Political news

• Martin Rowson on Brexit and Tory plans for social care – cartoon

  19-05-2017 23:52 via theguardian.com
  
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• Jamie Oliver condemns Theresa May for scrapping free lunches

  19-05-2017 22:57 via theguardian.com
  
  Prime minister will regret move to slash number of primary school children eligible for free meals, says chefThe celebrity chef and healthy eating campaigner, Jamie Oliver, has attacked the Conservatives over their plans to end free lunches for some of the youngest primary school children.Oliver said the “short-sighted” move would prove a mistake in the long run because it would harm children’s health and end up costing the country. Continue reading...
  
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• Tory social care plans fail to tackle basic funding challenge, IFS says

  19-05-2017 21:08 via theguardian.com
  
  Institute for Fiscal Studies warns of less generous system, as Labour says ‘savage attack’ on pensioners could sway electionTheresa May’s flagship manifesto proposal to shake up the funding of social care for older people has come under fire from the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies and opposition parties. The IFS warned on Friday that the complex new system outlined in the Conservative party’s manifesto, which would force more elderly people to pay for their own
  
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• British voters look like they’re rejecting Santa and embracing Scrooge. Why? | Jonathan Freedland

  19-05-2017 20:44 via theguardian.com
  
  It’s bad news for the Labour party. Despite the popularity of its general election manifesto proposals, credibility matters moreBy rights, Labour should be on course for a landslide win on 8 June. The manifestos of the two main parties are now out, and Labour promises lots of things that people really like, while the Conservatives are offering bitter medicine that will especially hurt those who turn out in big numbers: the old. Surely voters will pick the party of sweet
  
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• The Guardian view on the election in Scotland: a pivotal poll for the SNP | Editorial

  19-05-2017 20:34 via theguardian.com
  
  The last general election was a triumph for the SNP. Now the nationalists face a pushback that will decide if Scotland has a second independence referendumThere are at least three different general elections taking place in the United Kingdom right now. The first, in England and Wales, is largely about Theresa May and Brexit. The second, in Northern Ireland, is about the province’s historic communal divisions. The third is in Scotland, and it is about the issue of independence versus
  
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• UK election countdown: Bloody difficult women

  19-05-2017 20:30
  20 days to go: Tories get stuck in north of the border
  
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• Theresa May’s ‘dementia tax’ triggers Conservative backlash

  19-05-2017 20:07
  Core voters angered by financial impact of pledge to ditch cap on social care bills
  
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• UKIP candidate Paddy Singh suspended over 'racist' tweets

  19-05-2017 20:06 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Paddy Singh made apparently derogatory comments about Africans and Jews.
  
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• Pay for social care? Our reaction shows Britain is a nation of minor aristocrats | Deborah Orr

  19-05-2017 20:06 via theguardian.com
  
  The Tories’ manifesto plan repulses us because we’re so focused on protecting the family estate for the next generationOne of the many enduring miseries of the past 20 years is the particular character of the social care crisis. The most recent Conservative foray into the funding of elderly care is in its general election manifesto, proposing that the number of people who pay for care at home will have to increase, to include anyone with assets worth more than £100,000: so, ess
  
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• Nine-year-old to Corbyn: 'What's strong and stable?'

  19-05-2017 19:57 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Nine-year-old Hasnain Nawaz stole the show at an election speech Jeremy Corbyn gave in Peterborough.
  
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• May refuses to give clarity on second Scottish independence vote

  19-05-2017 19:43
  Reticence suggests Tories could be willing to block another referendum indefinitely
  
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• Scottish Tories challenging SNP in seats where it counts

  19-05-2017 19:30
  Conservatives look set to make gains amid shifts in party allegiance in key seats
  
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• Labour tots up Tory promises – but it's white noise to Supreme Leader | John Crace

  19-05-2017 19:01 via theguardian.com
  
  John McDonnell and Rebecca Long-Bailey put figures on Conservatives’ uncosted pledges, but nobody’s listening If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? The more the Conservative campaign turns into the triumphal march of the zombie apocalypse, the more Labour’s resembles the night of the living dead. The odds against them are just too great. If it was revealed that Theresa May had axed her parents to death in a psychopathic rage, there&r
  
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• Julian Assange's future far from clear despite dropping of Sweden inquiry

  19-05-2017 19:01 via theguardian.com
  
  The WikiLeaks founder could find that life is no easier after Swedish prosecutors dropped their investigation into himSwedish prosecutors may have decided to drop their investigation into an allegation of rape against Julian Assange, but the future for the WikiLeaks founder is far from clear – and may even be more precarious. Related: Julian Assange signals he will stay in Ecuadorian embassyContinue reading...
  
