Political news

• Jeremy Corbyn Responsible For Most Of All Labour's Popularity, Diane Abbott Says

  13-04-2017 21:40
  
  Labour could be “languishing in single digits in polls” without Jeremy Corbyn, Diane Abbott has said.
  The party is polling far behind the Tories as Labour in its worst showing since the 1980s and Corbyn is facing constant questions, including from erstwhile supporters, about whether he should stand down.
  But Abbott, one of Corbyn’s staunchest allies in the Shadow Cabinet amid the party’s division, said “any one of his vocal critics” would be polling much worse
  
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• Steve Bell on grammar schools – cartoon

  13-04-2017 21:22 via theguardian.com
  
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• Theresa May backs Boris Johnson’s ‘excellent’ response to Syria crisis

  13-04-2017 20:57 via theguardian.com
  
  Foreign secretary praised despite failure to persuade G7 nations to back new sanctions against RussiaTheresa May has defended Boris Johnson’s handling of the Syria crisis, saying he had done an “excellent job” despite criticism of his failure to win backing for further sanctions on Russia.The prime minister said Johnson had taken a very clear message to the G7 and managed to forge an international consensus on the need for Syria to have a future without President Bashar al-Assa
  
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• Takeover Panel takes court action against Rangers

  13-04-2017 20:39
  Watchdog attempting to force Glasgow football club chairman to make £11m bid
  
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• Regulator takes King to court to force Rangers bid

  13-04-2017 20:39
  Chairman could be forced to make £11m bid for Glasgow football club
  
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• Sir Edward Heath: Two released after abuse investigation

  13-04-2017 19:53 via bbc.co.uk
  
  They were the only suspects arrested after allegations were made against the former prime minister.
  
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• Grammar schools dominated by the wealthy, DfE's own data shows

  13-04-2017 19:53 via theguardian.com
  
  Analysts say data released to show benefits for ‘ordinary working families’ just confirms advantage of higher earners Grammar schools are dominated by children from well-off and middle class families, according to figures released by the government in its effort to show that “ordinary working families” would benefit most.Education experts said data published by the Department for Education (DfE) demonstrated that the children of the highest earners were more likely than n
  
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• Theresa May: Syria 'highly likely' behind attack

  13-04-2017 19:36 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The prime minister says UK scientists are "very clear" that sarin or a sarin-like substance was used.
  
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• UK Takeover Panel takes court action against Rangers

  13-04-2017 19:27
  Watchdog attempting to force Glasgow football club chairman to make £11m bid
  
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• Cathy Hopkins obituary

  13-04-2017 18:56 via theguardian.com
  
  My sister, Cathy Hopkins, who has died aged 70, devoted her entire adult life to the wellbeing of her adopted home, the island of St Helena, a British overseas territory in the south Atlantic. In 2007 she was appointed MBE for her service to the community.In her early 20s, she went to the island as a teacher in the Voluntary Service Overseas programme. She soon fell in love with St Helena and its people, in 1972 marrying a “saint”, Keith Hopkins, and settling there permanently in 197
  
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• Scottish islands hold out for government U-turn on windfarm subsidies

  13-04-2017 18:52 via theguardian.com
  
  Hopes that ministers will make special case for Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland after visit by business secretary Ministers are believed to be on the verge of a U-turn on their manifesto pledge to halt the spread of subsidised onshore windfarms – on remote Scottish islands, at least.The business secretary, Greg Clark, visited the Isle of Lewis in the Western Isles on Monday to discuss the possibility of government support for turbines off the mainland. Continue reading...
  
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• Faith still a potent presence in UK politics, says author

  13-04-2017 17:58 via theguardian.com
  
  Idea that secularisation would purge politics of religious commitment appears misguided, Nick Spencer’s book arguesFaith remains a potent presence at the highest level of UK politics despite a growing proportion of the country’s population defining themselves as non-religious, according to the author of a new book examining the faith of prominent politicians.
  Nick Spencer, research director of the Theos thinktank and the lead author of The Mighty and the Almighty: How Political Leade
  
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• Most of Labour's support is down to Corbyn, Diane Abbott says

  13-04-2017 17:39 via theguardian.com
  
  Party could fall to below 10% in polls if leader’s critics try to replace him, says shadow home secretaryLabour could fall to below 10% in the polls if any of Jeremy Corbyn’s vocal critics try to replace him because most of the party’s support is down to his leadership, according to Diane Abbott.The shadow home secretary estimated that Corbyn was responsible for 18-20 percentage points of the support enjoyed by Labour, which is at its lowest level since the 2015 election and jo
  
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• To justify expanding grammar schools, the government is inventing evidence | Angela Rayner

  13-04-2017 17:29 via theguardian.com
  
  In excluding the poorest children from the definition of ‘ordinary working families’, ministers are being as selective with the facts as they plan to be with schoolsAnyone listening to the pronouncements of government ministers lately will have heard three words: “ordinary working families”. These are the people Theresa May would have you believe her government is all about. I can see why she made it a slogan. It certainly sounds a lot better than “tax cuts for the
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn issues post-Brexit economy pledge

  13-04-2017 16:52 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Labour leader says public procurement can be used to boost local economies outside the EU.
  
