Political news

• Boris Johnson: lift 1% ceiling on public sector pay increases

  02-07-2017 23:00
  
  Foreign secretary becomes latest frontbencher to demand change of direction on austerityBoris Johnson has waded into the escalating cabinet row over public-sector pay, throwing his weight behind calls for the 1% ceiling on wage rises to be lifted for austerity-weary workers including nurses and teachers.The chancellor, Philip Hammond, has come under increasing pressure to ease spending constraints in several areas since the general election deprived Theresa May of her majority. Johnson is the la
  
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• Sinn Féin denies seeking 'cultural supremacy' via Irish Language Act

  02-07-2017 22:26
  
  Republicans at Stormont stress ‘rights for all’, after Simon Hamilton of the DUP warns of Sinn Féin gain over unionistsSinn Féin has denied it is seeking “cultural supremacy” over unionists in its demand for a standalone Irish Language Act – the key concession for republicans that could lead to the re-establishment of a power-sharing government in Northern Ireland.
  As the parties represented in the Stormont assembly stare down yet another deadline on M
  
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• British business leaders to meet ministers at Chevening House

  02-07-2017 22:17
  Meeting seen as part of a concerted government effort to mend ties with private sector
  
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• Labour Has 'A Lot More Work To Do' Before It Wins A General Election, Think Tank Policy Network Warns

  02-07-2017 22:08
  
  Labour has “a lot more work to do” before winning a majority in a general election, a think tank has warned.
  Jeremy Corbyn’s party will need more than “one more push” on its general election strategy if it is to capitalise on growing support and form a majority government after the next vote, Policy Network said.
  The think tank said that the party can only win a Commons majority at the next election if it appeals to lower middle income voters in the “C2”
  
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• School meals disarray shows Tories 'retreating from own manifesto'

  02-07-2017 21:46
  
  Labour’s Angela Rayner says May coalition is crumbling as confusion grows over education policy and free school lunchesThe shadow education secretary Angela Rayner claimed Conservative ministers were “in full-scale retreat from their own manifesto” after the government admitted it was still reflecting on the pledge to scrap free school lunches.The Tories’ manifesto promised to replace universal free meals for infant school children – which were introduced by Nick Cl
  
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• It’s time to say what you really think about Europe, Mr Corbyn | Letters

  02-07-2017 21:05
  
  Jeremy Corbyn clearly believes it is better that we leave, but readers are divided on whether dissenting Labour MPs should challenge this positionJeremy Corbyn’s refusal to support the amendment calling for Britain to remain within the EU customs union and single market confirms that he believes the country would be better off outside (Corbyn sacks three frontbench MPs over single market, 30 June). This is not, as has been presented, about him fulfilling the wishes of those who voted to le
  
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• Polls are powerful – and out of control. We must rein them in | Letters

  02-07-2017 21:04
  
  A Lords select committee will look to confront the decline in polling accuracy, writes George Foulkes, while Roy Boffy thinks that tactical voting may have wrong-footed the pollstersPolitical opinion polls have taken on enormous power in the past few decades, often influencing rather than measuring opinion (Yes, polls can be wrong. But the alternatives are worse, 30 June). They are used, wrongly, by some to predict the outcome of elections or referenda. The terms of their use and publication is
  
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• Ben Jennings on Theresa May and public spending – cartoon

  02-07-2017 20:50
  
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• UK considers potential shortcut on trade deals post-Brexit

  02-07-2017 19:00
  
  Associate membership of European Free Trade Association could give UK access to trade deals while it negotiates its ownThe UK is examining a potential shortcut to securing a raft of critical free trade deals, giving it potential breathing space to negotiate its own agreements after it leaves the EU.The proposal, involving an associate membership of the European Free Trade Association, could allow ministers to sign up to Efta’s existing free trade deals outside the EU, rather than negotiate
  
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• New customs union with EU after Brexit is still an option, analysts say

  02-07-2017 19:00
  
  Experts suggest union would not stop Britain from seeking other international deals to liberalise trade in servicesSigning Britain up to a customs union with the European Union need not prevent it from striking important trade deals elsewhere, according to influential new thinking in Whitehall.Officials and business leaders are anxious to puncture what they see as myths about a customs union that have deterred ministers from considering it as a much-needed economic option after Brexit.Continue r
  
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• British officials drop 'cake and eat it' approach to Brexit negotiations

  02-07-2017 19:00
  
  Insiders reveal previously muted economic arguments resurface, shifting mood towards ‘realism’, but Brexit secretary aide denies change of strategyBritish officials have quietly abandoned hope of securing the government’s promised “cake and eat it” Brexit deal, increasingly accepting the inevitability of a painful trade-off between market access and political control when the UK leaves the EU.Government insiders report a dramatic change of mood at the Department for
  
