Political news

• Grenfell fire: Chairman prepared to hold 'very broad' inquiry

  03-07-2017 23:44 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The chairman is prepared to look "right back to the construction of the tower", the BBC learns.
  
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• Grenfell Tower Fire: Kensington And Chelsea Council's New Leader Says She Is 'Truly Sorry'

  03-07-2017 23:41
  
  The new leader of Kensington & Chelsea Borough council has said she is “truly sorry’ for its failings over the Grenfell Tower fire.
  Elizabeth Campbell was elected on Monday night to replace Nicholas Paget-Brown, who resigned on Friday after weeks of criticism over the council’s failure to prevent the fire, which has killed at least 80 people, and its slow response to it.
  The council is now facing calls it be taken over by central government commissioners as it struggles to
  
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• New Kensington council leader apologises for Grenfell response

  03-07-2017 23:33
  Tories select Elizabeth Campbell: ‘No ifs, no buts, no excuses — I’m truly sorry’
  
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• John Hayes, Transport Minister, Mocked For Refusing To Take Interventions From MPs Without Ties

  03-07-2017 22:26
  
  A Tory minister has been mocked for refusing to take questions from any MP too “sartorially challenged” to wear a tie.
  Speaker John Bercow has relaxed the uniform code for male MPs, allowing them to sit in the House of Commons without a tie and breaking a long-standing convention.
  But Transport Minister John Hayes is unimpressed. As he spoke at the dispatch box on Monday afternoon, he stopped to explain why he wasn’t giving way.
  “There has been some debate in recent
  
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• Grenfell Tower fire: Council chooses Elizabeth Campbell as new leader

  03-07-2017 22:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  It is expected Elizabeth Campbell will be confirmed as leader of the council on 19 July.
  
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• Javid shuns chance to take over council in charge of Grenfell Tower

  03-07-2017 21:55
  Elizabeth Campbell confirmed as new leader of Kensington & Chelsea Conservatives
  
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• Tories Accused Of Public Sector Pay 'Divide And Rule' As No.10 Signals NHS 1% Cap To Stay This Year

  03-07-2017 21:24
  
  Ministers have been accused of using “divide and rule” tactics on public sector pay as it emerged that NHS staff and the armed forces won’t get a wage rise until next year at the earliest.
  No.10 signalled that it would not budge on the 1% pay cap for nurses, doctors and servicemen and women this year - as a Home Office minister said that “fair” pay was “under active discussion” for police officers and others.
  Policing minister Nick Hurd also suggested t
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn appoints clutch of unknowns to shadow frontbench

  03-07-2017 21:12 via theguardian.com
  Labour leader ignores prominent MPs who signalled they were willing to return, including Angela Eagle and Dan JarvisJeremy Corbyn has appointed an array of new MPs to frontbench Labour jobs as well as handing junior roles to recognisable names such as former shadow cabinet minister Gloria De Piero and Tracy Brabin, who replaced the murdered MP Jo Cox.Two of Corbyn’s choices who were only elected in June are former MEPs Anneliese Dodds as shadow Treasury minister and Afzal Khan, who becomes
  
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• Brexit: Ex-Navy chief warns of lack of boats to police waters

  03-07-2017 19:36 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The UK will be a "laughing stock" if it cannot police its waters after Brexit, ex-Navy chief warns.
  
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• No 10 says no change on public sector pay policy

  03-07-2017 19:22 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Downing Street insists its policy is unchanged despite ministers' calls to scrap the 1% cap.
  
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• Grenfell Tower fire: Survivors make 12 demands of Theresa May

  03-07-2017 19:21
  
  Survivors of the Grenfell Tower disaster are making 12 demands of Theresa May in a letter written by their lawyers. 
  Around 150 survivors have written to the Prime Minister condemning the Government and Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea (RBKC) for how they have handled the blaze and setting out what they want to change. 
  It comes after a meeting in parliament last week, when the survivors and BMElawyers4Grenfell, a team of black and minority ethnic lawyers who are supporting th
  
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• Stormont power-sharing deal 'remains achievable'

  03-07-2017 18:59 via bbc.co.uk
  
  James Brokenshire says legislation for a power-sharing government could come "as early as this week".
  
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• Heads push MPs for answers on school funding

  03-07-2017 18:45 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Head teachers in England are calling on MPs for answers on school funding shortages.
  
