Political news

• Jeremy Corbyn's First Speech Of General Election 2017: In-Depth Analysis

  20-04-2017 23:45
  
  In the assembly hall where Jeremy Corbyn made his first campaign speech of the 2017 general election, the writing was literally on the wall.
  “The Spirit of The Lord Shall Rest Upon Him,” declared the sign, high above the Labour leader’s head. And there was more than a touch of Another JC as the event got under way, with a packed gathering of disciples waiting for the humble, unassuming revolutionary to take the stage.
  The venue was Church House, the headquarters of the Church
  
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• Labour focuses on pupils 'crammed into classrooms like sardines'

  20-04-2017 23:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Jeremy Corbyn to speak in Cardiff North about Conservative government’s failures that ‘have left our schools in a terrible state’Jeremy Corbyn will switch the focus of Labour’s campaign to education on Friday with a speech in Wales, warning that too many schoolchildren are “crammed into classrooms like sardines”.The Labour leader will visit the Conservative constituency of Cardiff North where he will claim that “seven years of Tory failure and broken pro
  
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• Election 2017: Which MPs are going and who might return?

  20-04-2017 22:46 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Who is joining George Osborne in stepping down as an MP and who plans to return?
  
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• Voters' guide

  20-04-2017 22:25 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The UK will have a general election on 8 June. Here's what you need to know.
  
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• Steve Bell on Jeremy Corbyn and Labour's election campaign – cartoon

  20-04-2017 22:13 via theguardian.com
  
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• Parties race to choose candidates

  20-04-2017 22:07 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Labour and the Tories are selecting many candidates centrally and other parties have streamlined their procedures.
  
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• Labour MP for Barnsley East Michael Dugher to stand down

  20-04-2017 22:03 via bbc.co.uk
  
  MP wants to make a difference in life outside of politics and spend time with his family.
  
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• Earning £70k? Whoever wins the election they’ll probably pay more tax | Gaby Hinsliff

  20-04-2017 21:52 via theguardian.com
  
  Britain’s public services are crumbling, and though the highest paid 5% may not feel rich they will be targetedIt’s a strange quirk of the rich that they never really think they’re rich. Comfortable, perhaps. Fortunate, maybe. But even when they’re rolling in it, people usually avoid the R-word. Famously, a survey of dollar millionaires found almost half denied they were wealthy, arguing that only applied to people with $7.5m (£6m) or more. Billionaires presumably f
  
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• General election 2017: David Dimbleby to host programme

  20-04-2017 21:12 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Question Time presenter previously said 2015 would be his last election programme for the BBC.
  
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• Argentina: Brexit could end Europe's support for UK control of Falklands

  20-04-2017 21:10 via theguardian.com
  
  Argentinian foreign minister, Susana Malcorra, says government is closely following case of disputed islands but ‘it is still quite early’Argentina believes Brexit might cost Britain the support of European allies for its control of the Falkland Islands and is watching developments closely, the Argentinian foreign minister said in Brussels. Visiting the EU capital for trade talks on Thursday, Susana Malcorra stressed it was too soon to say whether Britain quitting the bloc might soft
  
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• General election 2017: Jeremy Corbyn vows to 'overturn the rigged system'

  20-04-2017 20:43 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Labour leader says the general election is about "the establishment versus the people".
  
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• Corbyn the campaigner

  20-04-2017 20:36 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The BBC's Iain Watson analyses Jeremy Corbyn's first major general election speech.
  
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• Corbyn enters campaign mode

  20-04-2017 20:36 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The BBC's Iain Watson analyses Jeremy Corbyn's first major general election speech.
  
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• Campaigner Corbyn

  20-04-2017 20:36 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The BBC's Iain Watson analyses Jeremy Corbyn's first major general election speech.
  
