Political news

• Number of tower blocks with combustible cladding rises to 11, government says – as it happened

  22-06-2017 23:54
  
  Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen
  Grenfell Tower fire statement - SummaryAfternoon summary 10.54pm BSTThis live blog is now closing. Here is a summary of the evening’s events:The communities and local government secretary, Sajid Javid, revealed that the number of blocks found to have been clad in combustible material has risen from seven to 11. In a letter to MPs, he said the disaster had changed his understanding of what it is to be a cabinet minist
  
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• Chagos legal status sent to international court by UN

  22-06-2017 23:50 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The UK says a dispute over the islands with Mauritius is "clearly a matter" for the two countries.
  
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• Inflation needs to be checked with rate increase, says MPC member

  22-06-2017 23:36
  
  Outgoing external rate-setter says Bank of England policymakers are wrong in assessment of economic conditions A Bank of England policymaker has heaped further pressure on Mark Carney, the governor, with a warning that the central bank’s policymakers have failed to spot an inflationary spiral that needs to be choked off with an immediate increase in interest rates.In the same week that Andy Haldane, the chief economist, said he was considering voting for an increase in rates before the end
  
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• EU Citizens To Get Chance To Stay In UK After Brexit As Theresa May Makes 'Fair And Serious Offer'

  22-06-2017 22:38
  
  EU nationals who have lived in the UK for five years or more could be given “settled status” and allowed to stay, Theresa May has said as she made a “fair and serious offer” to European Union leaders.
  The Prime Minister’s announcement on EU citizens who arrived in the UK before Brexit being given the chance to get the same rights as British citizens represents her opening move on the contentious issue after talks started on Monday.
  Around three million EU nationals
  
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• Theresa May offers to allow EU citizens to stay in UK post-Brexit

  22-06-2017 22:12 via ft.com
  Proposal made at Brussels summit includes scrapping 85-page residence application
  
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• Brexit: 'Dreamer' Tusk says UK may yet stay in the EU

  22-06-2017 21:38 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The European Council president quotes John Lennon's Imagine - as the PM talks expat rights.
  
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• SNP demands that London soften its stance on Brexit

  22-06-2017 20:49 via ft.com
  Edinburgh to gain leverage in talks amid concern it could cause constitutional crisis
  
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• Grenfell Tower: 600 High Rises Don't Definitely Have Similar Cladding

  22-06-2017 20:27
  
  Some 600 tower blocks in England are encased in cladding but not necessarily the same type of material as was installed on Grenfell Tower, Downing Street has said in an attempt to clarify an earlier misleading statement.
  Westminster-based journalists who attended the daily morning briefing with the Prime Minister’s Official Spokeswoman were told 600 high rises were covered in the same combustible cladding that is being blamed by experts for the rapid spread of the Grenfell blaze.
  It l
  
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• Theresa May Trolled Over Brexit By EU President Donald Tusk With John Lennon Lyric

  22-06-2017 20:25
  
  The EU Council president has said he still hopes Brexit will not happen, quoting John Lennon’s Imagine to make the point.
  Donald Tusk said he was a “dreamer”, as Theresa May visits Brussels for the first time since the extraordinary election result made the direction of the Brexit negotiations much less clear and May’s vision of leaving the Single Market and customs union less assured.
  Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Tusk said, amid the different types of Brex
  
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• More grammar schools could open despite Tory U-turn, campaigners say

  22-06-2017 20:21
  
  Schools in Kent and elsewhere are hoping to exploit loophole allowing existing grammars to open ‘satellite’ campusesGrammar schools across England could be allowed to expand even though the government dropped its manifesto promise to revive school selection, education campaigners have warned.Existing grammar schools remain able to exploit a loophole that bypasses the ban on any new school in England from selecting pupils based on entrance exams, despite the government’s change
  
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• Triple lock on pensions will go eventually, says pensions secretary

  22-06-2017 20:15
  
  ‘Do I think in 10, 20, 30 years’ time we will still have a triple lock? I cannot see in all honesty how we can,’ says David GaukeThe new welfare and pensions secretary believes the government will have to reform the triple lock on pensions within his lifetime, despite concerns that it could lose votes for the Conservatives.Related: Pensions triple lock: what you need to knowContinue reading...
  
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• One year on, how do we bridge the Brexit divide

  22-06-2017 20:01 via ft.com
  Peter Mandelson and John Redwood discuss the shape of an EU-UK deal
  
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• Conservative party call centre 'may have broken election law'

  22-06-2017 20:00
  
  Channel 4 News investigation questions whether market research staff were actually canvassing for candidatesThe Conservative party allegedly operated a secret call centre during the election campaign that may have broken data protection and election laws, according to an investigation by Channel 4 News.An undercover investigation by the programme has found that the party used a market research firm to make thousands of cold calls to voters in marginal seats in the weeks before the election.Conti
  
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• Brexit Briefing: EU Need To Do Better Than That

  22-06-2017 19:15
  
  All you need to know from the world of Brexit this week.
  You can sign up for this briefing by clicking here, and you’ll receive it straight to your inbox every Thursday afternoon.
  If you like what you read, make sure you subscribe to our Commons People podcast here for even more analysis about what goes on in Westminster.1) At This Rate, David Davis Will Sign Us Up For The Euro. Some 361 days after the UK voted to leave the EU, Brexit talks finally got underway on Monday &nd
  
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• Alarm at switch to untested emergency services system

  22-06-2017 19:03 via ft.com
  MP raises concerns over move to mobile communications network at time of terror alerts
  
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• The Bank of England’s MPC: who are the doves and hawks?

