Political news

• Theresa May to spend aid money on insurance against disasters in Africa

  07-07-2017 23:30 via theguardian.com
  
  PM tells G20 that plan is to spend £30m over four years on private insurance policies to reduce need for humanitarian aidTheresa May is planning to spend tens of millions of pounds of aid funding on buying premiums with British insurance companies to help cover the costs of natural disasters in African countries, such as severe drought.The prime minister believes that buying up private insurance policies in the UK, in a break from more traditional forms of aid spending, could reduce the ne
  
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• Theresa May claims she has 'no regrets' about calling snap election

  07-07-2017 23:30 via theguardian.com
  
  PM tells reporters on way to G20 summit she is ‘getting on with the job’ and brushes aside idea UK has lost global influence Theresa May has said she had no regrets about calling the early election that stripped her of a parliamentary majority, insisting that she would boldly push ahead with her programme for government and would be remaining in place. May, speaking from the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, following claims from an unnamed minister that she was a “lame horse&rdq
  
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• Ben Jennings on Trump meeting Putin – cartoon

  07-07-2017 21:16 via theguardian.com
  
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• Theresa May uses G20 summit to rebuild battered authority

  07-07-2017 21:02
  Prime minister puts election behind her to broker talks with world leaders
  
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• May uses G20 summit to rebuild battered authority

  07-07-2017 21:02
  Prime minister puts election behind her to broker talks with world leaders
  
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• Business leaders feel the heat during Chevening Brexit talks

  07-07-2017 21:02
  Ministers make clear it will be impossible to retain quasi-EU membership after 2019
  
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• Ministers dash business hopes of transitional Brexit deal

  07-07-2017 20:27
  Davis warns of backlash if it appears Britain has not really left the EU
  
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• Conservatives battle for chairmanship of powerful Treasury committee

  07-07-2017 20:19 via theguardian.com
  
  Jacob Rees-Mogg, hardline Brexiter, faces off against Nicky Morgan, who favours a soft Brexit, as nominations close for policy-scrutinising committeesA Conservative battle is underway for the chairmanship of parliament’s powerful Treasury committee, with Jacob Rees-Mogg, the rightwing arch-Brexiter, pitted against Nicky Morgan, the leader of the fight for a soft Brexit.The pair’s contrasting candidacies for the position came to light on Friday afternoon as nominations closed for the
  
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• Donald Trump Asks Vladimir Putin Whether Russia Interfered In Election, 'Accepts' Denial

  07-07-2017 20:15
  
  Donald Trump is keen to “move forward” from claims Russia interfered to get him elected president, having asked Vladimir Putin face-to-face whether they were true. 
  The much-anticipated meeting between the American president and Russian president began with Trump asking about the allegations, which Trump’s critics believe delivered Trump the presidency.
  Putin denied it and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Trump was “rightly focused on how do we move forward from
  
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• People want a 'sensible Brexit', says Philip Hammond

  07-07-2017 20:09 via theguardian.com
  
  Chancellor welcomes business leaders’ call for indefinite delay to leaving single market as Liam Fox appears to challenge his stancePhilip Hammond has welcomed an intervention by business leaders who called for an indefinite delay in Britain’s departure from the European single market and customs union and said that people wanted to see a “sensible Brexit”.The chancellor insisted he was happy to see the CBI making its voice heard, but his stance was apparently challenged
  
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• David Cameron, why oh why are you still talking? | Marina Hyde

  07-07-2017 20:03 via theguardian.com
  
  The former prime minister picks up a fat fee for a speech on austerity. His lack of self-awareness is bordering on sociopathy• Marina Hyde is a Guardian columnistIn one sense, it was a surprise to find David Cameron saying arrogant and tin-eared things overseas this week: that’s Liam Fox’s job, and has been ever since he was restored to cabinet, in the greatest political comeback since Lazarus was found sharing a tomb with his self-styled adviser. Related: Liam Fox: BB
  
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• South Tyneside Momentum Denies It Backs Deselection Of MPs And Claims Its Facebook Account Was Hacked

  07-07-2017 19:48
  
  A local branch of Momentum has denied that it is backing the deselection of Labour MPs and has even claimed that its Facebook page was ‘hacked’ to discredit it.
  The South Tyneside region of the leftwing grassroots network faced a backlash from MPs after its social media page hosted a blog attacking 49 MPs as “usual suspects” and urging them to “join the Liberals”.
  The list, reproduced on the front page of the Times newspaper, included a clutch of MPs who defi
  