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• Freedom of movement helped British creativity thrive. Its loss will diminish us | Nicholas Hytner

  02-07-2017 18:51
  
  Britain’s creative industries are worth £84bn a year. But Brexit will deal a disastrous blow to a sector that depends on sharing ideas, experiences and talent
  • Nicholas Hytner’s new theatre, the Bridge, opens in OctoberNothing is more important to the creative industries than innovation. Without it, we’ll quickly lose our international pre-eminence – and a sector that in 2014 was worth £84bn, and is growing at twice the rate of the wider economy, will sh
  
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• Large influx of new Ukip members prompts fears of far-right takeover

  02-07-2017 18:43
  
  Arrival of 1,000 new members in fortnight believed to be ‘infiltration’ by supporters of anti-Islam candidate Anne Marie WatersUkip is facing potential takeover by far-right forces after a large number of new members joined in an apparent attempt to back a leadership candidate who has described Islam as “evil”, party sources have said.With the race to take over from Paul Nuttall wide open after Nigel Farage announced he would not stand again, sources say the arrival of ab
  
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• Amber Rudd urged to publish report on deaths in police custody

  02-07-2017 18:11
  
  Report from review set up by Theresa May in 2015 was due last summer but Home Office has yet to set date for releaseThe home secretary has been accused of sitting on a report from a critical inquiry into deaths in police custody.A coalition of community and human rights groups want Amber Rudd to announce when the report will be published and say why it has been delayed. Continue reading...
  
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• How to calm the nerves of all EU citizens in Britain

  02-07-2017 17:36
  The UK’s insistence that rights should be subject only to British law is unreasonable
  
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• May's Brexit plan will hit rights of Britons abroad, campaigners tell EU

  02-07-2017 17:19
  
  British in Europe and the3million say UK proposal would severely reduce the rights enjoyed by Britons living in EuropeTheresa May’s proposal to protect the rights of EU citizens after Brexit is so poor, it will badly damage the rights of Britons living in Europe, campaign groups have told the European commission.In an official response to the EU Brexit negotiating team, British in Europe and the3million have said that if May’s proposal is adopted it would represent a “severe re
  
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• May's Brexit plan could hit rights of Britons abroad, campaigners tell EU

  02-07-2017 17:19
  
  British in Europe and the3million say UK proposal would severely reduce the rights enjoyed by Britons living in EuropeTheresa May’s proposal to protect the rights of EU citizens after Brexit is so poor, it will badly damage the rights of Britons living in Europe, campaign groups have told the European commission.In an official response to the EU Brexit negotiating team, British in Europe and the3million have said that if May’s proposal is adopted it would represent a “severe re
  
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• UK political risks cast pall over FTSE 100

  02-07-2017 16:44
  Study of annual reports finds that public policy represents biggest worry alongside Brexit
  
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• Tim Farron Didn't Handle Gay Rights Questions Well, Says Vince Cable

  02-07-2017 16:42
  
  Vince Cable has said Tim Farron did not handle questions around gay rights and his Christian faith well during the election campaign.
  Cable, who is widely expected to replace Farron as Liberal Democract leader, said the issue had led Farron to quit in the aftermath of June’s poll.
  LGBT rights and issues were consistently raised with Farron during the General Election.When he announced he was standing down as party leader, Farron said he felt “remaining faithful to Christ” was i
  
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• Homophobia is back – it’s no accident that nationalism is too | Zoe Williams

  02-07-2017 16:41
  
  From China to the US, prejudice is a symptom of a politics that seeks to eliminate all human differenceAs Pride season started to captivate the world’s capitals, the Chinese government was putting the final touches to its new online broadcast legislation. Although homosexuality has long been subject to restrictions on television, the approach to online content was, for a time, relatively liberal. The censors came eventually for Addicted (also known as Heroin), a teenage gay love story &nda
  
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• Sunday Show Round Up: Pressure On Theresa May Over Pay Cap, Owen Smith Thinks He Could Have Won

  02-07-2017 15:42
  
  The Andrew Marr Show
  Michael Gove was the main guest on Marr this morning and he used his appearance to suggest the government could support a lifting of the public sector pay cap for NHS workers. Theresa May is under increasing pressure to ease off on austerity, and the environment secretary suggested he was “suppressing” his own views on public spending cuts.
  Gove also mounted a defence of tuition fees after Damian Green, the first secretary of state, said there needed to be a
  