  22-06-2017 19:01 via ft.com
  With a rate rise closer, members’ views are under scrutiny
  
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• Haldane’s UK rates intervention likely to raise tensions with Carney

  22-06-2017 19:01 via ft.com
  Hawkish tone from Bank of England’s chief economist puzzles observers
  
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• Nick Clegg says threat of wealthy Brexit elite and populism damages UK

  22-06-2017 19:00
  
  Politician says brew of rightwing EU bashers playing on voter insecurity and cuts fanning populist ideas is pushing Britain to marginsA Brexit elite of hedge-fund managers, footloose multi-billionaires, rightwing politicians and newspaper proprietors have led the UK into diplomatic and economic margins, Nick Clegg, the former deputy prime minister, said on Thursday.Clegg who lost his Sheffield Hallam seat in the general election, also suggested for the first time that neglect of public services,
  
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• Heads worried tuition fee pledge for teachers to be dropped

  22-06-2017 18:59 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Will the promise of tuition fee relief for teachers be the next education policy to be scrapped?
  
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• UK councils rush to tackle flammable cladding

  22-06-2017 18:45 via ft.com
  Theresa May tells MPs seven cases of combustible insulation found in buildings
  
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• Benefit Cap Causes 'Real Misery', High Court Rules In Case Brought By Single Mothers

  22-06-2017 18:30
  
  The Government’s benefits cap is causing “real misery” to lone parents’ young children, the High Court has said in a damning judgment of austerity-driven welfare cuts.
  In the damning judgment, Mr Justice Collins said the four single mothers who brought the case were left having to choose between paying rent or food and “unable to provide basic necessities for their children” because of a cap on housing benefit for parents who work less than 16 hours a week.
  Th
  
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• Tusk: Dreaming of a Brexit U-turn?

  22-06-2017 18:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  European Council President Donald Tusk says "miracles" happen as he is asked about saying he is a "dreamer" who hopes the UK may stay in the EU.
  
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• Norman Lamb Rules Himself Out Of Lib Dem Leadership Race And Attacks Party's 'Toxic' Brexit Position

  22-06-2017 18:19
  
  Norman Lamb has ruled himself out of running to be the next Lib Dem leader and attacked the party’s “toxic” position on Brexit.
  Under Tim Farron, the Lib Dems ran an overtly pro-Remain general election campaign with the promise of holding a second referendum on the eventual Brexit deal.
  However the position is widely seen not to have cut through to voters and the party only increased its number of MPs from 9 to 12.
  Lamb, the North Norfolk MP, lost out to Farron in the 2015 lea
  
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• UK MPs alarmed at change to emergency communications system

  22-06-2017 18:17 via ft.com
  Switch to untested network with limited range raises concern at time of terror alerts
  
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• Tests on 600 tower blocks find seven with Grenfell Tower-style cladding

  22-06-2017 17:59
  
  PM says urgent tests on buildings are taking place across England in wake of disaster to see if cladding is flammableIs your tower block affected? Share your storiesTests being carried out on high-rise council buildings in England have so far uncovered seven blocks of flats fitted with combustible cladding similar to that used on Grenfell Tower in west London.The buildings are spread across four councils in England, Downing Street has said.Continue reading...
  
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• Theresa May says Grenfell victims will not face immigration checks

  22-06-2017 17:47 via ft.com
  Lawyers warn prime minister’s comments do not go far enough to assure vulnerable victims
  
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• Grenfell victims will not face immigration checks says Theresa May

  22-06-2017 17:47 via ft.com
  Lawyers warn PM’s comments do not go far enough to assure vulnerable residents
  
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• Multiple UK buildings have ‘combustible’ cladding says Theresa May

  22-06-2017 17:33 via ft.com
  London’s Camden Council is removing panels from five blocks after government tests
  
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• UK terror attacks: Home secretary says police stretched

  22-06-2017 17:13 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The home secretary says terror attacks over the past three months have left resources "very tight".
  
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• Lib Dem leadership: Norman Lamb out of the race

  22-06-2017 16:55 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Former health minister says his decision follows "gruelling" general election campaign.
  
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• Festival archive of Boris Johnson, Cat Smith and Tom Watson

  22-06-2017 16:39 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Festival archive of Boris Johnson, Cat Smith and Tom Watson making news with their Glastonbury appearances.
  
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• Boris Johnson struggles to answer questions about Queen’s speech – audio

  22-06-2017 16:25
  
  Boris Johnson fails to answer questions about the Queen’s speech when asked
  by BBC Radio 4 present Eddie Mair on his programme PM on Wednesday. When asked about injustices in the criminal justice system and then mental health. Johnson says there are “measures” and a “bill on the courts” but struggles to explain furtherHear the interview in full on BBC Radio 4’s homepage
  Continue reading...
  
