Political news

• Boris Johnson and Iain Duncan Smith Set To Lose Their Seats To Labour, Boundary Review Analysis Shows

  19-06-2017 22:54
  
  Lead Brexiteers Boris Johnson and Iain Duncan Smith are set to lose their Commons seats at the next election thanks to the impact of the “Corbyn surge” on Westminster boundary changes, a new study suggests.
  The review of all Parliamentary seats in the wake of the 2017 election projects that the Foreign Secretary will be ousted by Labour in the new constituency of Hillingdon and Uxbridge.
  Former Work and Pensions Secretary Duncan Smith is also on course to be defeated by Corbyn&rsquo
  
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• Frazzled David Davis takes England to 3-0 defeat in first round | John Crace

  19-06-2017 22:10
  
  Our Brexit secretary looked outclassed by the fancy footwork of the EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel BarnierFirst the handshakes and generous expressions of goodwill. Not forgetting the obligatory exchange of gifts: a mountaineering book from David Davis to Michel Barnier, a hiking pole from Barnier to Davis. When you’re heading over a cliff, you need all the help you can get. Davis couldn’t have been more charming. The EU was a magnificent institution, the best of the best, and the
  
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• Four ministers were warned about tower block fire risks

  19-06-2017 21:45 via bbc.co.uk
  
  "Today's buildings have a much higher content of combustible material," read one warning.
  
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• Brexit negotiations: Barnier rules out 'concessions'

  19-06-2017 21:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  EU negotiator Michel Barnier says there will be "consequences" from Brexit as negotiations begin.
  
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• Botanists give evidence on Russian whistleblower death

  19-06-2017 21:15
  Experts identify unknown chemical compound in Perepilichny’s stomach
  
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• British Muslims deserve full protection, and they will get it | Amber Rudd

  19-06-2017 21:09
  
  The Finsbury Park attack was terrorism. We all have a part to play in standing in solidarity with the Muslim communityEvery community in the UK has been stunned and saddened by the unimaginable horrors we have faced in recent weeks. Tragically, the holiest month in the Muslim calendar has this year been shattered by a series of devastating incidents. British Muslims universally condemned the London Bridge attackers for their cowardly actions during Ramadan.Just last week Muslims, awake having br
  
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• Brexit talks: Davis 'determined optimist' after day one

  19-06-2017 21:02 via bbc.co.uk
  
  UK Brexit Secretary David Davis and EU Chief Negotiator Michel Barnier in Brussels give their thoughts.
  
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• Britain and EU agree to focus on divorce at start of Brexit talks

  19-06-2017 19:49
  London concedes on sequencing by dropping demand for parallel trade negotiations
  
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• UK Caves In On First Day Of Brexit Talks

  19-06-2017 19:34
  
  After almost a year of chest beating from both sides, the UK and EU finally sat down today to begin negotiations over Brexit - and Brussels drew first blood. 
  When Theresa May triggered the formal Brexit process in March through her Article 50 letter, she was clear: the future trade arrangement should be discussed alongside the terms of Britain’s departure:“We believe it is necessary to agree the terms of our future partnership alongside those of our withdrawal from the EU.&rdq
  
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• UK business wants free trade with EU and access to skilled labour

  19-06-2017 19:00
  FTSE 100 companies lay out Brexit priorities as talks begin
  
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• Leo Varadkar 'reassured' about DUP-Tory deal

  19-06-2017 18:46 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Leo Varadkar says he is 'reassured' about a deal between the Conservative Party and the DUP.
  
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• The Brexit atmospherics favour Remainers

  19-06-2017 18:40
  Pro-Europe voters who were silent now speak of a deal that keeps Britain open
  
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• The atmospherics of Brexit favour Remainers

  19-06-2017 18:40
  Pro-Europe voters who were silent now speak of a deal that keeps Britain open
  
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• Macron’s meteoric rise lifts confidence in the EU

  19-06-2017 18:38
  Europe has an opportunity to tackle its longstanding problems
  
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• Brexit Talks Kicked Off With The UK And EU Giving Each Other Weirdly Similar Presents

  19-06-2017 18:38
  
  David Davis and his EU adversary Michel Barnier showed they had #moreincommon today when they presented each other with almost matching gifts.
  As the long-anticipated Brexit talks kicked off in Brussels, the two men leading the negotiations swapped presents to mark the historic occasion.
  Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, presented Davis with a hard-carved wooden walking stick from his home town of Savoie, in the French Alps.
  The UK Brexit Secretary gifted Barnier a first edition of the m
  
