03-2017 14:52 via ft.com
  PM is sticking to net target despite opposition from her own ministers
  
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• May just handed Nicola Sturgeon the greatest gift she could ever ask for

  16-03-2017 14:50
  
  May is giving Sturgeon everything she wants
  
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• Why Britain may not want a US trade deal

  16-03-2017 14:49 via ft.com
  UK’s large surplus with America makes it a prime target for Trump’s protectionists
  
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• Theresa May rejects calls for new Scottish referendum

  16-03-2017 14:26 via ft.com
  ‘Now is not the time’ for fresh independence vote, says prime minister
  
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• President Donald Trump's Budget And 7 Ways It Screws The People He Said He'd Help

  16-03-2017 14:19
  
  President Trump’s proposed budget contains one clear winner but numerous losers - many of them the very people he repeatedly said he was going to help.
  Military spending would get the biggest boost whilst environmental programs, medical research, Amtrak and an array of international and cultural programs - from Africa to Appalachia - would take big hits.
  During the election campaign Trump claimed as President he would “drain the swamp” of the political elite and fight for &ldqu
  
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• Second Scottish Independence Referendum In 2018-19 Ruled Out By Theresa May

  16-03-2017 13:52
  
  Theresa May has ruled out allowing Nicola Sturgeon to hold a second referendum on Scottish independence in 2018-19.
  The prime minister said today “now is not the time” for another vote, putting the UK government on a collision course with the administration in Edinburgh. 
  On Monday, Scotland’s first minister announced she planned to attempt to trigger a second referendum on the break-up of the UK before the Brexit process is complete.
  Sturgeon will ask the Scottish Parlia
  
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• Brexit will make UK manufacturing more profitable

  16-03-2017 12:51 via ft.com
  Lower tariffs will help raise the productivity of the British car industry
  
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• Sir Roger Gale Slammed For Calling Office Staff 'Girls' On Today Programme

  16-03-2017 12:18
  
  An MP has been slammed for repeatedly referring to the women he works with a “girls” in a live radio interview.
  Sir Roger Gale was speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme about changes to parliamentary rules which will see MPs banned from employing spouses or family members when he made the comments. 
  The Tory MP for North Thanet, whose wife Suzy has worked as his office director since he entered Parliament in 1983, was highly critical of the decision by the In
  
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• Article 50 Brexit Bill Receives Royal Assent Allowing Theresa May To Take UK Out Of EU

  16-03-2017 11:50
  
  Theresa May has today been granted the authority to trigger Article 50 and begin the formal Brexit process after the necessary legislation received Royal Assent.
  The Queen signed the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill into law on Thursday morning.
  The prime minister is now able to notify Brussels that the UK is leaving the EU and begin the two-year negotiation process.
  May has said she will invoke Article 50, the legal mechanism for withdrawal, by the end of the month in what will
  
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• House Of Lords Launches Fresh Challenge To Theresa May Over Brexit Plans

  16-03-2017 11:22
  
  The House of Lords is gearing up for a fresh Brexit challenge to Theresa May over EU citizens’ rights and a vote on a final divorce deal with Brussels, HuffPost UK can reveal.
  On Thursday morning, Labour tabled two new motions serving notice on the Government that ministers will not be let off the hook even after the PM triggers the Article 50 process of quitting the EU later this month.
  The EU Withdrawal Bill was set to become law with the Royal Assent of the Queen on Thursday, but the n
  
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• Tories fined £70,000 for misreporting election spending

  16-03-2017 10:25 via ft.com
  UK elections watchdog issues party with record penalty
  
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• Q&A: what is the Conservative election expenses row about?

  16-03-2017 10:08 via theguardian.com
  
  A dozen police forces have passed files to prosecutors, sparking speculation that elections may have to be rerunThe row centres on the Conservative party’s use of a battlebus to campaign in key seats during the 2015 general election. Each party is allowed to spend about £15,000 in each constituency on an allowance that is calculated on a population basis.Related: Conservatives fined record £70,000 for campaign spending failuresContinue reading...
  
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• The Waugh Zone March 16, 2017

  16-03-2017 10:00
  
  The five things you need to know on Thursday, March 16…1) ASH WEDNESDAY
  One week on from his Budget jokes, it was an ashen-faced Philip Hammond who was forced to deliver his U-turn on the ‘White Van Man tax’ yesterday. But as he crashed through the central reservation, it was obvious that it was Theresa May, the newspapers and Tory backbenchers who were yanking on his steering wheel.
  The Chancellor has written a piece for the Sun, which led the charge against him, admitting &
  
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• MPs Will Be Banned From Employing Spouses And Relatives Using Taxpayers' Money

  16-03-2017 09:56
  
  MPs are to be banned from employing spouses and other relatives using taxpayers’ money.
  Westminster sleaze watchdog the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority announced the ban as it published a revised version of the rulebook for MPs’ expenses claims.
  The Press Association reported that chair Ruth Evans said Ipsa will stop paying for new staff members related to MPs from the time of the next general election, scheduled for 2020. Existing employees with close family or busines
  
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• British expats in Spain count the Costa Brexit – video

  16-03-2017 09:48 via theguardian.com
  
  How do the largest community of British expats living in Spain feel about Brexit? When article 50 is triggered, the UK will begin negotiating its exit from the European Union – and expats’ rights to healthcare, pensions and their British citizenship all hang in the balance. Britons living in Orihuela Costa, Alicante – ‘effectively a British enclave’ – give their viewsContinue reading...
  
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• 'Tory Election Fraud' Investigation Sees Conservatives Fined £70,000 By Electoral Commission

  16-03-2017 08:25
  
  The Conservative Party has been fined £70,000 following an investigation into election campaign expenses, the Electoral Commission (EC) has announced.
  The Tories failed to properly declare a total of £285,813 in campaign spending and failed to keep records in three by-elections during 2014.
  The EC also said Theresa May’s party “hindered and caused delay to the investigation”.
  In a statement the EC said: The investigation concluded that there were significant f
  
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• UK visa curbs to hit ‘squeezed middle’ immigrants

  16-03-2017 06:02 via ft.com
  Companies face post-Brexit struggle to recruit EU workers in technical roles
  
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• Energy price cap will cut choice, warns Centrica

  16-03-2017 01:06 via ft.com
  Biggest supplier says expectation of cheaper bills is ‘false assumption’
  
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• Tyrie calls for probe into data market moves

  16-03-2017 01:02 via ft.com
  FCA asked to get to bottom of sharp shifts in bonds and sterling
  
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• Tory minister defends NI increase - then the U-turn

  16-03-2017 00:47 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Minister Rory Stewart had to think on his feet as the government reversed its National Insurance plan while he was on air.
  
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• Donald Trump's New Travel Ban Blocked By Judge In Hawaii - Hours Before Taking Effect

  16-03-2017 00:09
  
  A judge in Hawaii has put President Donald Trump’s revised federal travel ban on hold.
  U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson issued his ruling on Wednesday after hearing arguments on Hawaii’s request for a temporary restraining order involving the ban.
  His ruling prevents the executive order from going into effect on Thursday. The second attempt at a ban on travel was a watered down version of his first attempt, and targets all non-visa holders from six Muslim-majority countri
  
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