Political news

• Labour Pledges Not To Raise Vat, National Insurance Or Income Tax For Most If Elected

  06-05-2017 23:01
  
  Labour has promised not to raise VAT or personal national insurance contributions and will not increase income tax for those earning less than £80,000 a year.
  Under the plans, to be announced by John McDonnell at the Museum of London Docklands on Sunday, 95% of taxpayers would be protected from a rise in income tax over the next parliament.
  The shadow chancellor is set to say: “If Labour is elected next month we will guarantee that for the next five years there will be no tax rises f
  
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• Trust in Theresa May raises Tory hopes in Labour’s northern heartlands

  06-05-2017 21:31 via theguardian.com
  
  Lifetime Labour voters are threatening to turn blue in the north-west, where some constituencies haven’t seen a Conservative MP in decadesWhen Theresa May flew in by helicopter to launch her general election campaign in the Bolton North East constituency that has returned a Labour MP for 20 years, she was accused of drafting in activists and distancing herself from the public during a brief appearance.There was nothing scripted, however, about the reaction of 87-year-old Joan Bedson when t
  
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• Exit Ukip stage right as Tories build formidable Brexit coalition | Robert Ford

  06-05-2017 21:03 via theguardian.com
  
  A bad night for Labour and the Lib Dems appears to herald general election triumph for Theresa May. But her wider support could yet prove fragileUkip’s rise took the headlines four years ago, when most of the seats decided on Thursday were last up for election. Now the big story is the party’s collapse.In 2013, Nigel Farage marched his Eurosceptic rebels up the high streets of England’s home counties, returning a large crop of local councillors in purple colours for the first t
  
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• City mayors are far more nimble and proactive than Westminster politicians | Sadiq Khan

  06-05-2017 20:05 via theguardian.com
  
  With the election of two more Labour mayors, the party has a chance to make a real difference to people’s livesAll Labour supporters and politicians know that winning elections is extremely difficult, but my first year as mayor of London has taught me that governing – driving change and delivering results – is even harder.It has been an extraordinary 12 months. I’ve spent every day fighting to ensure that all Londoners get the opportunities that London gave to me. Change
  
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• New Tory supporters will alter government priorities

  06-05-2017 19:08 via ft.com
  Theresa May will have to answer to Labour voters who have switched sides
  
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• Britain Lacking 'No-Brainer' Political Leader To Vote For Since Tony Blair, Focus Group Finds

  06-05-2017 19:01
  
  Britain has not had a political leader who is a “no-brainer” to vote for since Tony Blair, HuffPost UK-Edelman’s latest focus group has revealed.
  Male and female voters from a variety of backgrounds in Birmingham were asked for their views on Brexit, the election and the state of politics in general.
  In a damning indictment of the performance of current politicians, when shown a clip of the former Labour leader - who has expressed an interest in returning to UK politics -
  
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• Biggest Brexit donor urges May to guarantee rights of EU nationals

  06-05-2017 18:45 via theguardian.com
  
  Senior Leave backers express concern over approach to immigration and say students should be free to come to UKThe biggest donor to the Brexit campaign has called on Theresa May to unilaterally guarantee the rights of millions of EU nationals already in Britain.Peter Hargreaves, the billionaire who donated £3.2m to the Leave.EU campaign, said that the prime minister should reassure the three million EU nationals already in the UK that their current rights would be maintained. Continue read
  
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• Andy Burnham Denies He Was Snubbing Jeremy Corbyn By Not Attending Manchester Victory Rally

  06-05-2017 18:13
  
  Andy Burnham has denied snubbing Jeremy Corbyn by failing to join him to celebrate his victory in the election for Greater Manchester metro mayor.
  The new mayor insisted that his absence was “not in the slightest” intended as a snub, saying he had told Corbyn’s office earlier in the week that he had prior engagements which would prevent him from appearing alongside the Labour leader, the Press Association reported.
  He denied Labour was split, insisting the party was “figh
  
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• Andy Burnham denies snubbing Jeremy Corbyn at Manchester rally

  06-05-2017 16:39 via theguardian.com
  
  New mayor for Greater Manchester blames prior commitments for no-show at victory rally with party leaderThe new Labour mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has denied snubbing Jeremy Corbyn after failing to join his party leader at a rally in the city following his election victory.Burnham said his absence from the event was “not in the slightest” intended as a snub, and that he had told Corbyn’s office earlier in the week that he had prior engagements. Continue reading..
  