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• Grammar schools must be open to 'ordinary families'

  13-04-2017 16:44 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Education secretary says schools need to support more than 'privileged few'.
  
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• Statue of suffragist to break male monopoly on Parliament Square

  13-04-2017 16:36 via theguardian.com
  
  Artist Gillian Wearing will be first woman to create a statue for the public space with her monument to Millicent FawcettGillian Wearing is to become the first woman to create a statue for Parliament Square after being commissioned to make one of the suffragist Millicent Fawcett.
  The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announced that Wearing had been chosen for what will be a “milestone project” to get a woman represented in the UK’s most important public space for recognising past na
  
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• Bullying of disabled people has got worse – because it’s government-sanctioned | Penny Pepper

  13-04-2017 14:16 via theguardian.com
  
  People feel they have permission to abuse us, because austerity has rendered us second-class citizens, excluded from society. This has to be addressedThe bullying of disabled people can often be subtle. Over time, I’ve become immune and also cynical. You filter out a lot of the abuse in order to get on with your life.But last week, I was at a pedestrian crossing in north London, and here’s the question: am I being oversensitive if I react to a cyclist speeding towards me shouting abu
  
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• Data watchdog looks at whether No 10 covered up Uber correspondence

  13-04-2017 14:14 via theguardian.com
  
  Information Commissioner’s Office investigates amid claims Cameron tried to protect taxi app from tougher regulationThe information watchdog is investigating whether Downing Street covered up correspondence relating to Uber, amid accusations that David Cameron tried to protect the taxi app from tougher regulation proposed by the London mayor’s office.The Information Commissioner’s Office said it was making inquiries about why Downing Street said it had no record of corresponden
  
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• Philip Hammond's Business Confidence Conference Marred By Keynote Speaker's Brexit Admission

  13-04-2017 13:48
  
  Philip Hammond was dealt a “humiliating” blow at a government-organised conference designed to “attract more investment into Britain”.
  The Chancellor shared a stage with Taavet Hinrikus, the co-founder of a $1 billion firm, who admitted on Wednesday that he would not “choose London” if he were deciding where to set up his business today.
  Hinrikus said while the UK was currently the “fintech capital of the world”, uncertainty over Brexit threatened
  
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• Charity behind London's garden bridge hits back at MP's criticism

  13-04-2017 13:47 via theguardian.com
  
  Margaret Hodge is accused of disregard for facts and selective use of evidence in her report saying project should be scrapped The charity behind London’s garden bridge has accused a senior Labour MP of “disregard for the facts” and selective use of evidence after she said the project should probably be scrapped to avoid wasting more public funds.A report by Margaret Hodge into whether the proposed foliage-filled link across the Thames was value for taxpayers’ money said
  
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• Week in Review: When Brexit started to make us poorer

  13-04-2017 13:42
  
  Rising inflation and wage stagnation - Brexit forecasts are beginning to pan out
  
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• When will public anger over the NHS reach a political tipping point? | Polly Toynbee

  13-04-2017 13:36 via theguardian.com
  
  Thatcher, Major and Blair all bent in the face of NHS crisis – yet through lack of opposition, May and Hammond remain iron-clad adamant: no more moneyThere is an ebb and flow in reporting on the NHS as Trump, Syria and Brexit dominate front pages. But the pressure-cooker state of the entire service still worsens. This morning’s latest figures are just a snapshot of deterioration – but every target is missed: for A&E, ambulance response times, for treating psychosis within a
  
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• Justine Greening Gets A Grilling From Charlie Stayt Over Grammar Schools

  13-04-2017 12:59
  
  A BBC presenter has been praised for giving Justine Greening a grilling over the government’s grammar school plans.
  BBC Breakfast host Charlie Stayt told the education secretary she was “stuck in a dogma” about grammars.
  Speaking on Thursday morning, he said: “The fact is, most people watching this programme who are from ordinary working families... we can assume that’s pretty much everyone who works and they’ve got kids.
  “Most of their kids don’t
  
