Political news

• Theresa May vows to expand workers’ rights in Tory manifesto

  14-05-2017 23:36
  Moves to support ‘gig economy’ workers and tougher rules to protect pensions
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn And Grime Star Jme Join Forces On Snapchat In Vote Registration Plea

  14-05-2017 23:35
  
  In one of the more unlikely collaborations of the year, grime star Jme has joined forces with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in a plea to young people to register to vote.
  The MC took over the Labour MP’s Snapchat, and the pair gave a message to the leader of the Opposition’s followers:Jme: “I’m Jme.
  Jeremy: “And I’m Jer-e-my.”
  Together: “MAKE SURE YOU REGISTER TO VOTE.”
  Some have argued a surge in votes among young people could offer a signific
  
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• Tories Pledge National Living Wage Rise And Protection For Workers On Short-Term Contracts

  14-05-2017 23:30
  
  The National Living Wage will rise and workers on short-term contracts will be given more protections under a government led by Theresa May, the Tories say.
  The party will unveil its programme for workers’ rights at its manifesto launch this week, which includes the right to request leave for training, to care for a family member or after the death of a child.
  The Conservatives say they want to ‘strike a fairer deal for ordinary working people’ and will also introduce unspecif
  
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• Labour Pledges Extra £37bn For NHS If It Wins The General Election

  14-05-2017 23:30
  
  Labour will put £37bn extra into the NHS by the end of the next Parliament if it wins the election, tackling waiting times, cyber security, cancer treatment and winter pressures.
  The party is keeping the health service front and centre of its general election campaign, having already pledged to scrap hospital parking charges and end the 1% pay cap for nurses.
  Jeremy Corbyn is set to speak at the annual conference of the Royal College of Nursing - which voted to ballot for strike action ov
  
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• General election 2017: Labour pledges £37bn for the NHS by 2022

  14-05-2017 23:30 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The party says it would set tougher targets for A&E units and upgrade IT systems.
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn Drafts In Unite Union Official Andrew Murray To Head Up His Election Campaign Team

  14-05-2017 22:54
  
  A senior aide to Len McCluskey has been installed at Labour HQ to oversee Jeremy Corbyn’s final push in the general election campaign.
  Andrew Murray, chief of staff to the Unite general secretary, is heading up the Labour leader’s campaign team under a special secondment from the union, senior sources have confirmed to HuffPost UK.
  Murray is a long-standing friend and ally of Corbyn and ex-chair of the Stop the War Coalition which led protests against the Iraq war.
  A former Morning
  
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• Emily Thornberry hardens Labour party line on Falkland Islands

  14-05-2017 21:01
  
  Shadow foreign secretary rejects accusations by Michael Fallon that she would hold negotiations with ArgentinaLabour’s shadow foreign secretary, Emily Thornberry, has accused Michael Fallon of talking “bollocks” after the defence secretary claimed she wanted to negotiate with Argentina over the future of the Falklands.In a spiky exchange on the BBC’s The Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, Thornberry hit back at Fallon, saying: “That is bollocks. It’s untrue,” a
  
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• NHS continues cancellations as effects of cyber attack linger

  14-05-2017 20:15
  Fears more evidence of infected computer systems might come to light
  
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• Tories Target Jeremy Corbyn In Most Prominent Facebook Election Advert

  14-05-2017 20:13
  
  A video of Labour supporters revealing they plan to vote Conservative because of Jeremy Corbyn is the most prominent advert being deployed by the Tories on Facebook, a campaign group tracking targeted political advertising has found.
  Who Targets Me? was set up ahead of the June 8 vote against the backdrop of social media campaigning having a huge influence on the EU referendum and the US election, and is auditing thousands if ads it has been sent by an army of Facebook voters. 
  The tw
  
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• Ben Jennings on Theresa May and the NHS 'ransomware' attack – cartoon

  14-05-2017 20:04
  
  Continue reading...
  
