Political news

• Labour extends pursuit of higher earners with ‘fat cat tax’

  15-05-2017 23:39 via ft.com
  Companies face levy of 5% on salaries over £500,000, manifesto will say
  
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• Labour's Manifesto Sees Return Of 50p Tax Rate And Levy On Premier League Clubs

  15-05-2017 23:30
  
  Labour will reintroduce the 50p rate of income tax, introduce a levy on businesses which pay excessive wages and renationalise the water industry  if it wins the election, according to reports.
  The Daily Telegraph is claiming the party’s manifesto - set to be published on Tuesday - will include a pledge to bring back the 50p tax rate, with speculation it will apply to those earning more than £125,000 a year.
  The 45p rate - currently levied on wages above £100,000 - w
  
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• DeepMind given ‘legally inappropriate’ access to NHS data

  15-05-2017 23:27 via ft.com
  Records were shared with the Google-owned AI company to trial Streams health app
  
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• Tory Education Minister Edward Timpson Rails Against His Department's School Funding Cuts

  15-05-2017 22:23
  
  Labour has criticised a Conservative who claimed he is fighting against cuts to school funding, despite being a minister in the Department for Education.
  Edward Timpson, who is standing to be MP for Crewe and Nantwich again, says he lobbied Theresa May over a reform of education funding which stands to see local schools lose nearly £2m, according to the Crewe Chronicle.
  He is quoted as saying that from an early stage funding reform “needed to be fairer” and so he “starte
  
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• Hospitals and GPs to receive rating based on data security

  15-05-2017 22:00 via ft.com
  Health secretary to extend inspectorate powers as NHS reacts to WannaCry cyber attacks
  
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• Hospitals and GPs to be rated on data security after cyber attack

  15-05-2017 22:00 via ft.com
  Health secretary to extend inspectorate powers as NHS reacts to WannaCry incursion
  
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• Theresa May And Jeremy Corbyn To Face Jeremy Paxman, Live Studio Audience But Not Each Other

  15-05-2017 20:16
  
  Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn will be grilled by Jeremy Paxman and a live studio audience - but still won’t go head to head.
  The PM has resisted a televised debate with her rivals, prompting Corbyn to call her “weak” and the Labour-supporting Daily Mirror to have someone follow her dressed as a chicken.
  Sky News and Channel 4 News have announced May v Corbyn Live, when both leaders will face questions from a live audience and then Paxman, who was the BBC’s most feare
  
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• UK Election Countdown: Cathy’s song

  15-05-2017 19:22 via ft.com
  24 days to go: May survives contact with the voters
  
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• PM angers employers with ‘business-bashing’ over pay gaps

  15-05-2017 19:21 via ft.com
  Tory manifesto to demand transparency on ethnicity as well as gender
  
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• New party line: Gina Miller's goals

  15-05-2017 19:13 via ft.com
  Gina Miller outlines Best for Britain's election tactics
  
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• Regulator warns on paying off dividends before pension holes

  15-05-2017 19:10 via ft.com
  DB schemes at 5,800 companies have total deficits of £530bn
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn Defends Labour Campaign Role For Ex-Communist Andrew Murray

  15-05-2017 19:09
  
  Jeremy Corbyn has made a staunch defence of his decision to draft in a former Communist trade union official to help run Labour’s general election campaign.
  The Labour leader stood by Andrew Murray after HuffPost UK revealed that he had been seconded from the Unite union to coordinate the party leadership’s final run-in to polling day on June 8.
  Murray, who quit the Communist Party of Great Britain last year to join Labour, has come under fire for his previous views on Stalin and No
  
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• Theresa May Announces Pledge To Make Businesses Reveal How They Underpay Women And BAME Staff

  15-05-2017 18:22
  
  The Tories’ policy pledge to fight the “injustice” of the gender and race pay gap doesn’t go far enough, campaigners have said.
  The party will commit in its manifesto to extending the Government’s pay gap reporting requirements so that businesses over a certain size must give breakdowns of pay by ethnicity, age and level of seniority.
  Women in full-time work in Britain earn 13.9% less than men while Black, Asian  & Minority Ethnic (BAME) graduates earn 10%
  
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• Gina Miller group shuns support for SNP over threat to union

  15-05-2017 18:11 via ft.com
  Best for Britain seeks to dent forecast Tory landslide with cash for candidates
  
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• Emmanuel Macron’s grand Franco-German bargain

  15-05-2017 18:04 via ft.com
  A well-led and united EU leadership will make life harder for Britain as it leaves
  
