Political news

• Paul Nuttall Keeps Calling Leanne Wood 'Natalie' During ITV Leaders' Debate

  18-05-2017 22:59
  
  Paul Nuttall has raised questions about his ability to tell women apart by calling Leanne Wood “Natalie” twice during the ITV Leaders’ Debate, despite being corrected the first time.
  The Ukip leader was facing four other party leaders on Thursday and confused Wood, the Plaid Cymru leader, with... someone called Natalie.
  Twice.The first time, he was arguing with Wood, a Remainer, over Brexit’s impact on Wales.
  “Natalie,” he began.
  “I’m not Natalie,
  
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• May signals break with Thatcherism in manifesto for 'country and community'

  18-05-2017 22:11 via theguardian.com
  
  PM seeks controversial shakeup of social care and end to ‘untrammelled free markets’ as Labour attacks uncosted promises as ‘84-page blank cheque’• General election 2017 - latest updatesTheresa May has promised to ditch right-wing, free-market dogma and return to “true Conservatism”, as she launched a general election manifesto heavy on philosophy and light on costed giveaways.
  Brandishing the slim navy volume, entitled Forward, Together, at a launch even
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn And Theresa May 'Pathetic' Says ITV's Robert Peston

  18-05-2017 22:11
  
  Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn have been called “pathetic” by Robert Peston for not taking part in ITV’s leaders’ debate.
  The Tory and Labour leaders declined the channel’s invite, leaving the five other leaders to debate in the first televised clash of this election.
  Ahead of the debate in Salford, Peston was on ITV News At Six promoting the clash that was due to kick off an hour later.
  When asked about Corbyn and May’s no-show, Peston said: “Well, many
  
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• Conservatives commit to shale gas and electric cars

  18-05-2017 21:43
  Manifesto sets goal for Britain to have lowest energy prices in Europe
  
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• Conservative plans for elderly care meet mixed reaction

  18-05-2017 21:19
  Compared with 2015, manifesto is less generous to the old in significant respects
  
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• Theresa May delivers a manifesto for Middle England

  18-05-2017 20:21
  But a disregard for business sits ill with promise of a strong economy
  
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• It is time for Britain to talk about raising taxes

  18-05-2017 20:04
  The pressure to increase spending on health and pensions will become inexorable
  
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• UK Election Countdown: Maggie May

  18-05-2017 19:49
  21 days to go: the first post-Thatcherite prime minister
  
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• Theresa May's manifesto – Politics Weekly podcast

  18-05-2017 19:49 via theguardian.com
  
  Anushka Asthana is joined by Rowena Mason, John Crace and the FT’s George Parker at the Conservative manifesto launch. Plus: Peter Walker reports from Clacton-on-Sea where Ukip are defending their only seat in parliamentTheresa May launched the Conservative manifesto in Halifax, speaking of country and community, and rejecting “untrammelled free markets” in her pitch to the values of swing voters. But details of how her party planned to manage the country’s finances were
  
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• Conservative manifesto: panel beater

  18-05-2017 19:42
  Tory pledges would make the UK less accessible to foreign investor
  
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• UK business reacts coldly to Conservative election manifesto

  18-05-2017 19:29
  Both the tone and detail of policy programme have been criticised
  
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• Conservative manifesto summary: Key points at-a-glance

  18-05-2017 19:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Conservatives launch their manifesto ahead of the general election. Here are some key points.
  
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• Waugh Zone Special: Tory 2017 Manifesto

  18-05-2017 19:12
  
  The five things you need to know about the Tory 2017 manifesto…1) ENEMY LINES
  Locations for election manifesto launches always tell you a lot about the ambition (or lack of it) of a party leader. Theresa May chose Halifax very deliberately indeed, as it sums up both sides of the May personality – the safe Theresa and the bold Theresa.
  Safe, because Labour MP Holly Lynch has a tiny majority of just 428 votes and the barest puff of wind from a Tory swing would turn it Tory. But Halifa
  
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• Tory lead over Labour narrows again

  18-05-2017 18:56
  Recovery in polling for main opposition party did not come at the expense of the Conservatives
  
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• Tory lead in polls over Labour narrows again

  18-05-2017 18:56
  Recovery in polling for main opposition party did not come at the expense of the Conservatives
  
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• Conservative manifesto: Theresa May targets mainstream Britain'

  18-05-2017 18:47 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The party's manifesto includes big changes to social care funding - and aims to balance the budget by 2025.
  
