Political news

• Labour pledges VAT cut to help families on low incomes

  03-06-2017 23:07 via theguardian.com
  
  Shadow chancellor John McDonnell says strong growth will pay for plan and reiterated that 95% of people would face no income tax rises after a Labour victoryLabour will aim to help tens of millions of people who are struggling on lower incomes by cutting the rate of VAT if it wins the general election, the shadow chancellor John McDonnell has told the Observer.The new pledge to use the proceeds of future growth to reduce VAT from its current 20% level came as Theresa May and her senior mini
  
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• Labour Claim Tory Cuts Will See Police Levels Drop To Lowest In 40 Years

  03-06-2017 23:01
  
  A new Labour analysis has suggested that projected Tory cuts to funding will take police numbers back to the same level as 40 years ago.
  Using existing plans for projecting forward spending, Labour said that government spending on police in real terms will fall by £850 million over the next Parliament if Theresa May is re-elected.
  There are currently 122,859 officers in the 43 police forces in England and Wales, which Labour claims would be reduced by 16,732 over the next 5 years.A reducti
  
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• Tactical voting drive targets remain voters in Theresa May’s own seat

  03-06-2017 23:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Gina Miller’s anti-hard Brexit campaign will back 36 candidates – including the Lib Dem in Maidenhead, the prime minister’s constituencyGina Miller, the pro-Europe campaigner, has launched a tactical voting drive in Theresa May’s own seat amid claims that tightening polls show there is no mandate for a “hard Brexit”.Voters in the prime minister’s Maidenhead constituency, which backed Remain in the EU referendum, will be targeted with material urging them
  
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• Tories are in chaos over tax pledges, says Jeremy Corbyn

  03-06-2017 22:04 via theguardian.com
  
  Theresa May refuses to back Michael Fallon’s comment that high earners would not face income tax rises under Conservative governmentTheresa May refused to back Michael Fallon, the defence secretary, yesterday after he had claimed that high earners would not face income tax rises under a new Conservative government.Fallon said in an interview that “the only way” for higher-rate taxpayers to “be sure their taxes won’t rise is to vote Conservative”. In contrast,
  
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• Fear of Brexit brain drain as EU nationals leave British universities

  03-06-2017 21:54 via theguardian.com
  
  Failure to guarantee rights of staff and students will damage ability to recruit, say academicsMore than 1,300 academics from the European Union have left British universities in the past year, prompting concerns of a Brexit brain drain.There has been a 30% rise in departures of EU staff in just two years, according to data released by dozens of universities under the Freedom of Information Act. Continue reading...
  
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• Corbyn has caught the mood of a UK grown tired of austerity

  03-06-2017 19:16
  Britain is not a leftwing country, but voters want a story to unify around
  
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• Iain Duncan Smith Has A Rather Unfortunate Slip Of The Tongue On BBC Breakfast

  03-06-2017 18:30
  
  Iain Duncan Smith suffered a rather unfortunate slip of the tongue while speaking on BBC Breakfast on Saturday morning.
  The former work and pensions secretary was asked by Naga Munchetty about the confusion over tax pledges in the Tory manifesto.Freudian slip from Ian Duncan Smith this morning. #GE2017 #GE17 #election2017 #GeneralElection via @photoharveyhook pic.twitter.com/0dc0JQMKQL— Jeremy Corbyn for PM (@CorbynFor_PM) June 3, 2017
  She said: “Theresa May has dropped the trip
  
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• Conservatives forced to clarify position on tax rises

  03-06-2017 18:15
  May insists plans unchanged after senior party members pledge not to raise taxes
  
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• Tory Campaigner Gets More Than They Bargained For When They Interrupt Mum While FaceTiming Son

  03-06-2017 18:05
  
  Tomos James was FaceTiming his mum, Clare, when a Tory campaigner came to the door - and boy, we bet they regretted it.
  In a clip posted by her son on Twitter, she can be heard giving the canvasser a piece of her mind.
  She could be heard saying: “I work with disabled children. They’ve cut and cut and cut services and money for disabled children. And I know what it’s like.
  “I know what it’s like to be in those houses.”So some Conservative came to visit my mum w
  