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• Steve Bannon's Future In Donald Trump Administration In Doubt

  13-04-2017 12:56
  
  In an interview this week with the New York Post, Donald Trump declared:I am my own strategist."This would seem to bode poorly for his actual strategist, Steve Bannon.
  The President also said “I like Steve” and called his adviser “a good guy” - but one who wasn’t really that involved with his winning election campaign.
  He said his warring senior officials, including Bannon, must “straighten it out or I will”. In a second interview with The Wall Stre
  
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• UK denies residency to London-born children of Dutch-Spanish couple

  13-04-2017 12:32 via theguardian.com
  
  Children of couple who have lived in UK for decades told to prove they live permanently with parents A Dutch and Spanish couple who have lived in Britain all their adult lives have told of their “devastation” after the Home Office refused their post-referendum application to have their two London-born children recognised as permanent residents of the country. Jan-Dinant Schreuder and Monica Obiols, both 49, found themselves in a “bureaucratic nightmare” when they were tol
  
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• Local elections 2017: Vote registration deadline looms in England and Wales

  13-04-2017 12:02 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The deadline is midnight to register for the council and mayoral elections in England and Wales.
  
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• Nurses consider whether to strike over low pay

  13-04-2017 11:39 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The nursing union is asking members before deciding whether to issue a formal ballot.
  
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• Benefits sanctions do unfairly target single parents – whatever the Tories say | Sumi Rabindrakumar

  13-04-2017 11:17 via theguardian.com
  
  As if lone parents didn’t already have enough worries, for the first time jobseeker’s allowance cuts will apply to those with pre-school childrenSix months ago the release of I, Daniel Blake divided not just commentators but politicians too. The film showed a benefits system that sets up too many to fail, unfairly treated by labyrinthine and heavy-handed rules. A blunt portrayal, perhaps, it nevertheless resonated widely – particularly the experience of the character Katie Morg
  
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• Brexit Will Let Labour 'Upgrade' The British Economy, Says Jeremy Corbyn

  13-04-2017 10:55
  
  Brexit will allow a Labour government to “upgrade” the British economy, create local jobs and reduce inequality, Jeremy Corbyn will say today.
  The Labour leader will use a speech today to set out how he would use the £200bn government spends in the private sector to ensure companies protect workers’ rights.
  Under the plan, all companies bidding for government contracts would be required to give full trade union recognition to their workforce and move towards a ratio of 2
  
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• EU migrants make up 11% of manufacturing workforce - ONS

  13-04-2017 10:43 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Non-UK EU nationals also tend to work longer hours than the UK average, official statistics show.
  
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• Justine Greening denies grammar school policy ignores poorest pupils

  13-04-2017 10:38 via theguardian.com
  
  Minister accused of cooking books with definition of ‘ordinary working families’ that excludes children on free school mealsThe education secretary, Justine Greening, has denied that the government is ignoring the poorest families in Theresa May’s drive for a new wave of grammar schools, after setting out a focus on “ordinary working families” that excludes children on free school meals.Greening will argue that many children from her newly defined grouping of ordina
  
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• Blind loyalty to Trump is a special relationship Britain can’t afford | Emily Thornberry

  13-04-2017 09:59 via theguardian.com
  
  UK foreign policy should be based on human rights and international law. That means putting some distance between us and an unpredictable White House
  The world is a more uncertain place today than it has been for decades. We now face a period of renewed – and unexpected – confrontation between the United States and Russia, a civil war in Syria that seems only to be getting worse, and a renewed threat of nuclear sabre-rattling in North Korea. Related: Russia, US and military intervent
  
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• Politics Live - readers' edition: Thursday 13 April

  13-04-2017 09:58 via theguardian.com
  
  Discuss today’s politics and share links to breaking news, and to the most interesting stories and blogs on the web8.58am BSTI’m not writing my usual blog this week but here, as an alternative, is the Politics Live readers’ edition. It is a place for you to discuss today’s politics, and to share links to breaking news and to the most interesting stories and blogs on the web.Feel free to express your views robustly, but please treat others with respect and don’t reso
  
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• Grammars 'responding to parent demand'

  13-04-2017 09:57 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Justine Greening is planning to introduce reforms to make grammars more open
  
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• Assembly conduct complaints drop to five-year low

  13-04-2017 09:56 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The standards commissioner says the drop is not because Assembly members are behaving better.
  