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• 'Why Are You Putting Disabled People Through Misery?' Theresa May Grilled On Benefit Cuts By Voters

  15-05-2017 17:52
  
  Theresa May was asked to explain why she was putting disabled people though “misery” today as she was grilled over benefit cuts and the NHS.
  The Prime Minister subjected herself to questions from voters in a special Facebook Live with ITV News dominated by disability benefit cuts and funding to the NHS.
  May denied she had plans to “sell off” the health service, but admitted some disability assessments could be improved when it came to dealing with people with mental illn
  
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• Labour mayors demand high-speed rail in northern England

  15-05-2017 17:36 via ft.com
  Burnham and Rotheram say ‘Crossrail for north’ greater priority than London’s Crossrail 2
  
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• Theresa May Announces 'Telephone Town Hall' On Twitter, Responses Are Brutal

  15-05-2017 16:19
  
  It’s fair to say Theresa May has received more than a little bit of grief lately for at least appearing as if she is actively avoiding the UK public as the General Election approaches.
  The Prime Minister seems to have taken the criticism onboard and today took two steps to address the issue.
  Firstly, she embarked upon a walkabout in Abingdon market in Oxfordshire where she met Cathy who gave her an absolute hammering over disability benefits.“The fat cats keep the money and us lot ge
  
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• Theresa May's Exchange With Voter Cathy Sees PM Blasted For Mental Health Remarks

  15-05-2017 16:08
  
  Theresa May has been condemned for seemingly conflating learning disabilities with mental health issues during a rare exchange with a voter who berated her over cuts to disability benefits.
  The prime minister was on a walkabout in Abingdon on Monday when a woman called Cathy approached her asking: “Theresa, are you going to help people with learning disabilities?”
  Cathy set out how she was struggling and angrily corrected May when the prime minister responded: “We’ve got
  
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• Tory land compensation plan is first step in housing reform

  15-05-2017 15:38 via ft.com
  Buying land at its existing value vastly lowers housebuilding costs, writes Chris Giles
  
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• SNP says election win would put it on ‘top table’ in Brexit talks

  15-05-2017 15:29 via ft.com
  Nicola Sturgeon reframes campaign as she struggles to widen appeal to voters
  
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• Labour Candidate Emily Owen Bombarded With 'Disgusting' Sexist Messages During Election Campaign

  15-05-2017 15:21
  
  A young Labour candidate has spoken out about her shock at the “disgusting” sexism she has been bombarded with during the General Election campaign. 
  Aspiring MP Emily Owen says she has been sent messages asking for a striptease and which sexual acts she is willing to perform to “get votes”. 
  According to the Daily Post, another man wrote: “I’ll only vote for her if she’s got a decent rack for me. Anyone know her size? I mean she’s pretty
  
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• Birmingham: 'Each year the benefit system is more heartless'

  15-05-2017 15:04 via theguardian.com
  
  In the run-up to the general election, six Guardian reporters are writing from constituencies across the country to find out what matters to you and in your area. In the second of a series of dispatches from Erdington, Birmingham, Nazia Parveen and photographer Christopher Thomond meet church leaders helping those in need – and struggling with the question of who is responsibleIn 2010, when David Cameron launched his “big society” project in Liverpool, he talked a lot about emp
  
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• EU businesses start to replace British suppliers ahead of Brexit

  15-05-2017 15:01 via ft.com
  Cips survey of 2,000 managers shows the remapping of supply chains
  
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• General election: Theresa May says Tories will force firms to publish data on racial pay gaps – politics live

  15-05-2017 14:54 via theguardian.com
  
  All the day’s campaign news live, as Theresa May promises new protections and Jeremy Corbyn commits an extra £37bn for the NHSLabour and Tories to woo working-class voters with new policiesThe Snap: sign up for our daily election email – and read today’s1.52pm BSTTheresa May has been harangued by a voter in Abingdon who complained angrily about cuts to disability benefits. The woman, Cathy, was particularly angry about the replacement of disability living allowance (DLA)
  
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• The Scottish election fight which could define the future of the SNP

  15-05-2017 14:53
  
  The constituency of Berwickshire, Roxburgh & Selkirk will be a key battleground in the general election
  
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• Five Brexit questions for the Tory manifesto

  15-05-2017 14:44 via ft.com
  More detail is needed if voters are to be properly informed
  
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• “If only …” Guardian writers on the one policy they’d have in their manifesto | George Monbiot and others

  15-05-2017 14:41 via theguardian.com
  
  From prioritising cycling to community gap years, our panel imagine the policies that would reinvigorate their political interest. Share your ideas in the comments Continue reading...
  
