Political news

• Theresa May accused of double standards over terrorism funding

  06-07-2017 23:30 via theguardian.com
  
  PM enters G20 talks saying priority is to disrupt extremists accessing finance, but is criticised for position on Saudi ArabiaTheresa May will enter the G20 talks in Hamburg claiming that her priority is to disrupt terrorist groups from accessing finance, but facing criticism for failing to raise questions over Saudi Arabia’s role in funding extremism.A string of opposition leaders, including Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn, the Lib Dem’s Tim Farron, the Green’s Caroline Lucas and
  
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• Universal credit rollout should be delayed as it is 'failing too many people'

  06-07-2017 23:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Citizens Advice produces fresh evidence that new benefit is causing debt and financial insecurity among recipientsDavid Gauke, the new work and pensions secretary, has been urged to delay the mass rollout of the new universal credit benefit, after Citizens Advice produced fresh evidence that it is causing debt and financial insecurity among recipients.The advisory charity surveyed 800 people who sought help with universal credit in pilot areas, finding 39% were waiting more than six weeks to rec
  
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• UK workers earning £2.50 an hour prompts call for government action

  06-07-2017 23:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Report on the gig economy by Frank Field reveals allegations of ‘poverty pay’ and shoddy treatment at Parcelforce, DPD and British Car AuctionsThe government has been urged to stage an “emergency intervention” to protect gig economy workers, amid concerns they are being forced into contracts that sometimes pay less than £2.50 an hour and can be cancelled at any moment.
  The allegations are detailed in the latest report by the former work and pensions committee chair,
  
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• Theresa May to press Xi Jinping over North Korea at G20

  06-07-2017 22:44
  UK premier also to urge Donald Trump to reconsider stance on Paris climate accord
  
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• CBI pushes to stay in single market until Brexit deal sealed

  06-07-2017 21:55
  Employers group proposes transitional ‘bridge’ and warns of damaging uncertainty
  
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• Islamophobic Attacks Should Be Classed As Terror-Related, Says Finsbury Park Mosque Chairman

  06-07-2017 21:28
  
  Islamophobic attacks should be classed as terror-related and not simply hate crimes, the chairman of Finsbury Park Mosque has said. 
  UK authorities must “be consistent” when it comes to how terror-style attacks, Mohammed Kozbar said, as he revealed he supported a change in the law that saw Islamophobic violence included.
  Speaking at a local government conference in Birmingham, he said police and the media “always find excuses” for a terror-style crime to be recorded
  
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• Proposals for Margaret Thatcher statue near parliament turned down

  06-07-2017 21:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Plans for statue in Parliament Square rejected over fears former PM’s family do not approve of it A controversial proposal for a statue of Margaret Thatcher in Parliament Square has run into trouble after the government, Royal Parks and neighbours lodged objections to the application.The Royal Parks manages the land on which the statue would be sited but said it refused permission on the grounds that it has not been given assurances that Thatcher’s family approve of the monument. Con
  
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• UK fraud office chief calls for clarity on agency’s future

  06-07-2017 20:59
  Independence crucial to show post-Brexit UK would not be ‘bandit economy’
  
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• The Guardian view on Labour unity: tolerance wins loyalty | Editorial

  06-07-2017 20:59 via theguardian.com
  
  Jeremy Corbyn’s successes have won round sceptical Labour MPs. Internal debate should be used to help broaden the party’s outlook and echo the open-hearted spirit of his campaignIt is rare for a leader to substantially strengthen his authority over a party in the immediate aftermath of general election defeat. Jeremy Corbyn has managed it because his performance last month did not feel like defeat to his supporters, nor indeed to his opponents, not least because it defied gloomy fore
  
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• EU-Japan trade deal poses risks for post-Brexit UK

  06-07-2017 20:47
  Accord likely to have big consequences for car industry and customs union
  
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• Here is Britain’s new place in the world – on the sidelines | Martin Kettle

  06-07-2017 20:18 via theguardian.com
  
  Trapped by Brexit and Trump, and delusional about trade, Theresa May will cut a sad figure on the G20 stage• Martin Kettle is a Guardian columnistHow knowingly we all nodded six months ago, when Theresa May went to a Brussels summit and no one talked to her. While the 27 other leaders greeted one another warmly and went off to dinner, May cut a lonely figure, returning quickly to London. It was Jona Lewie’s song about always being in the kitchen at parties made real. And it was a Brex
  
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• CBI urges single market until Brexit deal

  06-07-2017 19:57 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The business group says it is "impossible" all details of an EU trade deal will be ready by March 2019.
  