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• Finsbury Park: Sadiq Khan Gives Powerful Speech About Spate Of London Attacks

  19-06-2017 17:45
  
  Sadiq Khan has given a powerful speech about the spate of terror attacks in the wake of the Finsbury Park incident, saying “terrorism is terrorism” regardless of its ideology.
  Police have said it was “clearly an attack on Muslims” when a van was driven into pedestrians as they left the Muslim Welfare House on Seven Sisters Road, after Ramadan midnight prayers. One man was killed and nine people rushed to hospital.
  Khan said: “It doesn’t matter whether you are
  
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• Hard Brexit Tory Group Choose Suella Fernandes As New Leader

  19-06-2017 17:09
  
  Tory MP Suella Fernandes has taken over as the unofficial head of a group of Brexit-backing MPs with the power to take down the Prime Minister.
  The Fareham MP is now chief organiser of the European Research Group after the former leader Steve Baker was made a minister in the Brexit Department.
  Fernandes, an ally of Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, will now be responsible for organising the more than 80 MPs which make up the Group – who plot their tactics via a WhatsApp group.
  A source clo
  
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• The Tories can govern without the DUP - just

  19-06-2017 17:08
  
  The Tories can survive without the DUP as long as they stay united - and the DUP abstains
  
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• Brexit 'will enhance' UK wildlife laws - Gove

  19-06-2017 15:58 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Any Brexit changes to the UK's wildlife laws will increase - not reduce - environmental protection, Michael Gove has pledged.
  
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• Sadiq Khan Tells Theresa May To Halt Police Cuts In Wake Of Finsbury Park, London Bridge

  19-06-2017 15:40
  
  Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has warned Theresa May to halt planned police cuts in the wake of the Finsbury Park attack and “a terrible few weeks for London”.
  Speaking near the site of the latest violent incident that left one person dead and 10 injured, Khan made clear his anger at the Government’s plans to slash budgets further for the Metropolitan Police.
  He pointed out that the force had had to cope with the terror attack on Westminster Bridge, London Bridget and now Finsbury
  
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• 'Don't Do It': Sadiq Khan Tells Theresa May To Halt Police Cuts In Wake Of Finsbury Park, London Bridget Attacks

  19-06-2017 15:40
  
  Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has warned Theresa May to halt planned police cuts in the wake of the Finsbury Park attack and “a terrible few weeks for London”.
  Speaking near the site of the latest violent incident, Khan made clear his anger at the Government’s plans to slash budgets further for the Metropolitan Police.
  “I’ve been saying for 12 months now my concern about the resources the Met police and others have,” he said.
  “My message to the Government
  
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• Brexit critic Silvana Tenreyro joins UK Monetary Policy Committee

  19-06-2017 15:05
  Economist appointed new external member of interest rate setting team at Bank of England
  
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• Settling the Brexit bill

  19-06-2017 14:52
  EU and UK should consider breaking down the negotiation into 3, smaller parts
  
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• Theresa May Rejects Jeremy Corbyn's Call To Seize Luxury Homes To House Grenfell Tower Families

  19-06-2017 14:20
  
  Theresa May has ruled out Jeremy Corbyn’s plan to seize empty properties of the wealthy to help those left homeless by the Grenfell Tower fire.
  No.10 Downing Street said the Prime Minister did not agree with the Labour leader’s proposal to “requisition” homes owned by rich foreign investors.
  A spokeswoman for the PM said: “We don’t support proposals to seize private property.“Our focus is on re-housing people as quickly as possible in the borough or a n
  
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• Breaking open the Brexit black box

  19-06-2017 13:56
  Britain had better make its mind up about what it really wants from the EU negotiations
  
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• 'More Beards Than Women': UK's Brexit Negotiating Team Slammed For Gender Disparity

  19-06-2017 13:55
  
  Brexit negotiations kicked off today, and it was quickly apparent that the men are very much in charge.
  A snap of the UK’s team as they sat opposite their EU counterparts revealed a real lack of diversity amongst the negotiators, with all but one of the nine officials being white men.
  The only woman on the team is Catherine Webb, the Director of Market Access and Budget in the Brexit Department.Here is the British line up: pic.twitter.com/bk1BOTTPyX— Harry Cole (@MrHarryCole) June 19
  
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• UK and EU begin formal Brexit negotiations

  19-06-2017 13:29
  First round of talks expected to cover areas such as dates and agenda for next meeting
  
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• Brexit phrasebook: a guide to the talks' key terms

