Political news

• Michael Heseltine: Germany will 'win the peace' because of Brexit

  24-03-2017 22:27 via theguardian.com
  
  Tory peer says it is ‘quite unacceptable’ for Germany to be in dominant position in Europe, having lost second world warGermany will “win the peace” in Europe as a result of Brexit, with the UK’s influence diminished, the former deputy prime minister Michael Heseltine has said.The Tory peer said it was “quite unacceptable” that Germany would be in a dominant position in Europe having lost the second world war. Continue reading...
  
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• Tobias Ellwood, MP Who Tried To Save PC Keith Palmer After Westminster Attack, Receives Privy Council Honour

  24-03-2017 21:41
  
  The MP who tried to save the life of a police officer in the Westminster terror attack, has been appointed to the Privy Council in recognition of this heroism.
  Tobias Ellwood, a former Territorial Army soldier who lost a brother to a terrorist attack in 2002, performed CPR on PC Keith Palmer after the officer was stabbed by the man who attacked parliament.
  Though PC Palmer died, the images of Ellwood’s efforts went viral and became a symbol of the heroic efforts to save lives after the att
  
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• Tobias Ellwood appointed to privy council for Westminster attack response

  24-03-2017 21:09 via theguardian.com
  
  Foreign Office minister, who tried to save life of PC Keith Palmer, honoured alongside the security minister, Ben WallaceThe Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood, who battled to save the life of a police officer in the Westminster terror attack, and the security minister, Ben Wallace, have been honoured for their roles in responding to the atrocity.Downing Street announced that the Queen was “pleased” to approve the appointment of Ellwood and Wallace to the privy council. Continue
  
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• The EU should rebrand itself as the protector of its nations | Natalie Nougayrède

  24-03-2017 21:08 via theguardian.com
  
  Populist nationalists see the union as the enemy of cultural and ethnic belonging. It’s time for those who support Europe to debunk their mythsIf one image can sum up the paradoxes that increasingly lie at the heart of the European project, as it celebrates its 60th this weekend, this may be a good one. Last month, hundreds of thousands of Romanians demonstrated against corruption. As night fell, they used the lights on their smartphones to form the national flag. Then, with equal enthusia
  
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• Martin Rowson on 'patriotic' reactions to the Westminster attack – cartoon

  24-03-2017 20:54 via theguardian.com
  
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• With all we know about terror, how can we risk Northern Ireland’s peace? | Jonathan Freedland

  24-03-2017 20:37 via theguardian.com
  
  Despite the horror of this week’s Westminster attack, politicians seem to be forgetting the lessons of the hard-won settlement and stability sinceOn the news channels on Thursday, they were switching back and forth between updates on the Westminster attacks and live coverage of the funeral of Martin McGuinness. Often those juxtapositions, those split-screen moments, are jarring. Not this time.For the murder and mayhem unleashed in Westminster and the life of McGuinness were two aspects of
  
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• London attack: Race to unlock a dead man’s mind

  24-03-2017 20:28 via ft.com
  Investigators want to know what led Masood to join the ranks of homegrown jihadis
  
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• Ingram Pinn: Upon Westminster bridge 2017

  24-03-2017 20:08 via ft.com
  The attack on William Wordsworth’s bridge
  
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• Harman urges law change to protect rape complainants

  24-03-2017 19:41 via theguardian.com
  
  After Ched Evans acquittal, Labour MP wants to stop claimants being quizzed in court about their sexual historyThe Labour MP Harriet Harman has introduced a proposed law change that would prevent rape complainants from being quizzed in court about their sexual history, saying the move was needed in the wake of the acquittal of the footballer Ched Evans.Evans won his appeal last year in a case that centred on evidence from two other men who testified about the complainant’s sexual preferenc
  
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• Security chief told MPs they were safe in parliament before attack

  24-03-2017 19:39 via theguardian.com
  
  Expert says terrorist exposed ‘lack of protection’, but MPs had been told they were in greater danger in constituencies•London attack: follow the latest developmentsMPs were told by one of parliament’s top officials that their security was fine as long as they were within the Palace of Westminster, just 24 hours before an attacker managed to breach its perimeter fence and stab a police officer to death.Eric Hepburn, parliament’s director of security, gave evidence to
  
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• The Guardian view on the treaty of Rome: respect the EU’s founding values | Editorial

  24-03-2017 19:34 via theguardian.com
  
  There is a streak of sabotage in Brexit that must not be allowed to contaminate the coming negotiationsIt is poignant and appropriate that Theresa May is missing Saturday’s meeting of European leaders marking the 60th anniversary of the treaty of Rome. The UK was not among the six founder nations of the Economic Community that evolved into today’s EU, although that is not a requirement of attendance. Twenty-seven nations will be represented in the Italian capital. Out of courtesy to
  