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• Caroline Lucas: need for Green party never been greater – video

  20-04-2017 20:34 via theguardian.com
  
  Green party co-leader Caroline Lucas says that the need for the Greens ‘has never been greater’. Speaking in Bristol at the launch of the party’s campaign ahead of the General Election on 8 June, Lucas said that issues facing young people, such as getting onto the housing ladder, were going to be party prioritiesGreens kick off election campaign by reaching out to young people
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• Nigel Farage says he will not stand in June general election

  20-04-2017 20:29 via theguardian.com
  
  Former Ukip leader quashes speculation he would stand for election as MP, saying he would rather remain in Strasbourg• General election 2017 - live updatesThe former Ukip leader Nigel Farage will not be a candidate in the general election, although he admitted he had been tempted to stand for Douglas Carswell’s Clacton seat.Farage, who had a high-profile split with Carswell that saw the MP quit Ukip a few weeks ago, said the constituency would have been an “easy win” but h
  
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• Surrey Labour could defy national party over progressive alliance

  20-04-2017 20:21 via theguardian.com
  
  Local party to vote on a motion to stand down a Labour candidate and swing behind a single progressive candidateSurrey Labour party could vote to back a Liberal Democrat candidate next week to try to unseat the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, defying the national party which has said it will not entertain any “progressive alliance”.The Conservative minister has a majority of more than 28,000 in his South West Surrey constituency but local Labour leaders have been canvassing support fo
  
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• Brussels’ opening Brexit bid - annotated

  20-04-2017 20:19 via ft.com
  How to read between the lines of the European Commission’s negotiating paper
  
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• The most important election for Britain is the one in France | Martin Kettle

  20-04-2017 20:17 via theguardian.com
  
  A victory for Emmanuel Macron would be the best outcome for the French, and the least worst option for us too with Brexit negotiations loomingBritain’s political class has a long and damaging record of not taking politics in continental Europe seriously. A collective insularity tempered only by a worship of all things American ensures that a minor event like this week’s congressional byelection in the suburbs of Atlanta is more likely to register inside the British bubble than, say,
  
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• General Election 2017: May sticks with net migration pledge

  20-04-2017 20:15 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Conservative target to reduce migration below 100,000 has never been met.
  
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• Farage rules out 8th attempt to stand for parliament

  20-04-2017 20:14 via ft.com
  Decision made after Ukip’s solitary MP Douglas Carswell stands down
  
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• Farage rules out 8th attempt to become MP

  20-04-2017 20:14 via ft.com
  Decision made after Ukip’s solitary MP Douglas Carswell stands down
  
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• Nigel Farage Announces He WON'T Stand To Be MP Despite Prospect Of 'Easy' Win

  20-04-2017 20:05
  
  Nigel Farage has announced he won’t stand to be an MP in the snap election, but faced ridicule on social media for suggesting one seat would have been an “easy win”.
  The ex-Ukip leader dismissed mounting speculation he would seek election to the Commons for an eighth time, after MP Douglas Carswell announced he would not seek re-election in the heavily Eurosceptic constituency Clacton, which he won for the party.
  Writing in The Telegraph, Farage said he would not stand though C
  
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• Ukip has won its anti-EU push. Can it escape the 'yesterday's party' label? | Alan Travis

  20-04-2017 20:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Ukip is in second place in 120 seats, but can the party survive without Nigel Farage standing for election?At the 2015 general election, Ukip polled nearly 4 million votes, securing 12.9% of the votes cast which pushed the Liberal Democrats into fourth place and sent a shockwave through Britain’s political system.But two years on and Ukip appears to have lost its mojo. Its only MP, Douglas Carswell, has quit and urged supporters to back the Conservatives in his Clacton constituency. Contin
  
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• Dawn Butler MP interviewed on Radio 4's PM

  20-04-2017 19:49 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Dawn Butler was asked about her party's policies by Eddie Mair on Radio 4's PM.
  
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• General Election 2017: Nigel Farage won't stand as an MP

  20-04-2017 19:42 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Ex-UKIP leader says he will "fight for Brexit" instead of seeking election to Westminster.
  