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• General Election 2017: The Most Weird, Wonderful And Downright Awkward Moments So Far As Voted For By You

  18-05-2017 18:39
  
  It’s now less than a month until the UK goes to the polls - and the General Election campaign has already provided a plethora of weird, wonderful and, of course, horribly awkward moments.
  So far we’ve had candidates swearing at schoolchildren, awkward attempts at door knocking, car crash interviews and invitations to “smell my spaniel” - and who knows what else awaits us as the campaign unfolds?We’ve rounded up some of the best moments so far - but which of them do
  
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• Conservative manifesto points

  18-05-2017 18:30
  Theresa May to scrap ‘triple-lock’ guarantee on pension rises
  
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• Theresa May calls for end to ‘selfish individualism’ in Conservative manifesto

  18-05-2017 18:23
  Prime minister attempts to woo Labour voters by getting tough on business
  
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• The Tory manifesto is an uncosted shambles

  18-05-2017 18:08
  
  After attacking Labour over its manifesto costings, the Conservatives have barely offered any figures at all
  
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• David Clarke Says He's Joining The Trump Administration - Here's Why That's Worrying

  18-05-2017 18:08
  
  There was outcry on Wednesday night after it emerged that a controversial US sheriff is reportedly to take up a position in the Department of Homeland Security.
  David Clarke, Milwaukee’s stetson-wearing county sheriff, said he would be joining Donald Trump’s administration as an intermediary between federal government and local and state law enforcement.
  The department has not yet confirmed his appointment.Clarke, who says he will be assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland
  
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• Conservative Manifesto 2017 Shows The Tories Have Changed Their Mind On These Nine Pledges

  18-05-2017 17:38
  
  The Tories sound more relaxed about tax increases and less bold in their economic forecasts in the manifesto they launched today, than they did in 2015.
  Here are nine parts of the manifesto launched today where Theresa May’s party has changed its mind in the last two years.
  -- 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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• LSE cleaners dispute shows the true ugliness of the British class system

  18-05-2017 17:35
  
  The LSE teaches about inequality while its cleaners fight for a fair deal
  
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• Theresa May faces the tough manifesto questions

  18-05-2017 17:06
  The prime minister prepares to park her tanks on Labour’s lawn
  
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• Theresa May and a manifesto that’s a Labour of love

  18-05-2017 17:06
  The prime minister prepares to park her tanks on Labour’s lawn
  
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• Conservatives pledge to scrap Serious Fraud Office

  18-05-2017 16:52
  Transfer of remit to National Crime Agency raises concern about loss of focus
  
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• Theresa May makes pitch for centre ground with Conservative manifesto

  18-05-2017 16:28
  Conservatives take ideas from across the political spectrum
  
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• Theresa May’s manifesto promises a hard Brexit

  18-05-2017 16:17
  UK prime minister stops wavering and is back to advocating a tough approach
  
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• Tories receive £50,000 from man questioned by Serious Fraud Office

  18-05-2017 16:12 via theguardian.com
  
  Ayman Asfari, whose wife matched his donation, was interviewed in bribery and money-laundering investigation• General election 2017 - latest updatesTheresa May’s election campaign has received a £50,000 donation from a Syrian-born businessman who was recently interviewed by the Serious Fraud Office, according to official data.Ayman Asfari, the chief executive of the oil services group Petrofac, gave the money to the Tories just days before the Guardian disclosed that he was rece
  
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• Harrow West: 'Corbyn? People are more likely to raise fly-tipping'