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• Theresa May finally opens the door to British business

  06-07-2017 19:44
  The UK prime minister must listen and act on Brexit concerns
  
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• Lombard: Time to sell government's stake in RBS

  06-07-2017 19:36
  Taxpayers’ continued ownership in lender serves no useful purpose
  
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• CBI says Brexit uncertainty is damaging UK economy

  06-07-2017 19:36
  Employers group calls for Britain to stay in single market under a transitional deal
  
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• British strawberries could cost 50% more because of Brexit, MPs told

  06-07-2017 19:27 via theguardian.com
  
  Prospect of seasonal labour crisis prompts calls for introducing new scheme to ensure UK farms have enough workers to pick fruit and vegThe price of British strawberries could rise by 50% if ministers fail to plug growing gaps in seasonal labour which are expected to get worse after Brexit, MPs have heard.The prospect of a £3 punnet of strawberries was raised by MPs as they called for a new seasonal agricultural workers scheme to be introduced by next year – or sooner – to stop
  
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• CBI Fears Brexit 'Cliff-Edge' If UK Quits Single Market Before Deal Is Done

  06-07-2017 19:08
  
  Britain’s biggest business group has urged Theresa May to avoid a disastrous “cliff-edge” when the UK quits the EU by keeping the country in the single market and customs union until a Brexit deal is done.
  The CBI has suggested a transitional deal could be devised when the Article 50 process ends - and Britain leaves in March 2019 - that maintains the existing relationship between the UK and the EU.
  Carolyn Fairbairn, Director-General of the CBI, wants a “bridge&rdqu
  
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• UK business leaders to call for indefinite delay in leaving single market

  06-07-2017 19:02 via theguardian.com
  
  CBI and other groups to urge ministers to change their Brexit strategy to allow more time for a long-term trade dealBusiness leaders are to demand that ministers agree an indefinite delay in Britain’s departure from the European single market and customs union to give more time for talks on a long-term trade deal.In a dramatic escalation of the battle to soften the government’s Brexit strategy, groups representing thousands of UK employers aim to present a united front during a summi
  
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• Brexit Briefing: Business Leaders Urge UK To Stay In The Single Market During The Transition Period

  06-07-2017 19:01
  
  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) Business Leaders Are Pushing For A Hotel California Brexit.Before the election, the talk around Brexit focused on Theresa May’s “deal or no deal” stance.
  Now, the conversation is very much on
  
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• DUP's Ian Paisley Jnr Hits Out At 'Hatred' For His Party And Compares Abuse To Islamophobia

  06-07-2017 18:34
  
  A leading DUP MP has hit out at the “near universal hatred” of his party and compared it to Islamophobia.
  Iain Paisley Junior, son of the late First Minister of Northern Ireland, said that the Democratic Unionist Party’s deal with the Tories had sparked a wave of vilification and misrepresentation.
  He suggested that if similar criticisms of his party’s stance on homosexuality and abortion had been levelled against Muslims “you wouldn’t have got away with it&r
  
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• Brexit must not disrupt medicine development, say pharma execs

  06-07-2017 18:34
  Industry lobbying began shortly after British referendum last June
  
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• Brexit must not disrupt drug R&D, say pharma chiefs

  06-07-2017 18:34
  Industry lobbying began shortly after British referendum last June
  
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• Donald Trump's Poland Speeches And 11 Times He Said Something Dubious

  06-07-2017 18:21
  
  Donald Trump’s foray into foreign affairs took him to Poland on Thursday where he delivered three speeches in just a few hours, one in front of a crowd of reportedly bussed in supporters chanting “U-S-A!”
  The President vowed to confront “new forms of aggression” targeting the West and called for Moscow to stop fomenting unrest around the world.
  Yet he pointedly stopped short of condemning Russia for meddling in the US election, one of a number of dubious statements
  
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• Labour MPs critical of Corbyn fear deselection after 'get on board' warning

  06-07-2017 18:13 via theguardian.com
  
  Luciana Berger, the MP for Liverpool Wavertree, was challenged to get behind the leadership after previously calling for a new party leaderA Labour MP has been warned she needs to “get on board” with Jeremy Corbyn after his supporters won control of the local party, amid growing concerns among critics of the party leader that they could face deselection before the next election.
  Luciana Berger, the MP for Liverpool Wavertree, was challenged to get behind the leadership after eight ou
  
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• BBC Daily Politics editor Robbie Gibb to join No 10

  06-07-2017 18:00 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Robbie Gibb is Prime Minister Theresa May's new director of communications, the BBC announces.
  