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• ‘Known wolf’ attackers force intelligence rethink

  24-03-2017 19:33 via ft.com
  Existing detection models are showing their weak spots
  
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• The Guardian view on the funeral of Martin McGuinness: enlarging the definition of ‘us’ | Editorial

  24-03-2017 19:32 via theguardian.com
  
  Applause for Arlene Foster at the republican leader’s requiem sent an important message to Northern Ireland and a wider lesson to BritainThe woman walks into the church and up the aisle, her head bowed, almost as if she does not wish her arrival to be noticed. Her uncertainty is understandable, for this is a highly charged day in a Catholic church in a Catholic part of the city. But the woman is a prominent Northern Irish protestant leader and this is still a divided community.As she
  
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• London attack: police seize three vehicles after armed raid in Birmingham – as it happened

  24-03-2017 19:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Leslie Rhodes, 75, of London, fourth victim confirmed deadFirst picture of attacker Khalid Masood/Adrian Ajao emergesFull report: nine in custody after ‘significant’ arrests 6.20pm GMTWe’re winding down the liveblog for today, although if there are any major developments overnight we will keep you updated here.6.02pm GMTKhalid Masood’s siblings have gone on to have very different careers. Alex Ajao, his half-brother, is an account director at the Berlin office of an inter
  
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• Calm UK’s roads to encourage walking and cycling | Letters

  24-03-2017 19:21 via theguardian.com
  
  Evidence has long been available showing that new roads generate too much extra traffic to solve congestion (New roads fail to ease traffic or lift economies, say researchers, 20 March). It is ignored because of intense pressure not only from the motor and construction industries but from a large section of the public. It was clear before the M25 corridor was hacked through the country and communities around London that the development would greatly increase traffic in the area, but it woul
  
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• Humpty-Dumpty hypocrisy in Holyrood | Letters

  24-03-2017 19:20 via theguardian.com
  
  Ruth Davidson accuses Nicola Sturgeon of ignoring the will of the Scottish parliament on five issues, as she is lacking a mandate as a result of being two seats short of an overall majority (Sturgeon called a hypocrite as referendum debate begins, 22 March). Donald Dewar deliberately crafted a complex electoral system with both constituency members and regional lists, which would make it difficult for one party to achieve an overall majority at Holyrood. Had Holyrood employed Westminster’s
  
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• Brexit: Civil service 'needs more staff'

  24-03-2017 18:55 via bbc.co.uk
  
  National Audit Office warns hundreds of posts are unfilled days before Brexit talks are triggered.
  
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• The enduring charm of rickety old Westminster

  24-03-2017 18:51 via ft.com
  There are solid reasons for moving parliament, but it almost certainly won’t happen
  
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• Woman photographed in hijab on Westminster Bridge responds to online abuse

  24-03-2017 18:50 via theguardian.com
  
  Muslim woman shocked at those who ‘draw conclusions based on hate and xenophobia’ after anti-Islam blogs circulated her imageA woman whose image became an Islamophobic meme after the Westminster terror attack has told of her horror and distress at the incident and the abuse she suffered afterwards.The picture shows the woman wearing a hijab and looking at her phone on Westminster Bridge as people gathered around an injured person nearby. It was circulated on Twitter and by anti-Islam
  
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• TrumpWatch: 5 Seriously Questionable Moves From The World Of Donald Trump This Week

  24-03-2017 18:48
  
  It’s been a busy week in the world of President Donald Trump.
  From his son distracting London’s mayor during a terror attack to a startling hypocrisy on healthcare, here are five seriously questionable moves...On the day of a horrific attack on Westminster, the President’s son, Donald Trump Jr, sent this tweet:You have to be kidding me?!: Terror attacks are part of living in big city, says London Mayor Sadiq Khan https://t.co/uSm2pwRTjO— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr)
  
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• Friends reunited? Boris Johnson and David Cameron spotted having dinner in New York

  24-03-2017 18:09 via theguardian.com
  
  Despite a very public falling-out over Brexit, the two Etonians are back on speaking terms As far as political uncouplings go, the breakup of David Cameron and Boris Johnson was a fairly spectacular public affair.But it seems they might have buried their Brexit hatchet and resumed the schoolboy friendship split asunder by European tensions – thanks to a shared dinner in New York City on Thursday night. Continue reading...
  