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• The advisers behind the birth of Mayism: dream team or terrible twosome?

  19-05-2017 19:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Fiona Hill and Nick Timothy keep the May power vortex spinning with what insiders describe as a high-pressure blame cultureThe manifesto for Mayism was stitched together on an upper floor of Conservative campaign headquarters over the past few weeks by a tight-knit team of the prime minister’s most trusted advisers.While May has been out on the road giving stump speeches nearly every day, her policy team has been holed up in Matthew Parker Street in Westminster composing a document intende
  
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• Election 2017: May and Davidson promise to stand up to SNP

  19-05-2017 18:52 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Scottish Tories publish their manifesto saying they are the party of a strong UK.
  
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• John McDonnell IRA Apology Does Not Excuse 'Insensitive And Hurtful' Comments, Says Bomb Victim's Dad

  19-05-2017 18:40
  
  John McDonnell’s apology for praising the IRA does not excuse his ‘hurtful and insensitive actions’ at the time, the dad of a young bomb victim said today.
  Colin Parry, whose 12-year-old son Tim died in the Warrington bomb blast in 1993, said the Shadow Chancellor was ‘clearly trying to balance his comments’ when grilled at an election campaign press conference in London.
  McDonnell appeared alongside shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey to talk about the im
  
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• General election 2017: Tories called 'utter hypocrites' for wanting winter fuel payment cuts for England but not Scotland – as it happened

  19-05-2017 18:14 via theguardian.com
  
  All the day’s campaign news, as Labour calls Tory plans an ‘84-page blank cheque’ and Ruth Davidson unveils Scottish Conservatives’ versionThe Snap: sign up for our daily election email – and read today’s
  Fallon admits Tories don’t know how much plan to cut migration will cost economyKen Clarke’s Today interview – summaryLabour press conference – summaryAfternoon summary 4.56pm BSTWell, we have devolution in the United Kingdom and, as a
  
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• General election leaflets: strong and stable May and Corbyn as a warning

  19-05-2017 18:09 via theguardian.com
  
  Readers share the election leaflets coming through their letterbox, including personal letters from Theresa May and Labour MPs sticking to local issuesWe’ve been asking our readers to share the leaflets they’ve been receiving as the general election campaign hots up.From the campaign material they’ve shared with us so far, some themes have emerged. Continue reading...
  
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• How tough would it be to bring down net migration?

  19-05-2017 17:57 via bbc.co.uk
  
  What are the Tories proposing to meet their aim of bringing net migration down to tens of thousands?
  
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• Net Migration Must Be 'Double Tory Target' To Prevent Economic Crisis, Think Tank Says

  19-05-2017 17:37
  
  Net migration in the UK must be at least double the level set in the government’s target to prevent economic catastrophe and a public service crisis, new research shows.
  Think tank Global Future, whose advisory council includes leaders from business, politics and the arts, says an absolute minimum level of 200,000 a year is essential to sustaining growth, stabilising the working age population and preventing severe staff shortages in a range of sectors, including the NHS.
  Backed by senior
  
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• General election 2017: Germans call May 'The Ice Queen'

  19-05-2017 17:33 via bbc.co.uk
  
  European media see the UK election as a Conservative power grab - and see little opposition to Theresa May on Brexit.
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn Could Beat Theresa May If Only Under-50s Voted, Pollster Says

  19-05-2017 17:06
  
  Jeremy Corbyn would have a chance of beating Theresa May if only people under 50 were voting, a leading pollster has said.
  The latest poll of polls puts Labour on 31%, 16 points behind the Tories who could win around 390 seats on June 8.
  But Stephan Shakespeare, chief executive of polling firm YouGov, said those within Labour who blamed Corbyn for its bad polling should not dismiss him or his movement, given the support he had among younger people.
  “Important sections of the electorate rea
  
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• Labour's 2015 election result is no yardstick for success, says Starmer

  19-05-2017 17:05 via theguardian.com
  
  Shadow Brexit secretary says it would not be enough to top Miliband’s 30.4% of vote if Tories significantly increase majority
  Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, has rejected the idea that improving on Ed Miliband’s vote share in the last election would mark a good performance for the Labour party on 8 June.Labour’s standing in the polls has been creeping up since the start of the election campaign, and senior allies of Jeremy Corbyn have suggested that if the leader top
  
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• Labour hopes to win over pensioners hit by Tory manifesto

  19-05-2017 16:51
  Mrs May has promised to cut benefits and make the elderly pay more for care
  
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• General election 2017: History of the TV swingometer

  19-05-2017 16:41 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Looking at the evolution of the results tool that began as a simple hand-made prop.
  