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• The facts behind the 600 fire-risk tower blocks figure

  22-06-2017 16:15
  
  Not all 600 tower blocks will carry a fire risk - but the figure does not include private housing
  
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• Amber Rudd accepts police too stretched in wake of terror attacks

  22-06-2017 16:15
  
  Home secretary responds after leaked letter from top officers says emergency counter-terrorism plan is not sustainableThe home secretary, Amber Rudd, has acknowledged for the first time that stretched police resources in the face of four terror attacks in three months mean counter-terrorism operations cannot continue at an emergency level indefinitely. Related: Stretched police shelving other inquiries to focus on terrorism, says Met chiefContinue reading...
  
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• UK government tests thousands of tower blocks after Grenfell fire

  22-06-2017 14:57 via ft.com
  Prime minister says tests have shown ‘combustible’ cladding on ‘number’ of buildings
  
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• May urged to match EU's offer on rights of Britons living in Europe

  22-06-2017 14:48
  
  Campaign groups call on prime minister to mirror EU’s proposal as she prepares to set out offer at dinner in BrusselsTheresa May must match the EU’s lifetime guarantee to preserve the rights of Britons living on the continent with a reciprocal package for EU citizens living in the UK, say campaign groups.The prime minister is expected to finally outline her proposal for the 3 million EU citizens living in the UK at a dinner in Brussels on Thursday night. The EU sent its proposal to t
  
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• Theresa May pledges to push on with cuts to corporation tax

  22-06-2017 14:35 via ft.com
  Conservatives shrug off fears that plans to raise business taxes won votes for Labour
  
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• The battle for London’s insurers

  22-06-2017 14:35 via ft.com
  Dublin was expected to be a big winner, but continental Europe has been more popular
  
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• The dire lack of support after prison fails both individuals and society

  22-06-2017 14:29
  
  A new report has revealed disastrous shortcomings in Chris Grayling's privatised probation system
  
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• Lack of government support after prison fails both individuals and society

  22-06-2017 14:29
  
  A new report has revealed disastrous shortcomings in Chris Grayling's privatised probation system
  
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• Shortlist for Britain’s High Speed 2 railway narrows

  22-06-2017 14:28 via ft.com
  Overseas operators join contest to run existing line from 2019 and new link from 2026
  
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• David Lammy Demands Answers On Grenfell Fire Police Investigation

  22-06-2017 14:22
  
  Grenfell Tower families see the blaze “as a crime” and crave more information from power-holders about the police probe, David Lammy has said.
  In an emotional speech in the House of Commons, the MP for Tottenham, who lost close friend Khadija Saye in the inferno, claimed “rich and powerful organisations get away with crimes” and called on Theresa May to reveal more about an ongoing criminal investigation into the fire. 
  He called on the Prime Minister to disclose wha
  
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• Donald Tusk echoes John Lennon to suggest UK could stay in EU

  22-06-2017 14:10
  
  European council president uses lyrics from Imagine to express hope that Britain could change its mind and cancel BrexitDonald Tusk used the first EU summit since the general election and the start of the Brexit negotiations to suggest that there is a chance the UK could still remain a member of the union, as leaders called on Theresa May to provide clarity on her minority government’s intentions.Tusk, the president of the European council quoted the lyrics of John Lennon’s Imagine i
  
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• Rich residents complaining about living near Grenfell survivors comes as no surprise

  22-06-2017 13:42
  
  The comments from residents at Kensington Row show how deep the class divide is
  
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• HS2 franchise: Bidder shortlist revealed

  22-06-2017 13:40 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Government reveals who could run the West Coast Main Line, including HS2, and South Eastern rail franchises.
  
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• If May is serious about Brexit she needs to be straight with the public

  22-06-2017 13:22
  
  The UK government must be clear with the public as it embarks on negotiations with the EU
  
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• Brexit economy: UK faces slowdown amid living standards squeeze

  22-06-2017 13:01
  
  The latest monthly Guardian analysis finds households experiencing rising costs and firms concerned over political uncertaintyBritain’s vote to leave the EU has squeezed living standards, hit consumer spending and dampened the country’s growth prospects, a Guardian analysis of economic news over the year since the referendum shows.One year since voters narrowly opted for Brexit, the Guardian’s monthly tracker of economic news paints a gloomy picture, with households facing risi
  
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• Grenfell Tower: 'Government could have prevented deaths'

  22-06-2017 12:56 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Labour MP Harriet Harman says the government did not follow advice to install sprinklers.
  
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• 600 tower blocks have similar cladding to Grenfell Tower

  22-06-2017 12:52 via ft.com
  UK prime minister says tests have shown ‘combustible’ cladding on ‘number’ of buildings
  
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• Single parents win benefits cap High Court challenge

  22-06-2017 12:40 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The judge in the case says the cap causes "real misery", but the government intends to appeal.
  
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