  18-05-2017 16:00 via theguardian.com
  
  In the run-up to the general election, six Guardian reporters are writing from constituencies around the country. In the second of their dispatches from the Labour seat, Gary Younge and photographer Graeme Robertson join campaigners on the doorstep to hear about the issues motivating voters in the London suburbLast April, shortly before Brexit but eight months after Jeremy Corbyn had been made leader of the opposition, Alice Cann, 34, joined the Labour party in Harrow West. “I almost alway
  
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• Tory manifesto: May lays ground for Brexit compromise

  18-05-2017 15:56
  
  The PM has decided not to take on her critics and instead prepared to capitulate to EU demands
  
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• Mayism Is A Thing Only Not What Theresa May Had In Mind

  18-05-2017 15:52
  
  There is no May-ism"With these four words, Theresa May today finally distanced herself from accusations she wants to be compared to Margaret Thatcher and solidly defined what brand of Conservatism she wants people to vote for in the General Election.
  Well, she thought she did.
  “There is no ‘Mayism’. I know you journalists like to write about it. There is good solid Conservatism, which puts the interests of the country and the interests of ordinary working people at the heart o
  
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• Theresa May: the first post-Thatcherite prime minister

  18-05-2017 15:38
  The Tory leader’s manifesto is a break from the past, writes Sebastian Payne
  
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• Early figures show Conservative fundraising muscle

  18-05-2017 15:24
  Donors boosted party’s coffers with £4m in first week, says Electoral Commission
  
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• Conservative Manifesto Prompts Outcry Over Child Poverty Pledge Watering Down

  18-05-2017 14:38
  
  The Conservatives have faced a barrage of criticism over what appeared to be a dumbing down of promises on tackling child poverty.
  The party’s 2017 manifesto said they “want to eliminate child poverty”.
  But this was contrasted by many with their declaration in 2015, when they said they would “work to eliminate child poverty”.Big change in #torymanifesto pic.twitter.com/5k5YIoOXD7— Paul Waugh (@paulwaugh) May 18, 2017
  Many reacted angrily to the contrast...Voti
  
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• Conservative Party Vows To Make It Even Tougher For International Students To Come To Britain

  18-05-2017 14:11
  
  Students and academics have reacted furiously after the Conservative Party pledged to make it even more difficult for international students to attend UK universities. 
  The party announced in its manifesto on Thursday that it will introduce “tougher” visa rules for overseas students if elected into power, while also creating higher requirements for those who want to work in Britain after graduating. 
  Despite prolonged calls from activists, international students will also c
  
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• Theresa May Rejects 'Untrammelled Free Markets' And 'Selfish Individualism' In Grab For Centre Ground

  18-05-2017 14:03
  
  Theresa May has said there is no such thing as “Mayism” only “good solid Conservatism”, as she published the Tory manifesto which rejected “untrammelled free markets” and “selfish individualism”.
  The policy programme has been seen as an attempt to claim the centre ground of British politics ahead of the general election on June 8 and has been seen as a move away from Thatcherism.
  The Conservative Party is running a overtly presidential ca
  
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• Donald Trump's Campaign Team 'Had At Least 18 Calls And Emails With Russians'

  18-05-2017 14:01
  
  Donald Trump’s campaign team were in communication with Russian officials far more than currently disclosed and even discussed bypassing US intelligence agencies to set up a back channel direct to Vladimir Putin, according to reports.
  Reuters say sources familiar with the current FBI and Congressional investigations into the matter say Michael Flynn and other advisers exchanged at least 18 undisclosed calls and emails with Russian officials in the last seven months of the 2016 presidential
  
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• Elderly react to Conservative plans on care costs

  18-05-2017 13:52
  Some angry, some pragmatic, as news of Theresa May’s policies filters through
  
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• Tory social care plans are a nudge to be unhealthy and eat pizza

  18-05-2017 13:47
  They entrench incentives to divest wealth early, writes Chris Giles
  
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• Labour cuts poll gap with Conservatives

  18-05-2017 13:41
  Ipsos Mori finds 34 per cent of respondents intend to vote for Corbyn’s party, up 8 points
  
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• Conservative Manifesto 2017 PDF In Full: Theresa May Publishes Her Programme For Government