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• Donald Trump Rules Out Surprise Visit To Britain To Avoid Protests - In July At Least

  03-07-2017 18:11
  
  Donald Trump has ruled out a surprise visit to Britain in the next two weeks, amid claims he would use an unscheduled stop to avoid being confronted by protesters.
  It was rumoured he would visit the UK on his way to France to meet Emmanuel Macron on July 14, after he said he did not want to do his state visit as long as the threat of huge protests loomed, effectively postponing it indefinitely. 
  The state visit was not in the Queen’s speech and the suggestion he could make a quick vis
  
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• UK ministers call for post-Brexit co-operation with EU on drugs

  03-07-2017 18:05
  Jeremy Hunt and Greg Clark try to set out position for pharmaceutical industry
  
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• The door is open to a Brexit deal on freedom of movement

  03-07-2017 17:49
  EU governments could accept an emergency brake on immigration
  
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• Sports Direct Boss Mike Ashley 'Drank 12 Pints And Vomited At Meeting', High Court Told

  03-07-2017 17:17
  
  Newcastle United owner and sportswear firm boss Mike Ashley drank 12 pints at a business meeting and vomited into a fireplace to applause from his management team, the High Court has been told.
  The claim was made by a finance expert who is embroiled in a legal fight with the businessman.
  Investment banker Jeffrey Blue has sued Ashley after claiming the Sports Direct boss did not stick to a commercial agreement, the Press Association reported.
  Mr Ashley disputes the claim.In a written statem
  
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• DUP Must Not Backslide On Fight Against 'Rape Clause' And Family Cap, Says Alison Thewliss

  03-07-2017 17:12
  
  The DUP must not backslide on the cross-party fight against the “despicable” two-child family cap and hated “rape clause”, a campaigning MP warned. 
  Alison Thewliss is leading a cross-party drive to force Theresa May to ditch her cap on tax credits, which limits the benefit to two children-per-family unless the child is a twin, adopted or born as a result of rape. 
  The “terrible” and “discriminatory” policy was ruled unlawful by the
  
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• Pay Rise For Police Officers Under 'Active Discussion,' Confirms Home Office Minister

  03-07-2017 16:37
  
  Handing police officers a pay rise is under “active discussion” within government, the police minister has confirmed.
  Nick Hurd told MPs today he wanted to make sure officers were “paid fairly for their work”.
  Theresa May is under pressure from senior Tories, including Boris Johnson, to lift the 1% pay cap imposed on public sector workers.
  Hurd told the Commons today: “We want to make sure that frontline public service workers, including the police, are paid fairly
  
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• White House rules out Donald Trump visit to UK in July

  03-07-2017 16:32
  UK officials were preparing for possible ‘drop-in’ from US president after G20 meeting
  
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• 'Discipline of all cabinet ministers is important'

  03-07-2017 16:27 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Conservative MP Stephen Crabb says if MPs do not follow the government line 'they should not be in the cabinet'
  
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• Ukip MEPs Will Quit En Masse If Anti-Islam Candidate Becomes New Leader

  03-07-2017 16:10
  
  Ukip MEPs are preparing a mass walkout if an anti-Islam leadership candidate backed by Tommy Robinson is given a senior position at the top of the party.
  Officials are panicking that a wave of far-right activists have infiltrated the party in order to vote for the controversial Anne Marie Waters, with one source describing them as the “Brownshirts’ Momentum” - a reference to Adolf Hitler’s militia during his rise to power.
  Waters, who founded the Sharia Watch pressure gr
  
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• Labour: Jeremy Corbyn adds new faces to shadow team

  03-07-2017 15:51 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Ex-Coronation Street actress Tracy Brabin is among Labour MPs given frontbench jobs by party leader.
  
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• Labour Moderates Return To Frontbench As Jeremy Corbyn Appoints New 20 Shadow Ministers

  03-07-2017 15:48
  
  Labour moderates have returned to the Labour frontbench, as Jeremy Corbyn announced a raft of shadow ministerial appointments on Monday.
  The most striking return is for Gloria de Piero, who quit as Corbyn’s shadow minister for shadow minister for young people and voter registration in June last year. 
  The Ashfield MP, who is a member of the Blairite Progress group within Labour, has been made a shadow justice minister. Corbyn said today he was filling his frontbench with “a
  
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• Hinkley Point: EDF adds £1.5bn to nuclear plant cost

  03-07-2017 15:28 via bbc.co.uk
  
  French energy firm EDF says the new power station faces further delays and an extra £1.5bn of costs.
  
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• New energy price cap considered

  03-07-2017 15:04 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A price cap on energy bills could be extended to many more households on low incomes.
  
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• Nurses Reveal Grim Stories After Figures Reveal Number Leaving Profession Has Soared

  03-07-2017 14:57
  
  Nurses have revealed the grim realities of working in a health service which is, for the first time in recent history, seeing more nurses leaving the profession than joining.
  Patients being forced to wet themselves because no one was available to take them to the toilet and being left in pain because no one was available to second-check controlled painkillers are among the stories HuffPost UK has been told by practising nurses.
  It was revealed on Monday that the number of nurses and midwives lea
  
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• Will Britain’s fishermen be better off after Brexit?

  03-07-2017 14:44
  It is hard to think of many sectors that will be more affected by UK leaving the EU
  
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• First Commons speeches: Johnson, Miliband, Hammond Cameron, May, Black

  03-07-2017 14:12 via bbc.co.uk
  
  MPs have an opportunity to praise their constituency, set out priorities, and perhaps even raise a smile.
  
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• Ex-ambassador Roy Bassett on Ireland's links to UK and EU

  03-07-2017 14:04 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Ray Bassett is suggesting Ireland considers a new relationship with the EU.
  