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• Labour's Dawn Butler Says Election Is A Tory Plot To 'Rig Democracy'

  20-04-2017 19:41
  
  A Labour MP close to Jeremy Corbyn has claimed the election is an attempt by Theresa May to “rig democracy”.
  Dawn Butler, who introduced the Labour leader when he made an anti-Establishment-themed speech today, doubled down on the party’s rhetoric when featuring on Radio 4’s PM programme.
  Presenter Eddie Mair quoted a Financial Times headline when suggesting Corbyn “channelled Trump” in his first major election speech, which the MP for Brent Central in London
  
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• Brussels hardens Brexit line on EU workers’ rights

  20-04-2017 19:36 via ft.com
  Commission and member states tighten up policy positions to make tougher demands of UK
  
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• Bereaved families attend widowed parents' allowance protest

  20-04-2017 19:36 via theguardian.com
  
  Westminster demonstration takes place after change in rules dramatically reduces amount paid out after a deathWidowed parents have attended a protest outside parliament after ministers pressed ahead with cuts that will leave some bereaved families more than £50,000 worse off.One of the attendees said the decision, which came into place earlier this month, was equivalent to “punishing those who are living out most families’ worst nightmares”. Continue reading...
  
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• 11 Fantasy Band Names Inspired By General Election 2017

  20-04-2017 19:33
  
  After HuffPost UK brought you 15 fantasy band names inspired by Donald Trump, we bring you 11 fantasy band names inspired by the first three days of our snap election.
  -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
  
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• May stands by pledge to keep cutting net migration

  20-04-2017 19:32 via ft.com
  Premier to continue Tory struggle to slash figure to ‘tens of thousands’
  
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• EU leader: UK would be welcomed back if voters overturn Brexit

  20-04-2017 19:24 via theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: European parliament president Antonio Tajani says process could easily be reversed if election brings in new British government• General election 2017 - live updatesThe president of the European parliament has said Britain would be welcomed back with open arms if voters changed their minds about Brexit on 8 June, challenging Theresa May’s claim that “there is no turning back” after article 50.Speaking after a meeting with the prime minister in Downing Street, An
  
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• Election 2017: Labour rules out second referendum on deal with EU – as it happened

  20-04-2017 19:12 via theguardian.com
  
  All the day’s action as Labour leader makes first keynote speech and Green party launches its election campaignJeremy Corbyn makes pledge to bust ‘cosy cartel’ of politicsThe Snap: sign up for the election briefing and read today’sCorbyn’s speech - Summary and analysisCarswell says he will not stand againAfternoon summary 6.10pm BST Related: Labour hopes to turn underdog status to its advantage6.04pm BSTDawn Butler, the Labour MP who spoke at the same event in Westm
  
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• Unite 'suspends' Len McCluskey challenger Gerard Coyne

  20-04-2017 18:30 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Gerard Coyne is suspended as a Unite official - as counting is set to begin in leadership ballot.
  
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• ExxonMobil's Russian Sanctions Waiver Request And Why Donald Trump Should Deny It

  20-04-2017 18:13
  
  ExxonMobil is reportedly seeking permission from the US government for approval to resume drilling around the Black Sea with a Russian partner, the state-owned Rosneft.
  The oil giant’s request is being reviewed by the Trump administration and is certain to draw extra scrutiny because it involves a company formerly run by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who cultivated close ties with Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, reports the Associated Press.
  Here are a few things you should k
  
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• Ruth Davidson under attack over child tax credit form for rape victims

  20-04-2017 18:09 via theguardian.com
  
  Nicola Sturgeon accuses Scottish Tory leader of ‘utterly shameful’ behaviour by refusing to denounce UK government policyRuth Davidson, the Scottish Tory leader, is under attack after refusing to condemn a questionnaire sent to rape victims who want to claim extra child tax credits.Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister, accused Davidson of “utterly shameful” behaviour after she sidestepped Sturgeon’s demand to repudiate the so-called rape clause linked to UK governmen
  
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• Uber faces paying £2.1m to operate in London

  20-04-2017 18:07 via ft.com
  Transport for London plans to raise operating licence fee from current level of £2,826
  
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• British pledge on aid will send message to world

  20-04-2017 18:07 via ft.com
  Spending on development is an important way to show Brexit does not mean isolationism
  
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• UK’s biggest union suspends leadership candidate

  20-04-2017 18:06 via ft.com
  Gerard Coyne is challenging Unite’s Len McCluskey, a long-time Corbyn supporter
  
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• Former Ukip MP Douglas Carswell to step down in Clacton

  20-04-2017 17:47 via theguardian.com
  
  Man who defected from Conservatives to Eurosceptic party in 2014 says he will not stand in June but will vote Tory• General election 2017 - live updatesThe former Ukip MP Douglas Carswell has said he will not seek re-election in Clacton, but will vote for the Conservative candidate.Carswell, who defected from the Conservatives in 2014 and became Ukip’s first elected MP after winning a byelection, said he had been “proud and honoured” to represent the Essex constituency, bu
  
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• Douglas Carswell will not stand in general election

  20-04-2017 17:41 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Former Tory says he thinks he will go down in history as "the first and last UKIP MP".
  