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• Voters' Opinions Split On Whether Theresa May Was Right To Reject TV Debates

  03-06-2017 18:01
  
  Voters’ opinions are split on whether Theresa May was right to refuse to take part in TV debates - but most are still planning on backing her in the general election.
  Participants in the last HuffPost UK-Edelman focus groups of the campaign were asked whether they thought the Prime Minister had done the right thing in deciding not to participate in a BBC debate between all main parties earlier this week.
  Opinion among the ex-UKIP voters from Folkestone, Kent, was divided, with some saying
  
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• How UK prime minister Theresa May fumbled her own election

  03-06-2017 17:33 via theguardian.com
  
  The surprise British election was meant to be all about Brexit, and to pitch the prime minister as the only serious leader. Now her gamble could backfireA week before a British election that was meant to be a foregone conclusion, Theresa May finds herself where no Conservative prime minister ever wants to be – neck-deep in political hot water in the genteel city of Bath.Home to a comfortable Tory majority in the 2015 general election, this ought to be a parliamentary constituency where the
  
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• Theresa May: Tory tax plans have not changed

  03-06-2017 17:14 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Theresa May was speaking after a senior Tory minister appeared to signal no tax rises for high earners.
  
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• Theresa May approval rating sinks as Tory lead shrinks to six points

  03-06-2017 17:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Research shows growing Labour support amid Tory tax row, but Conservatives could still secure substantial majorityThe Conservative lead over Labour has shrunk to six points in the latest Opinium poll for the Observer, as Theresa May’s personal approval rating sank ahead of the final week of campaigning.The research showed a two-point rise for Labour over the past week, which means the party has narrowed the Tories’ lead in the polls by more than 13 points since the start of the campa
  
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• Election 2017: Tories under fire over tax plan 'chaos' after Fallon pledge – as it happened

  03-06-2017 16:47 via theguardian.com
  
  Follow the latest updates as Labour and the Liberal Democrats accuse Theresa May of ‘mayhem’ over Conservative promises not to raise income tax 3.47pm BSTVoting intention polls due today (5pm onwards):ComRes (GB)
  ICM (GB)
  Opinium (GB)
  ORB (GB)
  Survation (GB)
  Survation (Scotland)
  YouGov (GB) 2.47pm BSTWith less than a week to go before polling day, British newspapers and magazines have begun publishing their traditional election editorials, advising readers on how to vote. The Guardia
  
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• Which parties are the UK press backing in the general election?

  03-06-2017 15:36 via theguardian.com
  
  National newspapers and magazines make their endorsements clear, with a focus on Theresa May and Jeremy CorbynWith five days left before the second general election in two years, national newspapers are making their endorsements clear for Thursday’s poll. Continue reading...
  
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• Corbyn vows to protect Britons from any threat after Trident criticism

  03-06-2017 15:23 via theguardian.com
  
  Labour leader suggests party would provide more armed services personnel, naval ships and RAF surveillance planesGeneral election campaign – live coverage
  Jeremy Corbyn has promised to protect Britain from global threats after facing criticism for refusing to say during a televised election debate whether he would launch a retaliatory nuclear strike.The Labour leader suggested he would sign off on more ships for the navy and extra surveillance aircraft for the air force alongside pledges t
  
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• Theresa May Refuses To Rule Out Income Tax Rises Despite Pledges By Senior Ministers

  03-06-2017 15:06
  
  Theresa May has refused to rule out a rise in income tax, following comments made by some of her senior ministers.
  When asked about pledges made by Sir Michael Fallon and Boris Johnson while in Dewsbury on Saturday the prime minister simply insisted that the Tories were the “low tax party”.
  She added: “Our position on tax has not changed. We have set it out in the manifesto.“What people will know when they go to vote on Thursday is that it is the Conservative Party that a
  
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• BBC Question Time Audience Member Reminds Theresa May About Philip Hammond's Numbers Blooper