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• Meet The Londoners Inviting Refugees Into Their Homes And Kitchens

  03-07-2017 14:01
  
  With more than 20 million refugees around the world, Refugees Welcome is an initiative aimed at bringing people from different backgrounds together with something all humans love - good food and hospitality.Set up by Purpose and UNICEF Global in the US, dinners have already been hosted by companies and individuals across the world including Canada, Norway and Germany.
  This is an opportunity to just meet people in a natural, organic way and learn more about where they’re coming from and why
  
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• Downing Street does not rule out Donald Trump visit to UK

  03-07-2017 13:53
  UK officials prepare for possible ‘drop-in’ visit from US president after G20 meeting
  
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• Michael Gove And Vince Cable Spark Anger By Defending University Tuition Fees

  03-07-2017 13:50
  
  Michael Gove’s “hypocritical” defence of tuition fees has sparked anger among students, graduates and voters, with some calling on the Tory cabinet minister to pay back his own university fees. 
  Lib Dem leadership hopeful Sir Vince Cable also found himself in the firing line after he suggested scrapping tuition fees would be “very dangerous and stupid”. 
  The politicians’ comments follow a huge swell in youth support for Labour after the party promise
  
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• Sinn Féin attacks UK government for ‘pandering’ to DUP

  03-07-2017 13:36
  James Brokenshire sets no new deadline for power-sharing agreement
  
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• Northern Ireland parties likely to miss power-sharing deadline

  03-07-2017 13:36
  James Brokenshire to outline UK government approach in House of Commons
  
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• More UK nurses and midwives leaving than joining profession

  03-07-2017 13:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The downward trend has been most pronounced among British staff, figures show.
  
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• President Trump presidency 'predictable' - Naomi Klein

  03-07-2017 13:23 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Journalist and author Naomi Klein says we should have seen President Trump's election coming.
  
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• City deal-type package for rural Wales call by Labour AM

  03-07-2017 12:44 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The same kind of attention urban areas have had should also be made in rural Wales, says AM.
  
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• Bank of England workers vote to strike over pay

  03-07-2017 12:43
  Total pay pot for staff has increased 1% this year while inflation has surged to 2.9%
  
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• Public Sector Pay Cap Must Stay Even If Voters Dislike It, Says Lord Lamont

  03-07-2017 11:02
  
  Theresa May must not abandon austerity just because cabinet ministers think voters have turned agains it, Lord Lamont has said.
  The former Conservative chancellor told BBC Radio 4′s Today programme this morning that public spending cuts were not something people could just get bored of like “too many repeats on TV”.
  “What concerns me there is seems to be growing in the Conservative party and among ministers a feeling that because the electorate disliked austerity th
  
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• Corbyn supporters are not a cult

  03-07-2017 10:37
  
  The excitement around Corbyn is not a cult of personality, but a demand for a new way of doing things
  
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• 'Stop ganging up on Philip Hammond'

  03-07-2017 10:30 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Former Chancellor has said cabinet ministers need to stop ganging up on Hammond
  
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• Boris Johnson joins cabinet split over public sector pay

  03-07-2017 10:12
  Foreign secretary is latest minister to put down markers after the general election
  
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• The Waugh Zone Monday July 3, 2017

  03-07-2017 10:01
  
  1. BLOOMING CABINET
  Having limped over the line with her first Queen’s Speech, Theresa May will be hoping this week things will settle down. Today’s Order Paper is a clue to how little MPs will have to do between now and the summer recess, with the ‘Air Travel Organisers Licensing Bill’ Second Reading the main business.
  Yet the devil finds work for idle hands. And it’s a case of new month, new problems for the PM as she is forced to let a thousand flowers bloo
  
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• Donald Trump UK Visit Rumours Prompt Critics To Prepare Protests

  03-07-2017 09:59
  
  British critics of Donald Trump are preparing to protest after it was reported that he could be about to make a snap visit to the UK.It was revealed on Saturday that Number 10 officials are “on alert” as Downing Street believes the property tycoon could drop in to his Aberdeenshire golf resort during a trip to Europe in two week’s time.
  The Sunday Times reported that Theresa May’s team are on standby for Trump to visit Downing Street as well.A proposed official
  
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• City of London 'to press EU for post-Brexit deal'

  03-07-2017 09:36 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A team of London business leaders will go to Brussels this week to push for free trade, reports say.
  
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• Brexit: British officials drop 'cake and eat it' approach to negotiations

  03-07-2017 08:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: insiders say ministers will have to choose between economic interests or sovereignty but Brexit department denies any change of moodBritish 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 Exiting the Eur
  
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• UK government used ‘outdated’ forecasts for pensions review

  03-07-2017 05:04
  Forecast probably overestimated how many people will opt out of workplace pensions
  
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• British businesses lobby for fewer visa restrictions post-Brexit

  03-07-2017 05:04
  Government expected to set out new visa regime for EU migrants within weeks
  
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• Rees-Mogg mania

  03-07-2017 03:55 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Jacob Rees-Mogg is a surprising hit with 'royal' fans around the world.
  
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