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• The Guardian view on Brexit and business: speaking for Britain | Editorial

  07-07-2017 19:34 via theguardian.com
  
  The clock is ticking on the Brexit process. It is time for ministers to get real about the economic issues and press for a transitional dealIt is now more than a year since the EU referendum. It is more than three months since Theresa May triggered the UK’s withdrawal negotiations, which in principle should be completed next year and signed off by March 2019. From the start, the EU side has been extremely clear about its approach to the Brexit process and its goals. The British government,
  
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• Tuition fees should be scrapped, says 'architect' of fees Andrew Adonis

  07-07-2017 19:33 via theguardian.com
  
  Student finance system leaves graduates in England with debt of £50,000 or more and three-quarters will never pay it back, says former Blair adviserTuition fees in England should be scrapped after becoming a “Frankenstein’s monster” that loads £50,000 or more in debt on to the backs of graduates, according to the architect of the last Labour government’s education reforms.Andrew Adonis, the former adviser to Tony Blair who also served as an education minister,
  
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• Divisive Brexit vote has unleashed something very ugly | Brief letters

  07-07-2017 19:27 via theguardian.com
  
  Brexit referendum | As seen by Tacitus | Jacob Rees-Mogg | Henry Blofeld and David Cameron | Asterix in SwitzerlandThis week’s BBC Question Time was depressing viewing. It showed just how divisive the EU referendum was and how unwilling the Conservatives and Labour are to tackle the fallout. Given the politics of the last two decades this is not surprising. However, the most depressing aspect was that the loudest audience applause was for the most extreme views on both sides of the argumen
  
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• Upper hand: Trump and Putin's body language shows who's the boss | John Crace

  07-07-2017 19:14 via theguardian.com
  
  The stonyfaced Russian president made it clear who was the heavyweight figure on the world stageTheir first encounter had been a brush-by in the VIP lounge of the G20 conference centre in Hamburg during the morning. President Putin had intended it to be the briefest of handshakes, forgetting there is no such thing as a quick handshake with Donald Trump. The US president had thrust out a clammy right paw, grabbed hold of his arm with his left hand and then pumped it enthusiastically for rather lo
  
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• Low-paid workers need better job satisfaction, No 10 review will say

  07-07-2017 18:58 via theguardian.com
  
  Exclusive: Taylor report, commissioned by PM, will call on government to improve quality of work for minimum wage earnersA Downing Street review into modern employment is to call on the government to improve the quality of work for millions of people earning the minimum wage after it found too many are stuck with few prospects and falling job satisfaction.A 10-month review commissioned by the prime minister has identified a productivity crisis among the lowest paid workers particularly in sector
  
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• 'September election would be nice'

  07-07-2017 18:50 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn says he will be campaigning in marginal constituencies all summer.
  
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• Select committees: Six Tories vie for coveted Treasury role

  07-07-2017 18:46 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Nicky Morgan and Jacob Rees-Mogg are among the candidates for coveted post as other roles are decided.
  
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• G20 Summit: 160 Police Officers Injured And Cars Set Alight As Anti-Capitalist Protests Turn Violent

  07-07-2017 17:13
  
  Around 160 police officers have been injured during violent anti-capitalist protests in Hamburg as some of the world’s most important leaders meet for the G20 summit. 
  Police are sending reinforcements from across Germany to help deal with thousands of demonstrators who have set fire to cars, rubbish bins and wooden pallets, Reuters reported.
  According to the news agency, 45 protesters have been temporarily detained and another 15 taken into custody. 
  The pilots of a police helic
  
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• World Economic Forum backs pension saving over repaying student loan

  07-07-2017 17:00
  Three quarters of graduates from English universities will never pay off loans, study shows
  
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• Pride In London Sees Rainbows Across Capital Ahead Of Annual Celebrations

  07-07-2017 16:38
  
  London has been given a multicoloured makeover ahead of this weekend’s Pride.
  From high street shops to Underground tube stations, splashes of colour can be spotted all over the city to mark the annual LGBT celebrations taking place this weekend.
  Parliament will be stepping up its game this year by lighting up with the colours of the rainbow for the first time.
  The iconic flag will be projected onto the river front of the Palace of Westminster and will be able to be seen across the Th
  