  03-06-2017 13:06
  
  While Diane Abbott has been pilloried for a number of interviews in which she has struggled with figures, one Question Time audience member reminded Theresa May that her party doesn’t have the perfect track record either.
  After the prime minster referenced Abbott’s blooper, a member of the audience in York told her: “Philip Hammond, who’s the Chancellor of the Exchequer, got a £20 billion miscalculation a few weeks ago. So I think that’s a bit rude.”
  The
  
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• Boris Johnson Blows A Kiss At Ian Lavery And Calls Andrew Gwynne A 'Big Girl's Blouse'

  03-06-2017 12:16
  
  Boris Johnson put on a bizarre display of behaviour on Friday night which included blowing kisses and almost falling over.
  Ahead of the BBC Question Time special featuring Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn, the foreign secretary was interviewed on Sky News.
  While answering a question, Labour campaign chief Andrew Gwynne popped into the frame, asking Johnson why he would not go head to head with him.Andrew Gwynne asks Boris Johnson why he wouldn't go head-to-head, Boris Johnson pulls him back and cal
  
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• FT readers: an outsider’s view of life on the UK campaign trail

  03-06-2017 11:24
  A day behind-the-scenes with Theresa May and the political press pack
  
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• General Election Strops, Sulks And Temper Tantrums Show British Politicians In The Worst Possible Light

  03-06-2017 11:10
  
  Elections are a time of high passion - but sometimes all that campaigning can get a bit much, even more the most seasoned of politicians...
  It all gets a bit shouty on Sky NewsPolitics at its worst. Is it too late to become a football reporter? pic.twitter.com/VwdY2Bf9G1— Graeme Demianyk (@GraemeDemianyk) May 29, 2017
  You’d be forgiven for thinking we’d gone back to the schoolyard but no, this was actually foreign secretary Boris Johnson getting rather het up while discussing t
  
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• Now local Conservative candidates are failing to show up to debates

  03-06-2017 11:02
  
  Tory candidates across the country have been criticised for not attending local hustings
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn Could See Late Surge In Support From Ex-UKIP Voters, HuffPost UK-Edelman Focus Group Finds

  03-06-2017 11:01
  
  Jeremy Corbyn could enjoy a late surge in support from ex-UKIP voters, the latest HuffPost UK-Edelman general election focus group has found. 
  Former supporters of Nigel Farage in Folkestone, Kent, said they felt ‘let down’ by his decision to stand down immediately after the EU referendum and none of them plan to back UKIP at the polling station next week.
  In a surprising shift, half of one group said they would now consider voting Labour, describing Corbyn as ‘down to ea
  
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• ‘If I Were Prime Minister...’ Folkestone Voters Tell HuffPost UK Their Priorities

  03-06-2017 11:01
  
  We asked participants of our HuffPost UK-Edelman focus group what they would do if they were Prime Minister for the day.
  In the wake of the terrorist attack on Manchester, safety and security was top of the agenda for many voters in Folkestone, Kent.
  Electrician David, retired rugby coach Tony and Stacey, a water company worker and mum-of-two, all said they would like to see more police on the streets and the country made more secure.
  Sue, a healthcare worker, said she would put doctors in char
  
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• Brendan Cox: ‘It would be easy to be consumed by fury and hatred and bile’

  03-06-2017 10:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Jo Cox’s murder shocked the world. One year on, her husband Brendan talks about how he and their children have coped• Plus an extract from Brendan Cox’s new book, Jo Cox: More In CommonEvery night, for almost a year, Brendan Cox and his wife sat up discussing the rise of the far right. He was conducting a major study of populist extremism across the western world and, once the children were in bed, the pair would talk through its implications and analyse the threat.The contrast
  
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• Why is the UK having another election and can it stop Brexit?

  03-06-2017 09:02
  A brief guide to the vote on June 8 and what it might mean for UK policy
  
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• Income tax 'absolutely' will not rise under Tories, says Michael Fallon

  03-06-2017 08:16 via theguardian.com
  
  Defence secretary goes beyond manifesto pledge, saying: ‘We’re not in the business of punishing people for getting on’High earners will not face income tax rises if Theresa May is returned to Number 10, one of her senior ministers has promised.Defence secretary Sir Michael Fallon said voting Conservative was “the only way” people could be sure income tax would not be increased. Continue reading...
  