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• Liam Fox and his British-made tie: wrapping Brexit up in knots | John Crace

  06-07-2017 17:52 via theguardian.com
  
  It was the international trade secretary’s moment in the spotlight. He’d dressed for the occasion – but he hadn’t done much else Some might say that Liam Fox has landed his ideal job. As international trade secretary, his mission is to jet around the world doing a bit of meet-and-greet over dinner. Indeed, as no trade deals can be signed before Britain leaves the EU, and only the vaguest expressions of future interest can be made so long as the terms of the divorce remain
  
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• 'Huge gap' in search and rescue along south coast of England, warns MP

  06-07-2017 17:41 via theguardian.com
  
  Tory MP Richard Drax urges government to rethink reorganisation of service that led to closure of helicopter base serving busy areaConcerns have been raised about a “huge gap” in search and rescue coverage along the south coast of England after a major reorganisation of the service that included the closure of a helicopter base serving one of the UK’s busiest stretches of sea.The Conservative MP Richard Drax has written to the government demanding a rethink after an emergency a
  
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• Labour MP Andrew Gwynne Wins Unlikely Praise From Tory Peer After Skewering Sajid Javid On Grenfell

  06-07-2017 17:35
  
  Sajid Javid has been savaged by a Labour MP after suggesting councils faced a post-Grenfell “looming crisis of trust”. 
  Andrew Gwynne said the Communities Secretary was “wrong” and the Government “has a lot to answer for” as he slammed the eye-watering 40% budget cutbacks some local authorities had faced. 
  His speech to the Local Government Association (LGA) conference won cheers from delegates from the UK’s cash-strapped councils and was even
  
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• Corbyn and Greening clash on skills gap

  06-07-2017 17:27 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Corbyn warns of "lost decade" of low pay, while Greening calls for "skills revolution".
  
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• Robbie Gibb, Senior BBC Journalist, Named Theresa May’s New Communications Director

  06-07-2017 17:11
  
  A senior BBC TV journalist has been appointed as Theresa May’s new communications director, sparking a row over the public broadcaster’s impartiality.
  Robbie Gibb, who runs the BBC’s political programmes, replaces Katie Perrior, who left Downing Street before the election.
  Her LinkedIn profile says that is currently “most definitely no longer the Director of Communications to the Prime Minister”.Robbie Gibb announced as Theresa May's new comms director. This is his
  
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• Robbie Gibb, Senior BBC Editor, Named Theresa May’s New Communications Director

  06-07-2017 17:11
  
  A senior BBC TV editor has been appointed as Theresa May’s new communications director, sparking a row over the public broadcaster’s impartiality.
  Robbie Gibb, who runs the BBC’s political programmes, replaces Katie Perrior, who left Downing Street before the election.
  Her LinkedIn profile says that is currently “most definitely no longer the Director of Communications to the Prime Minister”.Robbie Gibb announced as Theresa May's new comms director. This is his pred
  
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• Theresa May hires BBC's Robbie Gibb as communications chief

  06-07-2017 16:57 via theguardian.com
  
  Broadcaster’s head of operations at Westminster will succeed Katie Perrior who quit before the electionThe head of the BBC’s political team at Westminster has been appointed to take over as Downing Street’s director of communications. Related: Robbie Gibb: No 10's 'fair, flexible and very modern' new spin doctorContinue reading...
  
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• Manchester bomber Salman Abedi wandered city with primed device

  06-07-2017 16:31
  Suicide attacker visited Isis recruiter in Liverpool prison, say anti-terror police
  
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• Boris Johnson Less Popular Than Theresa May As He Attracts Just Two Bids At Tory Summer Fundraising Ball

  06-07-2017 16:07
  
  Boris Johnson’s plunging popularity has been underscored after a Tory fundraising auction managed to attract just two bids for dinner with him.
  The Conservative party’s annual summer ball saw the private meal with the Foreign Secretary raise £15,000 – while dinner with Theresa May attracted many bids and eventually went for a price of £160,000.
  Johnson, once the star attraction at such events, was this week eclipsed in the Tory leadership stakes by David Davis, wit
  
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• Frictionless trade with EU 'will be impossible if UK leaves single market' - as it happened

  06-07-2017 16:03 via theguardian.com
  
  Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happenAfternoon summary 3.03pm BST 2.31pm BSTThe Institute of Directors has put out a statement about Jeremy Corbyn’s speech. (See 1.13pm.) It says that it is glad the Labour leader is a “techno-optimist”, but that it disagrees with him on abolishing tuition fees. This is from Seamus Nevin, its head of employment and skills policy.New technology will bring disruption to companies and employees alike, but innovat
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn: UK must embrace technological change

  06-07-2017 15:52 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Labour's leader says he is not "one of the doom-mongers" about automation but the state must act to help workers.
  