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• Donald Trump Learns About North Korea From China's President Xi Jinping Which Is Worrying

  13-04-2017 09:50
  
  Since becoming President Donald Trump has taken a strong line on North Korea, the main thrust of which is that China has to do more as they have unrivalled influence over the dictatorial regime.
  Trump has distilled the problem of Kim Jong-un’s rogue nuclear-armed state into a situation whereby China is willingly slacking and forcing America to take action alone.North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been "playing" the United States for years. China has done little to help!&mdas
  
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• 'Diplomatic speak for blunder’

  13-04-2017 09:31 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Former UK ambassador to Russia Sir Tony Brenton says sanctions on Russia won't work
  
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• Labour: Government 'cooking the books'

  13-04-2017 09:22 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner accuses the government of 'cooking the books'
  
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• By abandoning ‘hardworking families’ to poverty, have the Tories finally gone too far? | Frances Ryan

  13-04-2017 09:00 via theguardian.com
  
  From child tax cut restrictions to universal credit, the government has crossed its own red lines. Soon millions more children will go hungryExactly four years since Britain’s first wave of cuts came into force – and as this month’s new measures begin to take hold – we’re entering what we may call the next stage of austerity. Where, at first, particular sections of the poor and marginalised – the disabled, people with mental health problems and the unemployed
  
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• Steve Bell’s If ... Labour's missile-men get Trumped

  13-04-2017 08:10 via theguardian.com
  
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• Brexitland: With pay so low for this long, no wonder there’s anger in Sheffield | Owen Jones

  13-04-2017 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  As he continues his journey around leave-voting areas, Owen Jones sees how poor wages are driving the migration backlash
  • Brexitland: People can’t find homes. No wonder they were angry
  • Brexitland: The truth from well-to-do Fareham: this was no working-class uprisingIs it any wonder that Britain bubbles away with frustration? Not since Napoleon ruled France has the country suffered such a protracted squeeze in wages. Of the 35 major industrialised OECD countries, only Greece ha
  
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• Parish councils: an unlikely urban safety net

  13-04-2017 07:00 via theguardian.com
  
  How do you find the money to protect youth centres, parks and other local services hit by cuts? Set up a parish council like ours – even in the heart of a cityJK Rowling’s novel The Casual Vacancy depicted the parish council as a centre of bourgeois viciousness. But even in big cities, setting up a parish council could be one way for local communities at risk of losing their playgrounds and libraries to save local services.Parish councils aren’t just for villages, and are nothi
  
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• The UK’s Brexit negotiating position is a fantasy

  13-04-2017 06:00
  Britain will have to budge and make concessions despite howls of protest
  
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• London Garden Bridge chief vows project will blossom

  13-04-2017 05:00
  Trust chairman dismisses ‘biased and negative’ report questioning viability of scheme
  
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• How would you describe the Turnbull government? Guardian readers respond | First Dog on the Moon

  13-04-2017 04:42 via theguardian.com
  
  The Australian vernacular is bulging with wit while remaining dry and refreshingly irreverent. There is a special disdain for those in powerSign up here to get an email whenever First Dog cartoons are published
  Get all your needs met at the First Dog shop if what you need is First Dog merchandise and printsContinue reading...
  
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• What is an ordinary working person? PM's grammar schools report has the answer | Larry Elliot

  13-04-2017 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Government consultation document on Theresa May’s education plan seems to exclude the very poorAll politicians like to think they are in touch with ordinary working people. Harold Wilson teased the blue-blooded Alec Douglas-Home about his inability to connect with ordinary working people ahead of the 1964 election. Margaret Thatcher cited her policy of allowing council tenants to buy their homes as evidence that the Conservatives, not Labour, represented ordinary working people.Theresa May
  
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• London's plastic water bottle waste is out of control, mayor is told

  13-04-2017 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Committee calls for deposit return scheme and free refill stations after finding capital hooked on bottled water but not recyclingThe amount of waste from single-use plastic bottles in London has risen out of control, according to a report from the London assembly environment committee.It calls on the mayor to consider introducing a deposit return scheme and to provide free tap water as an alternative. Continue reading...
  
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• Hundreds of children's playgrounds in England close due to cuts

  13-04-2017 01:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Councils shut 214 playgrounds in financial years 2014-16 blaming ‘unprecedented budget constraints’, FOI requests showHundreds of children’s playgrounds have been closed or are being closed by cost-cutting local authorities across England, with councils blaming “unprecedented budget constraints” for the decision to get rid of parks and sports facilities.A series of freedom of information requests to local authorities found that 112 playgrounds were closed in the 201
  
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• Stormont talks: Direct rule or election 'if no deal'

  13-04-2017 00:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  NI secretary warns of a return to direct rule or another election if there's no agreement by early May.
  
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