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• Ransomware attacks: Putin says Russia is not responsible - live updates

  15-05-2017 14:32 via theguardian.com
  
  Health secretary Jeremy Hunt breaks his silence to say NHS has not suffered second wave of attacksDid you pay money as a victim of ransomware? How to protect your computer 1.32pm BSTRussia had nothing to do with a massive global cyberattack, President Vladimir Putin said Monday, criticising the US intelligence community for creating the original software, AFP reports.“As for the source of these threats, Microsoft’s leadership stated this directly, they said the source of the virus wa
  
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• 'I Want My Disability Living Allowance Back!' Voter Cathy Rips Into Theresa May Over Tory Benefit Cuts

  15-05-2017 14:23
  
  Theresa May has been subjected to a tongue-lashing by a voter complaining about Tory cuts to disability benefits.
  Cathy, who has learning difficulties, confronted the Prime Minister on a walkabout in Abingdon market in Oxfordshire on Monday.
  In one of the toughest encounters May has had to endure on the general election campaign trail so far, she was told to her face the hardship felt by those who have borne the brunt of the Conservative changes to benefits.
  “The fat cats keep the money an
  
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• Theresa’s Tories don’t care about working people. Don’t swallow the rebrand | Suzanne Moore

  15-05-2017 14:20 via theguardian.com
  
  From employment tribunal costs to the ludicrous offer of unpaid leave for carers, the government’s attitude to workers is crystal clearTheresa May has not donned a Mao Zedong cap and proclaimed: “Workers of the world unite, you have nothing to lose but your chains.” OK, not quite. But she has been saying that she will extend and protect workers’ rights. Her party, the party of union-busting, boss-supporting deregulation will now stand up for the workers. This is a Tory pa
  
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• These Three Brexit Tribes Will Give Theresa May A 'Landslide' Election Win, YouGov Says

  15-05-2017 13:29
  
  Voters have drifted away from the binary ‘Remain’ and ‘Leave’ split over Brexit and instead now fall into three categories - helping the Tories enter “landslide territory” in the run up to the General Election, a leading pollster has found. 
  The 52-48 per cent divide that characterised last year’s EU referendum result has morphed into three groups, YouGov said: Hard Leavers, Re-Leavers and Hard Remainers. 45% of voters identified themselves as
  
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• Conservative candidates 'making electoral pacts with Ukip'

  15-05-2017 13:27 via theguardian.com
  
  Ukip says many of its candidates have stood aside because of vows made by pro-Brexit Tory – and two Labour – candidatesGeneral election 2017 - latest updates
  Conservative candidates across the country have been privately giving Ukip assurances that they will push for a decisive Brexit in order to get their rivals not to field a candidate, a senior Ukip spokesman has said.Patrick O’Flynn, the party’s economics spokesman, said Ukip could have managed to field candidates acr
  
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• Tory plans for workers' rights deliver golden headlines at knockdown prices

  15-05-2017 12:21
  
  The Conservatives' pledges on workers' rights deliver cut-price carers and cut-price headlines
  
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• Election 2017: What's going on with the Remain vote?

  15-05-2017 11:53
  
  Polls show the nation as divided as ever over Brexit, so why doesn't it show in party support?
  
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• Tory MP swore at Scottish schoolgirl who said she was pro-independence

  15-05-2017 11:50 via theguardian.com
  
  James Heappey, who is seeking re-election in Wells, Somerset, says sorry to teenager for remarks made during sixth-form debate in MarchPolitics live blog: all the latest from the campaign trail
  A Conservative candidate has apologised for telling a Scottish schoolgirl to “fuck off” after she said she would vote for independence if there was a second referendum. James Heappey, who is standing for re-election in Wells, made the remark during a debate with sixth-formers at the fee-paying
  
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• Lib Dems Use Google Adverts To Claim Theresa May Is 'De Facto Ukip Leader'

  15-05-2017 11:26
  
  The Lib Dems have placed adverts on Google that claim Theresa May is the “de facto leader of Ukip”.
  When users search “who is the leader of Ukip” or “what party is Theresa May from” they are met with the following results. Tim Farron’s party is running a overtly pro-EU campaign and hopes accusing the prime minister of adopting Ukip’s right-wing policies will help it win over more centrist voters.
  The adverts link to a Lib Dem fundraising page
  
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• To defeat Theresa May, the left must first understand Tory voters | Peter Ormerod

  15-05-2017 11:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Sneering at Conservative voters as ‘stupid’ or ‘selfish’ won’t win any over. We need to listen and treat their views with respectLooked at rationally, it makes no sense. Her government is presiding over a crisis in the NHS, a surge in people using food banks and deepening despondency in our schools. Millions of Britons face a pay squeeze as wages stagnate and inflation rises. The burgeoning gig economy is sapping security from work; the housing market is broken. And
  
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• Is Labour's strategy working? Possibly. Is it winning? No

  15-05-2017 10:51
  
  Labour is winning over more non-voters than the Tories but it's not enough to turn things around
  
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• The NHS is victim of political short termism - when will the public notice?