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• Unite: McCluskey rival suspended for 'bringing union into disrepute'

  20-04-2017 17:29 via theguardian.com
  
  Gerard Coyne, standing against Len McCluskey to lead UK’s biggest union, suspended pending investigationGerard Coyne, who is standing against Len McCluskey to be general secretary of the Unite union, has been suspended from his job as a union official before the votes have even been counted.The West Midlands official has received a letter warning that he had brought the union into disrepute during the campaign to lead Unite. Continue reading...
  
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• Who voted no

  20-04-2017 17:23 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A total of 13 MPs voted against an early general election. We look at who they are and why they said no.
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn preaches message of resurrection to the Labour faithful

  20-04-2017 17:10 via theguardian.com
  
  Leader was introduced to true believers at Church House with all the fervour of a revivalist preacher• General election 2017 - live updates Church House isn’t used to such expressions of faith. Normally, the central hall is home to Anglican bishops and clergy competing in doubt and agonising over matters of doctrine, but for his campaign launch in Westminster Jeremy Corbyn had gathered only his most loyal supporters. Several hundred heads nodded approvingly as Going Back to My Roots p
  
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• Greens: 'Elitist rubbish' to stop vote for 16-year-olds

  20-04-2017 17:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Green Party demands votes for 16-year-olds at every election from 8 June.
  
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• Greens kick off election campaign by reaching out to young people

  20-04-2017 17:05 via theguardian.com
  
  Party vows to scrap tuition fees, extend the vote to 16-year-olds and protect the environment at launch in Bristol• General election 2017 - live updates
  The Green party focused on young people at its election campaign launch in Bristol, pledging to fight to scrap tuition fees, give 16- and 17-year-olds the vote and protect the environment that youngsters of today will grow up in.In a city where there has been a spate of suspected suicides among its student population, Molly Scott Cato, the
  
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• The choice in election 2017: Brexit or Brexit

  20-04-2017 16:38
  
  Corbyn bottles second referendum promise, leaving us back where we started.
  
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• EU toughens Brexit stance and demands UK pay liabilities in euros

  20-04-2017 16:37 via theguardian.com
  
  Leaked documents reveal Brussels’ position has hardened on a number of fronts and downplay hopes of trade dealThe EU is toughening its Brexit negotiating stance after consultation with member states, further downplaying hopes of a trade agreement before the UK leaves while insisting that Britain settle its divorce bill in euros rather than sterling.
  Leaked documents reveal the EU’s position has hardened in recent weeks since the publication of the European council’s draft guide
  
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• Theresa May will use election manifesto to ditch Cameron's pledges

  20-04-2017 16:21 via theguardian.com
  
  Brexit, immigration and spending on NHS and education expected to feature strongly as PM seeks to secure own mandate• General election 2017 - live updates
  Theresa May will use her manifesto to obtain her own mandate from the British electorate and ditch a string of promises from David Cameron’s 2015 document.It will come as no surprise that delivering Brexit will be at the heart of the offering, but spending commitments on health, education and overseas aid may yet be revised –
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn rules out second Brexit referendum

  20-04-2017 16:12 via theguardian.com
  
  Labour leader says public vote on eventual deal will not be in manifesto after initially refusing to dismiss the idea
  • General election 2017 - live updatesJeremy Corbyn has ruled out offering a referendum on an eventual Brexit deal, after a morning of mounting speculation when the Labour leader and his shadow chancellor initially refused to emphatically dismiss the idea of a second poll.Answering media questions following a passionate speech to formally launch Labour’s general electi
  
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