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• Ken Livingstone Warns He Will Sue Labour If He Is Expelled For Anti-Semitism

  24-03-2017 17:55
  
  Ken Livingstone has warned he will take Labour to court if it expels him over alleged anti-Semitism.
  The former Mayor of London told HuffPost UK that leading barrister Michael Mansfield QC and solicitor Imran Khan were preparing a judicial review, which could end up costing the party tens of thousands of pounds.
  Livingstone’s case is due to be heard next week by Labour’s National Constitutional Committee (NCC), a quasi-judicial body that rules on the most serious disciplinary cases.
  
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• Pro-EU march to go ahead in London despite Westminster attack

  24-03-2017 17:41 via theguardian.com
  
  Organisers say demo, ending in Parliament Square, will show resilience of democracy and urge people to lay flowers for victimsOrganisers of a pro-Europe demonstration in London have said it will go ahead as planned on Saturday despite concern that a major political protest might be inappropriate after this week’s nearby terrorist attack.
  Unite for Europe said it was important that the march, ending with a rally in Parliament Square, demonstrate the resilience of British democracy. It encou
  
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• Johnson urges Cameron to consider Nato head post

  24-03-2017 17:39 via ft.com
  Speculation mounts after ex-PM spotted with foreign minister in New York
  
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• Brexit 'clears way' for German domination claims Heseltine

  24-03-2017 17:36 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Germany "lost" World War Two but is now being helped to "win the peace", veteran Tory politician says.
  
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• Here are Nigel Farage’s British values: rubbishing London for money on Fox News | Marina Hyde

  24-03-2017 17:24 via theguardian.com
  
  He talks about ‘respect’, but the rightwing blowhard’s response to the Westminster attack has been tall tales he can only get away with on US TVDuring their jolly to Washington for Trump’s inauguration, Nigel Farage and Brexit financier Arron Banks staged the most solemn of pilgrimages to Arlington National Cemetery to lay a wreath at the grave of a British soldier who perished in 1944. The fact that he succumbed to anaemia whilst working a desk job approximately 4,000 mi
  
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• 'We don’t really hate each other any more': people of Derry on life after McGuinness

  24-03-2017 17:14 via theguardian.com
  
  Following Brexit vote the region feels overlooked by Westminster and talk of a united Ireland is on the agenda
  There were no paramilitary trappings, no berets on the coffin, no police officers managing the crowds. The only helicopter overhead was the private one ferrying Bill Clinton to and from Martin McGuinness’s funeral. Related: A life in pictures – Martin McGuinnessContinue reading...
  
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• Nothing is normal about the week in which I saw someone die

  24-03-2017 17:13 via theguardian.com
  
  Attack unfolds beneath me as I wonder why Martin McGuinness is mourned and Chuck Berry’s conviction is overlookedThe deaths of Martin McGuinness and Chuck Berry have left me with troubling questions of legacy. While there is no doubt of the deputy first minister of Northern Ireland’s importance in the peace process, when it came to the truth and reconciliation process, he seemed keener on reconciliation than truth . He consistently refused to admit to any part in any terrorist killin
  
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• Court of Appeal refuses woman’s request for divorce

  24-03-2017 16:14 via ft.com
  Family lawyers say high-profile case highlights need for ‘no fault’ divorces
  
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• Philip Davies MP: My 16,000 Twitter followers hate me

  24-03-2017 15:58 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Conservative MP for Shipley says going on Twitter was "probably one of the worst things I ever did".
  
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• Police probe connections to Westminster attacker

  24-03-2017 15:50 via ft.com
  Khalid Masood was born Adrian Russell and had a number of aliases
  
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• Police investigate connections to London attacker

  24-03-2017 15:50 via ft.com
  Khalid Masood was born Adrian Elms and had a number of aliases
  
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• Arron Banks And Steve Hilton 'Teaming Up To Oust 100 Remain-Backing MPs At Next Election'

  24-03-2017 15:48
  
  A millionaire Ukip donor and David Cameron’s ex-director of strategy have reportedly teamed up to help oust 100 Remain-supporting MPs at the next general election.
  Arron Banks and Steve Hilton held talks about fielding independent candidates against MPs who were deemed to have failed their constituents, The Telegraph reports.
  Banks, who founded the Brexit campaign Leave.EU, has allegedly dubbed it a “drain the swamp” strategy.
  Hilton launched a new fundraising website called&n
  
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• UK can't blame EU for problems that led to Brexit, says Juncker

  24-03-2017 15:25 via theguardian.com
  
  Commission president says UK built economy on foreign labour and EU has no responsibility for healthcare, welfare or education
  British politicians sowed the seeds for Brexit by blaming the European Union for problems over which the bloc has little control and while building an economy dependent on foreign labour, the president of the European commission has said. Related: Europe’s people will write the next chapter in the EU’s history | Jean-Claude JunckerContinue reading...
  