  19-06-2017 13:06
  Don’t know your EFTA from your EEA? Help is at hand with our comprehensive jargon buster The entire body of European laws: all the treaties, regulations and directives passed by the EU’s institutions, plus all the rulings of the European court of justice (see below). Every member state has incorporated the acquis into their legal system. Continue reading...
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn Visibly Upset As He Visits Scene Of Finsbury Park Mosque Terror Attack

  19-06-2017 12:50
  
  Jeremy Corbyn appeared to become emotional when he visited the scene of a terror attack near a north London mosque today. 
  The Labour leader was at the Muslim Welfare Centre on Seven Sisters Road - which is in his own constituency - after a van was ploughed into a crowd of people leaving late night prayers, killing one man and injuring ten others.
  Corbyn was pictured holding his hands over his mouth in shock when he was confronted with the aftermath of the incident. Jeremy Corbyn
  
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• Davis promises ‘special partnership’ as EU exit talks begin

  19-06-2017 12:21
  Early negotiations to focus on ‘Brexit uncertainties’, says Barnier
  
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• Michael Gove says economy must take precedence in Brexit deal

  19-06-2017 11:50
  UK environment secretary tells BBC no one wants zero migration
  
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• Does Labour have a third way on Brexit?

  19-06-2017 11:34
  
  Dig deep enough and there are signs of something interesting in Labour's Brexit plans
  
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• Michael Gove Visibly Shaken As He Is Pressed On Grenfell Tower Victims By Piers Morgan

  19-06-2017 10:41
  
  What is being done to help the homeless residents of the #GrenfellTower? @piersmorgan, @susannareid100 and @michaelgove discuss ... pic.twitter.com/TwwuGTcoA9— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) June 19, 2017
  Michael Gove was left visibly shaken after he was quizzed on his government’s lack of support for victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster.
  The environment secretary was asked by Good Morning Britain’s Piers Morgan why more had not been done to help those whose lives were devastate
  
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• The Waugh Zone Monday June 19, 2017

  19-06-2017 10:38
  
  1. THE LONG GOODBYE
  David Davis has set off for the start of the Brexit talks and he’s in bullish mood. An official UK government press release last night had a line that shrugged off talk from the Continent of us somehow going back on last year’s EU referendum decision: “Despite European leaders’ attempts to leave open the possibility of the U.K. remaining in the EU, Mr. Davis will make it clear that he is determined to achieve a Brexit deal that works for the whole of t
  
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• Concerns grow that Grenfell survivors might not seek support because of fears over immigration status

  19-06-2017 10:09
  
  Fear of immigration enforcement could be stopping survivors from coming forward
  
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• Health unions urge Theresa May to ditch NHS pay cap

  19-06-2017 07:01
  
  Unions representing cross-section of healthcare staff increase pressure on government to use Queen’s speech to lift 1% restriction on pay risesThe NHS pay cap is unfair, unpopular and dangerous to patient safety, bodies representing 1.3 million health service staff have warned Theresa May, urging her to ditch the policy in the Queen’s speech.The plea from doctors, nurses, dentists and other health professionals comes as the prime minister faces intense pressure to scrap the cap, intr
  
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• UK financial services group cuts pension liabilities 10% in 6 months

  19-06-2017 06:07
  Unnamed company’s liabilities tumble as staff jump to cash in final salary benefits
  
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• UK financial firm cuts pension liabilities by 10% in six months

  19-06-2017 06:07
  Final salary scheme members jumping at offers to cash in benefits
  
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• George Osborne wields sharp pen to settle old political scores

  19-06-2017 05:02
  Former chancellor uses Evening Standard editor role to lambast PM who sacked him
  
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• Grenfell Tower fire: Police say at least 58 missing as No 10 says each family to get £5,500 – as it happened

  19-06-2017 01:32
  
  Follow the latest developments as government announces each household left homeless by the tower block fire will receive money from emergency fundCladding on Grenfell Tower is banned on UK high-rises, says HammondLabour says emergency house seizure laws could ease crisis 12.32am BSTWe are going to close this blog now, thanks so much for reading. For all of our coverage of the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower, you can visit our dedicated page.Here is the latest Guardian report on the number of mis
  
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• EU leaders fear that fragile state of Tories will lead to brutal Brexit

  19-06-2017 01:15
  
  Chaos in Westminster means that UK-EU discussions, which begin on Monday, could collapse without any deal European leaders fear that Theresa May’s government is too fragile to negotiate viable terms on which to leave the union, meaning the discussions that officially begin on Monday could end in a “brutal Brexit” – under which talks collapse without any deal.As officials began gathering in Brussels on Sunday night, the long-awaited start of negotiations was overshadowed b
  
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