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• Top party members who like Labour’s manifesto should back Corbyn | Letters

  14-05-2017 20:00
  
  If powerful members supported their leader and this manifesto, election prospects would be greatly enhancedPolly Toynbee welcomes Labour’s manifesto but says Jeremy Corbyn’s lack of credibility means people will never trust him, so it will never be implemented (12 May). Is it not the case that Corbyn was severely damaged by opposition from several of the heavyweights of his own party right from the outset of his leadership? Is it not the case that even now, if some of the most powerf
  
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• Freedom of Information Act document leaks could lead to jail

  14-05-2017 19:56
  
  Campaigners warn of ‘oppressive’ proposal to lower threshold for prosecution of whistleblowers and journalistsWhistleblowers and journalists could be imprisoned for revealing documents that can be obtained through freedom of information requests, campaigners have warned.Responding to the consultation on Law Commission proposals for a new espionage act with more punitive powers, freedom of speech organisations have condemned plans for lowering the threshold for prosecutions. Continue
  
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• David Davis warns Brexit timetable will be ‘row of the summer’

  14-05-2017 19:48
  Minister says early deals on exit bill and Northern Ireland would be ‘illogical’
  
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• Sturgeon says 'we need to do better' on education

  14-05-2017 19:43 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The first minister said she was "not shying away" from recent poor performance results in Scottish education.
  
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• The compact at the heart of the dysfunctional housing market

  14-05-2017 19:28
  There is a business model in housebuilding that relies on constantly rising land values
  
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• Lord Rogers and leading UK architects call for clarity on EU nationals

  14-05-2017 18:57
  
  Exclusive: architects say Brexit will damage the industry if practices across Britain cannot continue to employ EU staffA group of the country’s leading architects including Richard Rogers have said they are “appalled” by how EU staff in their offices are being treated since the Brexit vote.They have called on Theresa May to give immediate clarity on their future, saying architecture will suffer from a brain drain unless this is given soon. Continue reading...
  
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• A Brexit Plan B to convince the doubters

  14-05-2017 18:54
  Its purpose would be to shift the debate within the EU to the effects of an abrupt exit
  
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• Brexit Donor Jeremy Hosking To Fund Campaign To Oust Pro-Remain MPs

  14-05-2017 18:14
  
  A multimillionaire political donor has pledged to fund a campaign to oust almost 140 pro-Remain MPs.
  Jeremy Hosking, a City asset manager, said he is prepared to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds to target MPs who supported staying in the European Union.
  Hosking, who gave more than £1.5m to Vote Leave during the referendum campaign, said he wanted Theresa May to have “an army” of pro-Brexit MPs after voters go to the polls on June 8.The Leave supporter is hoping to make gai
  
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• General election 2017: May insists voting age of 18 is appropriate

  14-05-2017 18:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Theresa May tells the BBC's Westminster Hour the voting age of 18 in general elections is appropriate.
  
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• Conservatives shy away from a housebuilding target

  14-05-2017 18:06
  Tories vow ‘new generation of social housing’ but do not put ‘fixed number’ on homes
  
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• General election 2017: Theresa May rules out votes at 16

  14-05-2017 17:46 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Tory leader tells the BBC's Westminster Hour she wants to keep 18 as minimum age - in contrast to most other parties.
  
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• Warwick councillor suspended over 'racist' Eurovision tweet

  14-05-2017 17:19 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A councillor is suspended after offensive comments towards the Irish appear on his Twitter account.
  
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• Trust in Theresa May will win the election, not personality or politics | Matthew d’Ancona

  14-05-2017 17:14
  
  Labour has the ideas, but the Tory leader is more popular than Jeremy Corbyn. And, crucially, the electorate believes in herDavid Blunkett used to say a successful government gets its betrayals in early. It is no less true that a campaigning party that senses it is going to lose an election starts honing its excuses long before polling day.When on the back foot, Labour always complains about the media, and will do so again if it suffers a heavy defeat on 8 June. This time, however, the part
  
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• General election 2017: Thornberry ambushes Fallon over Assad meeting – as it happened

  14-05-2017 16:59
  
  All the day’s campaign news as the Conservatives pledge new homes, Labour promises a Robin Hood tax on the banks, and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon does the rounds of Sunday interviews 3.59pm BSTThat’s your lot today. Here’s a summary: 3.40pm BSTA new video attack advert by the Conservatives seeks to exploit fears about immigration. The 22-second ad contrasts Theresa May’s promised crackdown on immigration with remarks Jeremy Corbyn made during the referendum campaign. WATCH
  
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• Nurses to stage 'summer of protest activity' over pay cap

  14-05-2017 16:35 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The RCN says its members will be balloted on taking industrial action unless pay cap is lifted.
  