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• Corbyn critics banned from official Durham Miners' Gala reception

  07-07-2017 16:31 via theguardian.com
  
  Labour MPs who have criticised leader will not be welcome on platform for second year running, say organisersLabour MPs who have been critical of Jeremy Corbyn have been banned from the official reception of the Durham Miners’ Gala for the second year running.
  Alan Cummings, the secretary of the Durham Miners’ Association, said “quite a few” Labour MPs were not welcome on the platform for the annual procession, which he predicted would attract crowds of more than 200,000
  
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• Populism isn’t dead. Here are five things you need to know about it | Cas Mudde

  07-07-2017 16:04 via theguardian.com
  
  Recent victories for European centrists offer a chance to reflect on the phenomenon of populism – and draw some crucial lessons for the future• Cas Mudde is a US academic and writerThe electoral victories of Emmanuel Macron in France and Mark Rutte in the Netherlands have significantly changed the discourse on European politics. The international media has gone from “populism is unbeatable” to “populism is dead”. Obviously, neither is or was true. In fact, popu
  
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• Week in Review: Brexit debate moves on, but May is stuck in the past

  07-07-2017 15:49
  
  As political opinion swings towards a transition solution, the prime minister keeps mouthing the platitudes of the election.
  
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• EU finances after Brexit and loss of British contribution

  07-07-2017 15:23 via bbc.co.uk
  
  How will remaining 27 EU countries balance the books after Brexit, as they lose one of their biggest contributors.
  
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• Westminster tribute: 50 years after gay sex decriminalisation

  07-07-2017 15:20 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A decision to light up Parliament marks 50 years since the part-decriminalisation of homosexuality in the UK.
  
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• Sadiq Khan rejects call to move Notting Hill carnival after Grenfell fire

  07-07-2017 15:02 via theguardian.com
  
  London mayor says moving event could harm community relations after MP questions whether it should be held near blaze siteSadiq Khan has refused to move the Notting Hill carnival after a senior government minister questioned whether the annual event, which happens near Grenfell Tower, should go ahead at its traditional home so soon after the deadly blaze.Greg Hands, the minister for London, wrote to the London mayor to ask whether it would be “appropriate to stage a carnival in the near pr
  
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• Is Brexit bad for women?

  07-07-2017 14:56
  Without guarantees, there are fears that equality rights could be eroded
  
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• Labour bids to defuse Luciana Berger de-selection row

  07-07-2017 14:10 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Are 'moderate' Labour MPs facing a mass purge over past disloyalty, asks Iain Watson.
  
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• Notting Hill Carnival Outrage As Minister For London Accused Of 'Using Grenfell' To Move Festival

  07-07-2017 14:02
  
  Minister for London Greg Hands stands accused of “using the Grenfell tragedy” to try and shift the Notting Hill Carnival out of west London. 
  Hands has faced a backlash on social media after writing to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan asking for the street festival to be moved to a park.
  The Tory MP for Chelsea and Fulham questioned whether it was “appropriate” for the celebration to be held “in the near proximity of a major national disaster”. Khan rejec
  
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• Brexit Repeal Bill faces opposition

  07-07-2017 13:16 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Theresa May faces a battle to get crucial legislation through Parliament, opponents warn.
  
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• Westminster political review of the week with Emma Barnett

  07-07-2017 13:04 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Reflecting on the Westminster week, dominated by competing claims about the future of the public sector pay cap.
  
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• May: Vandalism fears shouldn't stop Thatcher statue

  07-07-2017 12:53 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Theresa May says plans for bronze statue of former PM should not be halted over vandalism fears.
  