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• Who should I vote for? The UK election manifestos compared

  19-05-2017 16:36 via theguardian.com
  
  The key pledges made by Labour, the Conservatives and the Lib Dems in the run-up to the UK general election Continue reading...
  
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• How To Register To Vote In The General Election 2017: Everything You Need To Know

  19-05-2017 16:28
  
  On June 8, millions of people will go to the polls to decide which political party should lead the UK. 
  Since Theresa May announced the snap General Election last month, more than a million young people have joined the electoral roll. 
  But thousands of potential voters still stand to miss out on having their say because they have not registered. 
  But who can register to vote and how do you do it? Who can register to vote? 
  British, Irish and Commonwealth citizens can all
  
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• How British politicians fell out of love with the market

  19-05-2017 16:02
  We are paying the price for failing to make a nuanced case for free enterprise
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn Asked By Little Boy What 'Strong And Stable' Means

  19-05-2017 15:51
  
  It seems Theresa May’s “strong and stable” catchphrase has even cut through to some children.
  Speaking in Peterborough on Friday afternoon, Jeremy Corbyn was asked what the prime minister’s favourite phrase meant.
  “Thank you for your question,” he told the boy. “Strong and stable is an odd choice of words.” The Labour leader added: “I think you should understand, what strength is about, it’s about your sense of belief about yo
  
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• NHS performance data delay 'disappointing', regulator says

  19-05-2017 15:14 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An NHS regulator was advised against publishing performance data by the government.
  
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• Is Paul Mason Goading Jeremy Corbyn And Labour With This Progressive Alliance Video?

  19-05-2017 14:58
  
  It would be difficult to accuse Paul Mason of sitting on the fence when it comes to politics.
  A vocal Jeremy Corbyn supporter, the former broadcast journalist-turned commentator has never shied away from saying where his loyalties lie, defending the Labour leader against attacks from ‘biased’ media outlets. 
  But in a video uploaded by Compass - the organisation behind the Progressive Alliance campaign encouraging people to vote for the party most likely to beat the Tories in the
  
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• Labour condemns Tory 'triple whammy' for older people

  19-05-2017 14:57 via theguardian.com
  
  John McDonnell says proposals on pensions, winter fuel and social care are a savage attack on vulnerable pensioners
  Conservative plans to end the pensions triple lock and means test the winter fuel allowance are a “savage attack on vulnerable pensioners”, John McDonnell has said, as he seeks to position Labour as the party representing older voters. Related: General election 2017: Tories don't know how much plan to cut migration will cost economy, Fallon admits – politics liveC
  
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• The stormy summer ahead for David Davis

  19-05-2017 14:55
  Main point of difference with EU remains the structure of the talks
  
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• Brexit negotiations set to start on 19 June

  19-05-2017 14:50 via theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: EU chief negotiator plans to start talks billed as most important in UK history 11 days after general electionThe EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, has pencilled in 19 June for the first formal day of talks with Britain about its withdrawal from the European Union, in what are being billed as the most important negotiations in the country’s history.That highly symbolic morning, Barnier will face whoever is the British Brexit secretary after the election for the first
  
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• Glasgow East: 'This election is negative and full of hate'

  19-05-2017 14:31 via theguardian.com
  
  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 our second visit to Glasgow East, Lisa O’Carroll meets a former Labour-supporting family who have become politically divided. Photographs by Murdo MacLeodKaren and Douglas Connell are proud of their three daughters: they think for themselves and are active citizens. “I’m glad I brought up my girls to be politically minded,”
  
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• James Comey Disguised Himself As A Curtain To Avoid Trump And It's All In A Glorious Video

  19-05-2017 14:13
  
  James Comey once disguised himself as a blue curtain in order to hide from Donald Trump.
  Do you need anything else?
  OK, here’s some background.
  By now it is no secret that the former FBI Director and the President do not get along, culminating in the former being fired by the latter last week.
  Before this happened, back in January, Comey was representing the FBI at a ceremony to honour the security personnel who worked Trump’s inauguration.
  The New York Times takes up the story, as t
  
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• Week in Review: The immigration target which isn't meant to be reached

  19-05-2017 13:58
  
  We should all hope that Theresa May isn't foolish enough to try to hit her immigration target
  
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• Truth seekers: inside the UK election's fake news war room

  19-05-2017 13:42 via theguardian.com
  
  In an office in London, fact checkers part-funded by Google and Facebook are hard at work attempting to stem the endless flow of fake stories In cramped offices just a few hundred metres from Buckingham Palace, the crack troops of the war against fake news are on high alert.Professional fact checkers, economists and statisticians are among 25 staff being part-funded by Google and Facebook to protect the UK general election from fake news in an initiative run by Full Fact and First Draft, two fac
  
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• Jamie Oliver: Axing free school meals a disgrace

  19-05-2017 13:41 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Theresa May's plan to axe free school meals is a disgrace, says TV chef Jamie Oliver.
  