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• It didn't take long for sympathy for Grenfell survivors to turn to scorn

  06-07-2017 15:18
  
  Grenfell survivors are being shamed for standing up for themselves
  
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• Liam Fox: BBC would rather see Britain fail than Brexit succeed

  06-07-2017 14:57 via theguardian.com
  
  But opposition parties say international trade secretary is in ‘cloud cuckoo land’ and ‘looks like Trump without the perma-tan’Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, has claimed the BBC would rather see Britain fail than Brexit succeed, making him the second Eurosceptic cabinet minister to attack the broadcaster for its coverage of the UK’s departure from the EU.Fox, who unsuccessfully stood for the leadership of the Conservative party last year, made the comm
  
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• Euratom matters to the UK

  06-07-2017 14:53
  Britain is a deeply embedded part of the wider European nuclear industry
  
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• Andrea Leadsom Says Government 'Considering Mood Of MPs' Over Tuition Fees Cost

  06-07-2017 14:33
  
  The government is “considering” making changes to tuition fees to address the impact of high interest rates, Andrea Leadsom has suggested.
  Speaking in the Commons today, the Conservative leader of the House said “the mood of many colleagues has been heard” when it came to student finance.
  Yesterday the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) concluded students in England and Wales would graduate with average debts of £50,800 once interest rates on student loans are
  
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• UK to lose global influence after Brexit - Lord Hague

  06-07-2017 14:28 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The former foreign secretary warns the UK will have to "sweat" to retain influence on world stage.
  
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• Lord Kinnock on Labour's City policies and credibility

  06-07-2017 14:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Looks at the party's relationship with business, and whether it is now trusted by the City.
  
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• Top UK financial regulator calls for clarity on Brexit transition

  06-07-2017 14:02
  City needs guidance to steer smooth course through process, says FCA chief
  
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• Speaker warns against style police in the Commons

  06-07-2017 14:02 via bbc.co.uk
  
  John Bercow's ruling follows a minister's refusal to take interventions from "sartorially challenged" MPs.
  
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• Hillsborough report should be published 'to help Grenfell families'

  06-07-2017 13:58 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The relative of a Hillsborough victim says the report might be helpful to Grenfell families too.
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn Ally Chris Williamson Says Members Should Have Right To Kick Out Sitting Labour MPs

  06-07-2017 13:54
  
  A close ally of Jeremy Corbyn has told Labour MPs they deserve to face deselection if they do not have the support of party members.
  Chris Williamson, who has been appointed to the shadow frontbench, said many MPs were guilty of “failing to understand what is really going on out there in society” and should not be surprised if they are replaced.
  It is the second time this week Derby North MP risked deepening splits in the Parliamentary Labour Party by arguing in favour of mandatory
  
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• One in three English nursing homes are underperforming

  06-07-2017 13:50
  Care Quality Commission says 32% of homes inspected are ‘inadequate’ or need improvement
  
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• Frictionless trade impossible if UK leaves EU single market, says Barnier

  06-07-2017 13:44 via theguardian.com
  
  EU chief negotiator says there is no cost-free way to leave bloc and cites 19% tariffs on British beer as possible cost of ‘no deal’The UK cannot leave the EU single market and keep the benefits, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator has said in his first major speech since talks began last month.Michel Barnier said he had warned the British government there was no cost-free way to leave the single market and said some people in the UK had not understood that Britain cannot leave th
  
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• Chilcot: Tony Blair was not 'straight with the nation' over Iraq war

  06-07-2017 13:23 via theguardian.com
  
  Head of Iraq inquiry says he does not believe former PM was clear enough about his decisions in the run-up to warSir John Chilcot has said he does not believe Tony Blair was “straight with the nation” about his decisions in the run-up to the Iraq war.The chairman of the public inquiry into the 2003 conflict said the former prime minister had however been “emotionally truthful” in his account of events leading up to the war, meaning he relied on both emotion and fact. Cont
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn: UK firms must pay more tax to fund better education

  06-07-2017 13:20 via theguardian.com
  
  Labour leader tells business conference that investment in better schools and training will benefit Britain in long termJeremy Corbyn has told a business conference that companies must expect to pay slightly more tax if Labour is in power, arguing that using the money to invest in education would hugely benefit Britain in the long term.
  The Labour leader outlined a post-Brexit vision for the UK as an economy competing on skills and productivity, not “a sort of low-tax haven on the shores o
  
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