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• Campaign group to challenge UK over surrender of passwords at border control

  14-05-2017 16:26
  
  Cage plans to challenge anti-terrorism laws that allow border officials to demand passwords after arrest of its international director at HeathrowThe human rights group Cage is preparing to mount a legal challenge to UK anti-terrorism legislation over a refusal to hand over mobile and laptop passwords to border control officials at air terminals, ports and international rail stations.Cage, which campaigns on issues such as torture, discrimination and wrongful imprisonment, is planning to fight t
  
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• Political parties ramp up social media campaigning

  14-05-2017 16:18
  Labour looks to match Conservatives’ £1m war chest to buy Facebook ads
  
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• Facebook our most potent weapon, UK political parties say

  14-05-2017 16:18
  Labour looks to match Conservatives’ £1m war chest to buy social media ads
  
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• Facebook key to winning UK general election, political parties say

  14-05-2017 16:18
  Labour looks to match Conservatives’ £1m war chest to buy social media ads
  
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• David Davis voices concern over EU border plan

  14-05-2017 15:58 via bbc.co.uk
  
  David Davis does not accept Irish border issues can be resolved in first stage of UK's negotiation with the EU.
  
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• General election 2017: 'Robin Hood tax' on City pledged by Labour

  14-05-2017 15:49 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Labour also warns bosses they'll have to take a pay cut to win government contracts if Labour wins power.
  
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• Lib Dems pledge to boost armed forces personnel

  14-05-2017 15:37 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Graduates in technical and engineering subjects would be given £10,000 to join up, say Tim Farron.
  
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• Thanks, Emily Thornberry, for waking Mogadon Mike before he flatlines | John Crace

  14-05-2017 15:15
  
  Catatonic Michael Fallon’s personality was dragged out of its black hole on the Marr Show when he was reminded of his associations with AssadFor a long while it looked as though it wasn’t just the NHS that had had its operating systems hacked. Even on one of his livelier days, the defence secretary, Michael Fallon, gives the impression of a sub-optimal, secondhand android, but for his performance on the Andrew Marr Show he was reduced to a state of near-catatonia. Marr began by chall
  
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• John McDonnell Warns BAE Systems Could Lose Major Government Contract Unless Boss Agrees To Pay Cut

  14-05-2017 15:14
  
  Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell has warned BAE Systems risks losing its government defence contracts if Labour wins the election, unless its top boss agrees to a reduction in pay.
  Speaking on Pienaar’s Politics on BBC Radio 5 Live, McDonnell  said a Labour government would seek to make pay more equitable and ‘address some of the grotesque inequalities on rewards within a company’.
  Questioned on how that might affect BAE chief executive Charles Woodburn, who is expected to
  
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• Sturgeon: independent Scotland may need 'phased' return to EU

  14-05-2017 14:57
  
  First minister says Scotland might not seek immediate membership of the EU if she won a second referendum
  Nicola Sturgeon has said Scotland may not rejoin the European Union if she wins a second independence referendum but could instead apply to join the European free trade area.Even though most Scottish voters oppose a referendum before Brexit, the first minister has insisted another vote on independence is needed because Scotland has been taken out of the EU “against its will” afte
  
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• #GetsMyVote: Funeral directors put to rest their views

  14-05-2017 14:37 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Funeral directors who operate in Norfolk and Suffolk put to rest their views on politics.
  
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• Glasgow East: 'Generations here have never voted Tory'

  14-05-2017 14:30
  
  In the run-up to the general election, six Guardian reporters are writing from constituencies across the UK to find out what matters in your area. In the sixth of our Voices and votes articles, we hear from residents in a former Labour stronghold that swung SNP in 2015 – and has elected a Conservative councillorThere used to be a joke that if Labour put a dog up as a candidate in Glasgow East, it would still get elected. So the victory of a Conservative councillor in the recent local elect
  
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• Sunday Show Round-Up: Michael Fallon Talking 'B****cks', Labour's Robin Hood Tax And Michael Gove Loves Boris Again

  14-05-2017 14:14
  
  The Andrew Marr Show
  Emily Thornberry was up on Marr to discuss Labour’s plans for an “ethical foreign policy.” Those ethics did not extend to cancelling Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK, with Thornberry saying it would damage US/UK relations to disinvite the President."I would be prepared to stand up to Trump" says @EmilyThornberry, if she became Foreign Secretary #marr pic.twitter.com/zzLZHmjdGk— The Andrew Marr Show (@MarrShow) May 14, 2017
  She was asked abou
  
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• Labour calls for UK financial transaction tax

  14-05-2017 13:42
  Party aims to raise £4.7bn a year with tax on derivatives trade, bond sales and market makers
  
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• Is Labour's manifesto living in fantasy land? Quite the opposite | Larry Elliott

  14-05-2017 13:32
  
  Imperfect it may be, but Labour’s manifesto recognises the economic status quo can’t be kept going for much longerTen years ago this month, Britain was on the cusp of change. Two things were about to happen, one planned and one unexpected.The change everybody knew about was that Tony Blair was going to stand down as prime minister after 10 years in the job, during which time he had won three elections on the trot. Continue reading...
  