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• Labour Demand Tories Scrap Plan To End Winter Fuel Payments For Richer Pensioners

  19-05-2017 13:36
  
  Labour has today demanded the Tories scrap plans to introduce means-tested winter fuel payments for pensioners.
  Shadow chancellor John McDonnell and Rebecca Long-Bailey, the shadow business secretary, held a joint press conference on Friday to set out how planned changes to benefits for older people unveiled in the Conservative manifesto were putting millions ‘at risk’.
  McDonnell said means-testing the benefit rather than making it available for all would mean fewer people will clai
  
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• UK election: what I learnt this week

  19-05-2017 13:29
  May has nabbed from right and left in a way that leaves the opposition high and dry
  
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• Places that bar whisky and Britain’s Macron take centre stage

  19-05-2017 13:29
  May has nabbed from right and left in a way that leaves the opposition high and dry
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn Is Less Recognisable To Young Voters Than Peppa Pig, Survey Reveals

  19-05-2017 13:23
  
  Young voters are so disengaged from politics, more of them can identify Peppa Pig than Jeremy Corbyn, according to new research. 
  A survey of more than 2,000 British adults found that just 78% of 18-to-24 year olds could recognise the Labour leader, while 93% knew exactly who the cartoon pig was. 
  Theresa May fared slightly better, with 90% able to identify the Prime Minister, but both she and Tim Farron came in behind Peppa Pig, and only 49% of under 25s knowing the leader of the Lib
  
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• General Election 2017: Danny DeVito And 14 More Unexpected Celebrities Who Back Jeremy Corbyn

  19-05-2017 12:58
  
  Danny DeVito is the latest famous face to get behind Jeremy Corbyn and encourage people to register to vote.
  The US actor even used the #grime4corbyn hastag made popular by MC JME as he endorsed the Labour leader on Twitter.
  As HuffPost UK exclusively reveals a Loughborough University study of the media showing the majority of national newspapers have been more critical of Corbyn and the Labour party than positive, we take a look at the other unexpected celebrities who stood up for the
  
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• ITV Leaders' debate: Paul, Leanne and... Natalie?

  19-05-2017 12:46 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Find out what's buzzing in the social media world today.
  
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• Video: What happened the last time Britain created a centrist party?

  19-05-2017 10:18
  
  With the victory of Macron in France and continued exasperation with Corbyn at home, liberals are constantly discussing a new centrist party. But what happened the last time they tried it?
  
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• Len McCluskey Backtracked On Labour 200 Seats Success Claim Because He 'Woke Up Feeling More Optimistic', Says John McDonnell

  19-05-2017 09:53
  
  Unite leader Len McCluskey rowed back from claims holding just 200 seats would be a good night for Labour because he ‘woke up feeling more optimistic’, John McDonnell says.
  The Shadow Chancellor was quizzed on Friday’s Today programme on what he thought of McCluskey’s claim the loss of 32 seats would make for a successful election campaign. 
  The union chief later backtracked, said his comments had been ‘taken out of context’ and that he was ‘full of
  
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• The Waugh Zone May 19, 2017

  19-05-2017 09:51
  
  The five things you need to know on Friday, May 19…This morning's "optimistic" Waugh Zone is by Ned Simons. Paul is away.1) MAYISM IS A THING"There is no 'Mayism'," the prime minister demurred at her manifesto launch yesterday. But it's hard to see her rejection of "selfish individualism" and the ripping up of several Cameron-era commitments as anything other than Theresa May making a break from Thatcherism and forging her own brand of Conservatism. As Paul, who was in Halifax for the man
  
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• Question Time Audience Member's Comment On Private Schools Draws Massive Jeer

  19-05-2017 09:50
  
  A young gentleman in the Question Time audience provoked one of the strongest reactions ever seen on the show after describing “the brightest and the best” as deserving of private school education.
  The panel on Thursday night’s show was debating Labour’s proposal for free school meals for all primary school children, which would be paid for by removing the VAT exemption on private school fees.
  Labour’s shadow education secretary, Angela Rayner, had given a rousing d
  
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