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• General election 2017: Labour have to 'come out fighting'

  06-05-2017 16:16 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The election is also a 'chance to break free', the opposition leader says.
  
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• BBC Election Bot: The latest news, via Facebook Messenger

  06-05-2017 15:42 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Keep up to date with latest news from the UK's general election.
  
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• Paul Nuttall Continues To Insist Ukip Has 'Bright Future'

  06-05-2017 15:15
  
  Paul Nuttall has continued to insist that his party has a “very bright” future - despite the party suffering a wipeout in this week’s local elections.
  The Ukip leader told Sky News that he thought that Theresa May would “barter things away”, such as fisheries and freedom of movement, when negotiating Brexit, and that would upset many.He said: “When people are angry, when people feel like they’ve been let down, when people feel like they’re not gett
  
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• Local elections: Sturgeon plays down Tory success in Scotland

  06-05-2017 15:14 via theguardian.com
  
  First minister says Conservatives only achieved best results in generation by taking votes off Labour, not the SNP
  Nicola Sturgeon has played down the threat from the Conservatives in Scotland after Theresa May’s party achieved their best local election results in the country in generations to push Labour into third place. Related: The Guardian view on the 2017 local elections: a clear and present warning | EditorialContinue reading...
  
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• General election 2017: Voters will return to UKIP, says Nuttall

  06-05-2017 14:05 via bbc.co.uk
  
  UKIP's leader says the party is not finished and those felt "let down" in Brexit talks will return.
  
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• Tories and Labour 'scrapping for second place' in Scotland, says Sturgeon – video

  06-05-2017 13:46 via theguardian.com
  
  SNP leader says local election results demonstrate her party remains in front in Scotland ‘by some distance’ and that Conservative attempts to make votes about independence have backfiredLocal elections: Sturgeon plays down Tory success in ScotlandContinue reading...
  
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• Paul Nuttall: 'UKIP expected local elections to be hard'

  06-05-2017 13:35 via bbc.co.uk
  
  UKIP leader Paul Nuttall said the party had "expected" poor local election results.
  
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• Is Marine Le Pen a fascist?

  06-05-2017 13:33
  
  Tomorrow France goes to the polls in an unprecedented election. But is one of the candidates really a fascist?
  
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• Lib Dems pledge 1p income tax rise to fund NHS

  06-05-2017 13:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The party says the move would raise around £6bn a year for health and social care costs.
  
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• Lib Dems propose 1 per cent tax increase to fund NHS

  06-05-2017 13:23 via ft.com
  Pledge echoes party’s signature 1990s policy to pay for education
  
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• The UK politics podcast

  06-05-2017 12:55 via ft.com
  Local elections: a blue wave hits Britain
  
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• Emmanuel Macron Says Campaign Has Been Hit By 'Massive' Hack

  06-05-2017 12:19
  
  Emmanuel Macron’s centrist campaign has said it was the victim of a “massive and co-ordinated” hacking attack, as France prepares to choose its next president on Sunday.
  Macron, who founded his En Marche! movement only last year, will duel with the far-right’s Marine Le Pen for the keys to the Elysee Palace. 
  In a statement late on Friday, En Marche! said it was hacked a few weeks ago, and that the leaked documents had been mixed with false ones to “seed doubt
  
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• 'If I Were Prime Minister...’ Birmingham Voters Tell HuffPost UK Their Priorities

  06-05-2017 11:16
  
  In the latest in our Beyond Brexit series, getting the views of ordinary voters outside the political ‘bubble’, we talked to two men and two women from Birmingham.
  We asked them what one thing they would do if they were Prime Minister.
  Derek, a 58-year-old football coach, said: “I would show financial commitment to the NHS.”
  Alex, a mum-of-one and substance misuse practitioner, said she would invest more in helping people with addiction.
  “I would make sure mon
  
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• Leave Voters 'Must Vote Tory If They Believe In Democracy', Says Focus Group

  06-05-2017 11:01
  
  Everyone who backed Brexit last year must vote Tory on June 8 ‘if they believe in democracy’, members of the latest HuffPost UK-Edelman focus group have declared.
  The striking message came from some traditional Labour voters in Birmingham, where mixed groups from a variety of working backgrounds were asked for their views on the general election.
  Lifelong supporters of the party had no confidence in Jeremy Corbyn’s ability to deliver the Brexit they want, even though
  
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• Edgbaston: The General Election Brexit Battleground Where Women Hold The Cards