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• Labour scores record win in City of London election

  24-03-2017 15:16 via ft.com
  Party extends influence in preserve of independents that runs financial centre
  
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• London attack: 'Final' photo of murdered PC Keith Palmer emerges

  24-03-2017 15:01 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A new photo of PC Keith Palmer outside Parliament emerges, taken just 45 minutes before he died.
  
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• Week in Review: The attack on London

  24-03-2017 14:42
  
  In recent years London has become a dirty word - now's the time to remember all that's great about it
  
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• Ties of affection still bind Scots to the Union

  24-03-2017 14:41 via ft.com
  May’s stance gives SNP a new call to arms, but the case for independence is unclear
  
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• The ties that bind Scots to the Union

  24-03-2017 14:41 via ft.com
  May’s stance gives SNP a new call to arms, but the case for independence is unclear
  
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• A historic week ahead

  24-03-2017 14:36 via ft.com
  Two government documents could be key to learning more about Brexit strategy
  
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• Brexit Briefing: The UK Curries No Favours With Its Immigration Policy

  24-03-2017 14:24
  
  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.This week’s briefing was delayed in order to produce a special Commons People podcast on the Westminster terror attack.
  1) Theresa May Is Giving The EU Nine Days To Get Itself Together Before She Dumps ThemIn a rare case of someone actually doing something they said they’d do, Theresa May revealed
  
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• Keir Starmer interview: ‘Winning elections is all I’m here for, that’s why I came into it’

  24-03-2017 14:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Labour’s shadow Brexit secretary is a staunch remainer who has found himself having to argue for the triggering of article 50. The man often talked about as a future party leader explains how he intends to square that circleIt is often said that even the least prepossessing backbenchers arrive in Westminster thinking they could one day be prime minister. I have met a lot of MPs, and unless the human capacity for self-delusion is greater than I’d grasped, I find this hard to believe.
  
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• No deal

  24-03-2017 13:48 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Theresa May and EU leaders say they are hopeful of reaching a Brexit deal - what if they don't?
  
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• London attack: Parliament security under review

  24-03-2017 13:12 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Review under way amid debate over whether police officers guarding Parliament should be routinely armed.
  
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• Momentum Organiser Tells Labour MPs Not To Block Party Members From Picking Jeremy Corbyn's Successor

  24-03-2017 13:08
  
  Labour MPs must not prevent party members from choosing Jeremy Corbyn’s successor, a senior Momentum leader says.
  In an interview with The Huffington Post UK, Adam Klug, the grassroots leftwing campaign group’s national organiser, says while Corbyn is not about to step down as leader “soon”, it is “important to think about the succession”.
  He denies accusations this week from Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson that Momentum is engaged with the Unite
  
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• Which EU member makes the most cars?

  24-03-2017 12:58 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A look at Slovakia's booming car industry and the prospects for post-Brexit trade.
  
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• MPs may face new rules on second jobs

  24-03-2017 12:57 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Ethics watchdog to review MP code of conduct in wake of George Osborne's new job as newspaper editor.
  
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• Video Shows Moment Theresa May Rushed Into Car After Westminster Terror Attack, With Khalid Masood Just Yards Away

  24-03-2017 12:48
  
  Footage has emerged showing Theresa May just 100 yards away from the Westminster terror attacker as she is rushed from Parliament after Khalid Masood mowed down pedestrians on Wednesday.
  Just two minutes after Masood mounted the pavement on Westminster Bridge to target pedestrians, video show the Prime Minister being ushered into a car which then flees the scene. 
  Gunshots and loud noises can be heard in the video, obtained by The Sun, which was reportedly filmed at 2.42pm.
  A timeline
  
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• Those who believe in a united Europe must stand up and be counted | Guy Verhofstadt

  24-03-2017 12:28 via theguardian.com
  
  On the 60th anniversary of the treaty of Rome, and faced with an explosion of Eurosceptic nationalism, the EU stands at a crossroads. Radical reform is neededTomorrow, EU leaders past and present will gather in Rome to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the treaty of Rome, which established the European Economic Community, the forerunner to the European Union.In the decades since it was signed, European countries have worked successfully to fight against the return of the rampant nationalism that
  
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• 'The Brexit vote is starting to have major negative consequences' – experts debate the data

  24-03-2017 11:37 via theguardian.com
  
  Two former members of the Bank of England’s interest rate-setting committee discuss the outlook for this yearProfessor of economics at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, and member of the Bank’s MPC from June 2006 to May 2009 Continue reading...
  
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