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• Owen Smith Says Labour May Have Won Election If He Had Been Party Leader

  02-07-2017 15:07
  
  Does Owen Smith think he could have done as well as Jeremy Corbyn in the last election? #Ridge pic.twitter.com/x2yz2K0oBY— SophyRidge On Sunday (@RidgeOnSunday) July 2, 2017
  Owen Smith has said Labour could have won the general election had he been party leader instead of Jeremy Corbyn.
  Smith, who lost a leadership battle against Corbyn last year, was appointed shadow Northern Ireland secretary following the election.
  Asked by Sky News’ Sophy Ridge if he thought he would have done a
  
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• Nigel Farage rules out a comeback as Ukip leader

  02-07-2017 14:44
  MEP says anti-EU party is controlled by ‘totally unqualified people’
  
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• UK will ban foreign fishing after leaving EU, says Gove – video

  02-07-2017 14:35
  
  Michael Gove says the UK will be ‘taking back control’ of its waters and will ‘decide the terms of access’ for foreign fishing after leaving the EU. Speaking on BBC1’s The Andrew Marr Show, the environment secretary announces foreign fishing will be banned upon the withdrawal from the London fisheries convention, an arrangement that allows other countries to fish in British watersWatch the full episode on the BBC iPlayerMichael Gove mounts defence of university tuit
  
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• Michael Gove: fair for graduates to ‘pay something back’ – video

  02-07-2017 14:04
  
  Environment secretary Michael Gove defends university tuition fees, saying it is fair for graduates to ‘pay something back’, after Damian Green’s call for debate on the issue. Speaking on BBC1’s The Andrew Marr Show, Gove says: “if you don’t benefit from a university education, you shouldn’t have to pay additionally to support those who do”Watch the full episode on the BBC iPlayerMichael Gove mounts defence of university tuition fees
  Continue readi
  
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• UK Ministry of Defence signs £3.7bn warship deal with BAE Systems

  02-07-2017 13:09
  First Type 26 anti-submarine frigates get go-ahead after months of delay
  
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• Michael Gove Defends University Tuition Fees After Cabinet Colleague Calls For 'Debate'

  02-07-2017 12:56
  
  Michael Gove has defended university tuition fees after Damian Green, the de-facto deputy prime minister, called for a “national debate” on the issue.
  Speaking to the BBC’s Andrew Marr programme this morning, Gove said “if you don’t benefit from a university education, you shouldn’t have to pay additionally to support those who do”.
  The environment secretary, who was brought back into the cabinet by Theresa May in the wake of her disastrous election, sa
  
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• UK to 'take back control' of waters after exiting fishing convention

  02-07-2017 12:50
  
  Michael Gove announces withdrawal from London fisheries convention and claims leaving EU fisheries policy will be good for environmentThe government has announced its withdrawal from an arrangement that allows other countries to fish in British waters. The environment secretary, Michael Gove, claimed the UK was “taking back control”.On Monday ministers will trigger withdrawal from the London fisheries convention, signed in 1964 before the UK joined the European Union, to start the tw
  
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• Labour Now 'United' Behind Jeremy Corbyn, Says Shadow Health Secretary Jon Ashworth

  02-07-2017 12:28
  
  Labour is now “united” behind Jeremy Corbyn as leader, Jon Ashworth has said.
  The shadow health secretary was asked by BBC’s Andrew Marr programme on Sunday morning whether he agreed with the party’s new chairman Ian Lavery that Labour “might be too broad a church”.
  In an interview with HuffPost UK, Lavery appeared to suggest there was no longer a place in the party for some MPs on the right.
  The ally of Corbyn said Labour MPs would have to &ld
  
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• Michael Gove mounts defence of university tuition fees

  02-07-2017 12:19
  
  Environment secretary says it is fair for graduates to ‘pay something back’, after Damian Green’s call for debate on issueMichael Gove has launched a robust defence of university tuition fees, saying graduates should “pay something back”, after Theresa May’s close ally Damian Green called for a debate about the issue.Gove, who was brought back into the cabinet as environment secretary in the modest post-election reshuffle, said placing the burden on graduates
  
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• UK begins to row back from fisheries convention

  02-07-2017 11:37
  Agreement gave French, German, Dutch, Irish and Belgian vessels access to UK waters
  
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• Michael Gove's quick-fire answers on Andrew Marr Show

  02-07-2017 11:24 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The environment secretary gave one-word responses on Brexit and his return to the cabinet.
  