  18-05-2017 13:09
  
  Theresa May has unveiled her the Conservative Party’s manifesto for the general election on June 8.
  The policy document includes plans to reform social care, scrap the triple-lock on pensions, ditch the tax lock, bin universal free school meals and keep the 100,000 immigration target.
  Speaking at the launch of the manifesto, May said it “identifies the five great giant challenges we face as a country - the need for strong economy, responding to Brexit, tackling enduring social divisi
  
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• Latest General Election Polls Show Labour Bounce As Jeremy Corbyn Narrows Gap With Tories

  18-05-2017 12:38
  
  Labour has been given a significant boost in two general election polls out today, prompting Jeremy Corbyn supporters to “keep up the fight”. 
  An Ipsos MORI survey for the Evening Standard gave Labour an eight point jump in popularity, while a YouGov poll for The Times gave Jeremy Corbyn’s party a two-point boost.
  However both polls showed the Tories to have a commanding lead in the June 8 vote.
  The YouGov survey pushed the overall support for
  
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• Parties suspend election campaigning in Wales after death of Rhodri Morgan

  18-05-2017 12:26 via theguardian.com
  
  Tributes from across the political divide celebrate the life and contribution of former first minister, who has died aged 77 All political parties have suspended campaigning in Wales as a mark of respect for the former Welsh first minister Rhodri Morgan, who has died aged 77.Tributes to Morgan were led by the current first minister, Carwyn Jones, who said the Labour party in Wales had lost a father figure.Continue reading...
  
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• Jeremy Hunt Admits Tory Manifesto Dropped 'Unfair' 2015 Pledge On Social Care

  18-05-2017 11:44
  
  Jeremy Hunt has admitted that the Tories are “dropping” a key 2015 election pledge on elderly care because they “don’t think it’s fair”.
  After trying to shift the blame onto economist Andrew Dilnot, the Health Secretary conceded on Thursday that the Conservatives are abandoning a pledge they made two years ago to cap care costs.Hunt’s comments come after Dilnot, author of the Dilnot Review into social care, lambasted the Conservatives’ plan to
  
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• Donald Trump Needs His Name Repeated In Briefings To Keep His Attention, Say Aides

  18-05-2017 11:29
  
  Officials briefing Donald Trump on his first trip abroad as President are so worried he’s going to make a mess of it they’re going to extraordinary lengths to ensure he learns everything he needs to know.
  National Security Council officials have strategically included his name in “as many paragraphs as we can because he keeps reading if he’s mentioned,” reports Reuters.
  Trump, who has a famously short attention span and has been dogged by rumours he struggles to rea
  
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• General election 2017: Tory ​social ​care plans will leave 'many worse off', says expert Andrew Dilnot – politics live

  18-05-2017 11:03 via theguardian.com
  
  All the day’s campaign news, as Conservatives offer version of plans dismissed as ‘death tax’, with winter fuel payments to be means-testedConservative manifesto: five things to watch for
  The Snap: sign up for our daily election email – and read today’s
  Care expert Andrew Dilnot condemns Tory plans as inadequate 10.03am BSTThe Bow Group, a Conservative party thinktank which used to be establishment and centrist but which in recent years has focused on goading the pa
  
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• Tim Farron can still reach out to the Lib Dems’ lost tribe, the Liberal Brexiters | David Boyle

  18-05-2017 11:00 via theguardian.com
  
  To be an effective opposition, the Lib Dems needs to state clearly what it shares with this estranged group: scepticism about large, over-mighty institutionsI don’t think I’m the only Liberal Democrat to have identified unreasonable optimism as one of the characteristics of my own party. In some senses it’s built in: during the bad times – let’s face it, quite a lot of the time – those not optimistic enough go off and do something else.There are positives and
  
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• UK companies to pay £2,000 a year for each non-EU worker

  18-05-2017 10:49
  Government defends move to double the charge if it wins election
  
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• Conservative manifesto shows May willing to confront core voters

  18-05-2017 10:35
  Launch aims to address social divisions and extend into Labour territory
  
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