  15-05-2017 10:34
  
  The public don't seem to realise the scale of the crisis facing the NHS, but it is worse than at any time in memory
  
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• The Waugh Zone May 15, 2017

  15-05-2017 10:06
  
  The five things you need to know on Monday, May 15…
  1) WORKERS' MAY DAY
  Theresa May is certainly determined to be seen as on the side of the workers. Her overnight package of new rights - from requesting leave to care for family members and new protections for those on short-term contracts - was welcomed by the TUC as ‘promising’.Like her pledge to create more council housing yesterday, this is all seen as yet another foray into Labour territory to secure more Brexit-voting wo
  
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• Stephen Fry Explains Why People Believe Donald Trump

  15-05-2017 09:37
  
  Say what you like about him, one thing you can’t accuse Donald Trump of lacking is confidence in his own beliefs.
  Even when they are demonstrably wrong.
  But what’s perhaps more worrying is the sheer number of people who believe him.
  From climate change being a hoax to immigrants raising the crime rate, there is barely a topic the President hasn’t eschewed a controversial viewpoint on that hasn’t been lapped up by his supporters.
  Luckily Stephen Fry is here to help explai
  
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• Sean Spicer 'Could Be Fired As Press Secretary' After James Comey Sacking Debacle

  15-05-2017 09:32
  
  Another disastrous week for Donald Trump’s administration is fuelling rumours of a massive staff purge, with press secretary, Sean Spicer, reportedly in the firing line.
  The news will come as a shock and perhaps even a disappointment to those who tune in to either his daily press briefings in the hope of witnessing his latest gaffe live or Melissa McCarthy’s now-legendary sketches on SNL."Were you surprised that he fired Comey before he fired you?" #SNLLiveCoastToCoast Sean Spicer Re
  
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• No evidence of second wave of cyber attacks on NHS, says Hunt

  15-05-2017 09:31 via ft.com
  Health service cancellations continue as effects of WannaCry virus linger
  
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• NHS cancellations continue as effects of cyber attack linger

  15-05-2017 09:31 via ft.com
  Fears that further evidence of infected computer systems might come to light
  
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• Labour and Tories to woo working-class voters with new policies

  15-05-2017 09:04 via theguardian.com
  
  Corbyn will promise to remove 1 million patients from NHS waiting lists by 2020 as May unveils extension of workers’ rightsGeneral election 2017 – live updates
  Labour and the Conservatives are to intensify their bidding war for working-class voters with a number of eye-catching policies on workers’ rights and the NHS, as the general election campaign steps up a gear with just over three weeks to go until polling day.Jeremy Corbyn will promise on Monday to take a million patient
  
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• Theresa May vows to expand workers’ rights

  15-05-2017 08:28 via ft.com
  Tories to support ‘gig economy’ workers and impose tougher rules to protect pensions
  
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• Steve Bell’s If ... on the Russian connection: Trump fires the FBI guy

  15-05-2017 08:10 via theguardian.com
  
  Continue reading...
  
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• To prevent more cyberattacks, we need real tech experts in government| Hannah Jane Parkinson

  15-05-2017 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The NHS ransomware attack was the result of staggering ignorance and complacency. The government needs to start taking IT seriouslyThere’s a wonderful Amy Schumer sketch in which the comedian takes her mother and her laptop along to a therapist to try to address the anger that Schumer feels when confronted with her mum’s computer incompetence. “Let’s attach the photo,” Schumer says, once her mum has managed to switch the machine on. “To the computer?” Sc
  
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• Experts Reveal The Steps To Tackle Air Pollution The Government Isn't Prepared To Take

  15-05-2017 08:00
  
  It’s thought to play a part in at least 40,000 deaths every year and is regarded by health professionals as a national crisis, but fixing Britain’s toxic air seems to be low down on the list of priorities for both politicians and the general public. 
  With the exception of London Mayor Sadiq Khan - who has made it one of his key focuses - there appears to be a distinct lack of drive to clean up the air we breathe.
  And despite the World Health Organization warning of pollution&rs
  
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