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• 'Spin with no substance': Labour dismisses Tory social housing pledge

  14-05-2017 13:11
  
  Shadow housing secretary criticises new homes vow after admission that funds would come from existing spending plansLabour has dismissed Theresa May’s proposals to increase social housing, calling them “spin, with no substance”, after the defence secretary, Michael Fallon, admitted the policy would be paid for from existing spending plans.All the main parties are keen to show they have a solution to the challenge of affordable housing as a growing number of young people find th
  
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• Theresa May must protect workers' rights post-Brexit, says union chief

  14-05-2017 12:59
  
  TUC leader, Frances O’Grady, says prime minister must ensure rights of British workers will not fall behind EU standardsGeneral election 2017 – live updates Theresa May must give a clear commitment to match EU social protections after Brexit if voters are to trust her promise to put “ordinary working people” first, the TUC general secretary, Frances O’Grady, has said.As the Conservatives put the final touches to their manifesto for the general election on 8 June, O&
  
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• Thornberry takes Fallon to task over Assad visit

  14-05-2017 12:24 via bbc.co.uk
  
  In a fiery exchange on the Marr Show, Labour's shadow foreign secretary defended her leader Jeremy Corbyn.
  
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• General election 2017: Tory housing plan 'paid from existing budget'

  14-05-2017 12:14 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Conservatives promise a "new generation" of social housing, but Labour attacks their "political spin".
  
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• Emily Thornberry Tells Tory Defence Secretary He's Talking 'B****cks' Over Falklands Renegotiation Claims

  14-05-2017 12:09
  
  Sofa chat with Michael Fallon and @EmilyThornberry #marr pic.twitter.com/7Ji3UJz156— The Andrew Marr Show (@MarrShow) May 14, 2017
  Emily Thornberry today accused the Tory Defence Secretary of talking “bollocks” after he claimed she wanted to renegotiate the sovereignty of the Falklands.
  Appearing on The Andrew Marr Show this morning, the Shadow Foreign Secretary attacked Sir Michael Fallon for “slinging around dead cats” as he criticised Labour’s defence poli
  
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• Sturgeon on Brexit: People shouldn't have to 'like it or lump it'

  14-05-2017 11:51 via bbc.co.uk
  
  SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon says after the Brexit process, people in Scotland should have a choice about their future.
  
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• Fallon on cyber security: 'We warned NHS' about old system

  14-05-2017 11:28 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The NHS has been given about £50m to improve its computer systems, defence minister Michael Fallon says.
  
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• How a sex robot ended up on The One Show sofa | Stewart Lee

  14-05-2017 11:00
  
  It was a chance encounter at the Crocodile cafe in Seattle that led me to the shocking truth about Philip May and Michael GoveArtificially intelligent humanoid sexual partners are now commercially available. And indeed, I have often wondered if I myself am in fact one such “sex robot”. My lovers always disengage from me in silently satisfied wonder, and rarely request second encounters, having had their expectations soul-shatteringly exceeded, their sexual futures rendered endlessly
  
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• Privatise the NHS, Extra Cash For Social Care, Decentralise Power - What Londoners Would Do If They Were Prime Minister

  14-05-2017 10:24
  
  Privatising the NHS, spreading power across the capital and increasing funding for social care would be some of the changes London voters would make if they were Prime Minister.
  Speaking after taking part in special Huff Post UK/Edelman focus group - in conjunction with the Mile End Institute at Queen Mary University of London - Londoners set out what they were do if they took the most powerful position in the country.
  Alice, an English student at Kings College London and originally from Devon,
  
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• Next cyber-attack could be imminent, warn experts

  14-05-2017 09:08 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Computer experts warn a follow-up to the global ransomware outbreak could hit by Monday.
  
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