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• Theresa May's ratings slump in wake of general election – poll

  02-07-2017 11:23
  
  As support for Jeremy Corbyn surges, over 60% of voters now view prime minister less favourably than they did beforeTheresa May has suffered a startling decline in popularity since last month’s general election with a new opinion poll showing 61% of voters now view her in a more negative light than they did when the electorate denied her an overall majority on 8 June.The extraordinary transformation in the prime minister’s ratings, which were sky high in early April after she called
  
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• Brexit ministry needs more staff, says former Davis deputy

  02-07-2017 11:20
  Departures have created a ‘problem’ although department is not yet at full capacity
  
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• David Lammy: ‘People used to ask, Blair or Brown? I would say, no, just black’

  02-07-2017 09:00
  
  The MP has been a visible and vocal presence in London for 17 years, always the first to step up for ordinary people in times of crisis, from the 2011 Tottenham riots to the Grenfell Tower fire. He talks about life on the frontlineIn the fortnight since the pictures of Grenfell Tower in flames first flickered on our phone screens, and the skeletal high-rise became the insistent retinal image in our public life, David Lammy’s has been the most unguarded political voice of outrage at the fir
  
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• Investment in UK car industry plummets amid Brexit uncertainty

  02-07-2017 07:35
  Total investment on track to be less than half of the spending recorded last year
  
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• Will one more heave be enough to get Jeremy Corbyn to Number 10?

  02-07-2017 01:05
  
  An argument begins within Labour’s ranks about what the party needs to do to win the next electionAfter the thrill of hearing his name turned into an anthem at Glastonbury – “Oh, Jer-e-my Cor-byn” the crowd serenaded his act on the Pyramid Stage – the Labour leader had a chat with Michael Eavis, the founder of the festival. Mr Eavis asked the other man when he would become prime minister and says he got the reply “in six months”.That response would once
  
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• Theresa May buys the DUP's support – cartoon

  02-07-2017 01:05
  
  Chris Riddell on the prime minister’s £1bn deal to cling on to power Continue reading...
  
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• Keep tying yourselves in knots, MPs

  02-07-2017 01:05
  
  The Speaker says ties need not be worn in the Commons. Oh, come on, have some dignityIn a break with tradition, the Speaker John Bercow has indicated that male MPs are not obliged to wear ties in the House. After Tory MP Peter Bone spotted that Liberal Democrat Tom Brake was flying tie-free, Bercow said: “Do I think it’s essential that a member wears a tie? No.”This goes against Westminster’s official line, which states that it’s customary “for gentleman membe
  
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• It is laughable to say Londoners don’t understand immigration | Jess Phillips

  02-07-2017 01:05
  
  We are all at the front line of Brexit and a ‘no deal’ will hit the poorest areas hardestLast week, I voted for Chuka Umunna’s amendment to the Queen’s Speech which sought to rule out withdrawal from the EU “without a deal”, and “set out proposals to remain within the customs union and single market”. It has hit the headlines not because of the merits or lack thereof, but instead because votes like mine are considered as a rebellion against Jeremy
  
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• ‘Three Brexiteers’ chase buccaneering spirit of empire in choice of art

  02-07-2017 01:04
  
  David Davis, Liam Fox and Boris Johnson find inspiration in the pastCecil Rhodes gazes down on Liam Fox at the Department for International Trade. A map of 18th-century Europe graces the wall at the headquarters of the Brexit secretary, David Davis. At the Foreign Office, Boris Johnson toils before the watchful eye of a Winston Churchill bust. For the government ministers dubbed the “Three Brexiteers”, it seems that inspiration is to be found in Britain’s imperial glories.The t
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn is now secure as Labour leader, says Watson

  02-07-2017 01:02
  
  Labour’s deputy leader appeals for party unity after general election gains and calls for focus on reaching traditional working class votersJeremy Corbyn is now “completely secure” as Labour leader for years to come and can win a majority by reaching out to traditional working-class voters, says the party’s deputy leader, Tom Watson.In an interview with the Observer, Watson calls on Corbyn’s allies to back away from unnecessary attempts to change party rules to shor
  
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• Tom Watson: ‘If we can reassure traditional Labour voters, we’ll be unbeatable’

  02-07-2017 01:01
  
  The Labour deputy leader on why Jeremy Corbyn was right to sack rebelsTom Watson’s Glastonbury experience this year could scarcely have been more different from the misery of his festival outing 12 months ago. Back then, he managed only 14 soggy hours before receiving a mass of calls telling him that an attempt to topple Jeremy Corbyn was under way.This time round, he was at the festival from start to finish and was able to experience the excitement generated by Labour’s surprisingly
  
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