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• Corbyn shows there’s a new way of doing politics. Straight talking is back | John Harris

  03-06-2017 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Parroting old slogans no longer works. In an increasingly chaotic world, the Labour leader understands the need for morality and authenticityWhat strange times these are. Three weeks ago this election looked set to be a drab affair centred on a prime minister apparently unable to fulfil even the most basic requirements of campaigning, and the seemingly unstoppable prospect of a huge Conservative win. Related: Up against the Maybot, Corbyn struggles not to be a personality | John CraceContinue re
  
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• UK car industry pins hopes on battery-powered electric vehicles

  03-06-2017 05:01
  British government has promised to inject £250m in research and development
  
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• Question Time leaders' special: May under fire over NHS and education –as it happened

  03-06-2017 01:26 via theguardian.com
  
  All the day’s campaign news, as the Conservative and Labour leaders appear on BBC1’s Question Time and the Guardian comes out for LabourThe Snap: sign up for our daily election email – and read today’s
  Lunchtime summaryMay ‘weak and feeble and spineless’ over climate change, says MilibandQuestion Time leaders’ special - Verdict from the Twitter commentariatQuestion Time - who won? 12.19am BSTHere are the main points from the Question Time leaders’
  
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• School funding soars up election agenda as teachers warn of crisis

  03-06-2017 01:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Shortage of cash for teachers, and even books, will influence parents’ votes, YouGov survey findsRising concerns over school funding have seen education emerge as one of the major issues of the election campaign, according to an opinion poll.The survey of 1,000 parents of schoolchildren conducted by YouGov ranked education alongside health and Brexit as the most important election issues – and ahead of perennial concerns such as jobs, the economy or terrorism. Continue reading...
  
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• Where are the Brexit campaigners now?

  03-06-2017 00:49
  Man behind Take Back Control slogan has ‘absolutely zero’ involvement in election
  
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• General election: May falters during challenge over record on public services

  03-06-2017 00:48 via theguardian.com
  
  PM confronted by nurse over issue of low pay in Question Time special, while Jeremy Corbyn is questioned over Trident and national securityTheresa May came under sustained pressure over the Conservative party’s record on public sector pay, mental health services and social care in a combative election edition of BBC1’s Question Time broadcast less than a week before polling day.The prime minister faced a string of awkward questions from members of the public, including a challenge fr
  
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• BBC Question Time Leaders Debate: Theresa May Takes The Punches But Jeremy Corbyn Struggles With Defence

  03-06-2017 00:25
  
  The Tories like to focus their attacks on Jeremy Corbyn’s past. Tonight, an audience in York threw Theresa May’s back in her face.
  Switching from a Remainer to a Brexiteer, the u-turn on social care funding, calling this very election – all evidence that Theresa May might be more weak and wobbly than strong and stable.
  There was a palpable anger from some audience members as they told May the reality of life in Tory Britain.
  She tried her best to take it in her stride, but res
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn On BBC Question Time Pressed On The Nuclear Issue

  03-06-2017 00:19
  
  Turns out that next week’s General Election doesn’t hinge on immigration or Brexit negotiations, the key to Number 10 will actually be handed to the person most willing to instigate nuclear armageddon.
  That’s the impression left by voters during Jeremy Corbyn’s stint on the Question Time Leaders Special when the subject of whether or not he would be prepared to push the big red button repeatedly came up.All the average British punter wants is to be paid less than £1
  
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• Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn heckled over nuclear policy in TV debate

  03-06-2017 00:00
  Theresa May give more positive campaign performance after week on the defensive
  
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• First Dog on the Moon's disappointing adventures as Ambassador of Refugee Legal

  03-06-2017 00:00 via theguardian.com
  
  There are thousands of refugees living in Australia who haven’t been allowed to submit applications for asylum. Now Peter Dutton is calling them ‘fake’Sign up here to get an email whenever First Dog cartoons are published
  Get all your needs met at the First Dog shop if what you need is First Dog merchandise and printsContinue reading...
  
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