  06-05-2017 11:01
  
  There is everything to play for in Birmingham Edgbaston.
  Like large parts of the Midlands, it will throw up some key indicators as to the mood of the country and the likely final result of the general election.
  But the Labour/Tory marginal stands out for many reasons.  Its incumbent MP, Labour’s Gisela Stuart, was one of her party’s few vocal campaigners for Brexit and is now standing down.
  She played a huge role in Vote Leave’s media presence, appearing in national debat
  
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• Harrow West voters: tell us which issues will decide this election

  06-05-2017 10:44 via theguardian.com
  
  Guardian journalist Gary Younge is reporting from the constituency of Harrow West to find out which issues people most care about – and he wants your helpIn the run-up to 8 June, Guardian journalists will be reporting in-depth on a range of constituencies around the country, with the aim of telling stories about the election that come from beyond the political bubble. As part of that project, Gary Younge will be reporting from the parliamentary constituency of Harrow West.Harrow West inclu
  
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• Sturgeon's push for second referendum has been a gift to her rivals

  06-05-2017 10:34
  
  Political momentum is with the Scottish Conservatives
  
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• Lib Dems pledge 1p tax rise to 'rescue NHS and social care'

  06-05-2017 10:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Tim Farron says money from income tax rise will go into ring-fenced £6bn annual budget to address chronic underfunding
  The Liberal Democrats have pledged to increase income tax by a penny for every earner to fund a £6bn-a-year cash injection for the NHS and social care. In what was described as their flagship spending commitment of the general election campaign, the party’s leader, Tim Farron, said voters recognised the need to “chip in a little more” to address the
  
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• In Brexit Britain there are three kinds of voter: the disconnected, the deceived, and the dismayed | John Harris

  06-05-2017 10:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Theresa May’s projected election victory will be pyrrhic: the country has no clue where it is headingCan we now hail this general election as the strangest British contest in living memory? We have a prime minister who affected to go into the campaign full of vim and vigour, but now seems to recoil from the absolute basics of what electioneering entails. If your people shut journalists from a big regional website into a small room for fear they might video something as banal as a visit to
  
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• Lib Dems Pledge £6bn Extra For Social Care With Income Tax Rise

  06-05-2017 09:28
  
  The Liberal Democrats would raise income tax in order to pay for social care, the party has announced.
  Tim Farron said today an extra £6bn a year would be spent to “rescue” the service. It would be paid for with a 1p rise on all rates of income tax.
  The Conservative said the Lib Dem plan would hit 30 million people with an unwanted tax increase.
  Labour said the Lib Dems could not be trusted to deliver on the pledge.
  The promise on the NHS and social care is the Lib Dem&rs
  
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• General election 2017: Theresa May 'not taking victory for granted'

  06-05-2017 04:57 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The PM plays down talk of an election landslide, as Labour insists it can close the gap to the Tories.
  
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• Schools to get new powers to sack 'maverick governors'

  06-05-2017 02:54 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Department for Education closes a loophole that prevents elected governors from being removed.
  
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• Archbishops of Canterbury and York voice election concerns

  06-05-2017 02:31 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A three-page message calls on politicians to "renew" the UK's shared values amid recent divisions.
  
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• Local elections 2017: Where is UKIP's Paul Nuttall?

  06-05-2017 02:19 via bbc.co.uk
  
  UKIP's leader has yet to appear publicly to comment on the party's poor local election results.
  
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• No Lib Dem resurgence at local elections but share of votes increases

  06-05-2017 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  Party’s fightback in former heartlands fails, but hopes raised of making gains in remain-voting constituencies at general electionA Liberal Democrat surge has failed to materialise in the party’s former south-west heartlands, though party insiders said an increase in its vote share still put it on course to make gains in key remain-leaning seats at the general election.The party lost 28 seats overall on Friday but an upbeat Tim Farron said the Lib Dems had significantly increased the
  
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• Local elections: Tories gain over 550 seats as Labour and Ukip votes plunge

  06-05-2017 00:40 via theguardian.com
  
  Jeremy Corbyn says Labour faces ‘challenge on historic scale’ after shock defeats in two mayoral contestsTheresa May’s Conservatives gained more than 550 council seats and swept to shock victories in mayoralty contests in the West Midlands and Tees Valley in results that placed her party on track to secure a thumping majority in the general election.
  The prime minister insisted she was not taking “anything for granted” but the Tories enjoyed a stunning day that was
  
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