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• Corbyn critics win election to Labour parliamentary committee

  07-07-2017 12:53 via theguardian.com
  
  Internal power struggle continues as supporters of leader including Clive Lewis fail to win enough support to make cutCritics of Jeremy Corbyn have won election to the party’s parliamentary committee, as the struggle between allies and opponents of the leader continues despite a new eight-point poll lead for Labour.Among those elected to the influential backbench body, which has a weekly meeting with Corbyn, were Neil Coyle, Graham Jones, Angela Smith and Ruth Smeeth. They will now play a
  
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• Judge's handwritten notes released under UK data laws for first time

  07-07-2017 12:48 via theguardian.com
  
  Ministry of Justice hands over notes to couple who disagreed with judge’s decision to reject constructive dismissal claimA judge’s handwritten notes have been obtained to challenge a ruling for the first time, establishing a far-reaching legal precedent for the right to personal information.In what appears to be the first successful data request from a courtroom, the Ministry of Justice has handed over confidential material providing an insight into the reasoning behind a judgment. C
  
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• Grenfell Tower Fire: Inquiry Head Sir Martin Moore-Bick Heckled By Survivors At Meeting

  07-07-2017 12:22
  
  Grenfell Tower survivors angry about the probe into the blaze heckled the inquiry head as he tried to convince them he was the right person for the job. 
  Retired judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick met face-to-face with residents on Thursday night in a bid to reassure them he would investigate the tragedy to the “very best of his ability”. 
  It comes amid anger at the “narrow” remit of the public and concern about Sir Martin’s background in banking and commercial l
  
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• A Thatcher statue? The perfect way to honour our precarious gig economy | Anne Perkins

  07-07-2017 12:20 via theguardian.com
  
  A report by Labour’s Frank Field and Andrew Forsey shows the sick or bereaved working to avoid losing their jobs, often earning less than the price of a coffeePlans to erect a statue of Margaret Thatcher opposite parliament have been turned down, it is reported, partly for fear of it being attacked. But surely that was the point? The statue should be built at once. It will become the focus for political mobilisation, the icon of political iconoclasm recast herself as victim of the iconocla
  
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• The Sexual Offences Act Turns 50: These Videos Show How Law Change Transformed People's Lives

  07-07-2017 12:00
  
  Sex between two men was decriminalised 50 years ago and the remarkable milestone is being celebrated. 
  As part of Pride 2017, Parliament has released a series of ‘Your Story, Our History’ videos exploring how the legislation paved the way for stronger equality laws in the UK. 
  The Sexual Offences Act 1967 decriminalised private homosexual acts between men aged over 21, while at the same time imposing heavier penalties on street offences.
  But each of the videos points out th
  
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• Theresa May at G20: 'I will not be timid'

  07-07-2017 11:50 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Theresa May vows to be "bold" on the world stage and in Brexit talks despite election result.
  
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• London agrees to new subterranean gravel quarry and park

  07-07-2017 11:47
  The 44 hectare site in Hounslow is on a former farm to the east of Heathrow airport
  
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• Even the IMF says austerity doesn’t work. It’s the zombie idea that will not die | Phil McDuff

  07-07-2017 11:44 via theguardian.com
  
  Politicians say that it’s sound finance, when in fact it’s a tool used to demonise immigrants and profit from ‘working-class concerns’
  A few weeks on from the general election, and David Cameron has been disinterred to say giving public sector workers pay rises is the height of selfishness – while Theresa May is back to harping on in prime minister’s questions about the debt left by the last Labour government. It’s apparently 2015 all over again.It&rsquo
  
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• The Waugh Zone Friday July 7, 2017

  07-07-2017 10:40
  
  1. HUMPTY-TRUMPTY SAT ON A WALL
  Donald Trump finally gets to meet Vladimir Putin today at the G20 summit in Hamburg and all eyes will be on them both. The Russian former judo champion is up against an American who takes part in fake wrestling fights. The strength of their handshake could tell us a lot. Trump, under pressure from his Polish hosts yesterday, at least reaffirmed Nato’s Article 5, and warned Moscow over Ukraine. But more than 50 years after Kennedy’s Ich Bin Ein Berline
  
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• Donald Trump's very exciting news about the end of the west | First Dog on the Moon

  07-07-2017 10:31 via theguardian.com
  
  The end of western civilisation is something a lot of people have been looking forward to for a while now. Bring on the end of capitalism, and robotsSign up here to get an email whenever First Dog cartoons are publishedGet all your needs met at the First Dog shop if what you need is First Dog merchandise and printsContinue reading...
  
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• Will the Home Office deport a three year old girl to face genital mutilation?

  07-07-2017 09:55
  
  Case raises questions about whether Home Office is signed up to the government's commitment to protect women from violence.
  
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• BBC Question Time Audience Member Applauded For Calm Response To Angry Leave Voter

  07-07-2017 09:47
  
  An audience member was applauded after calmly handling an increasing irate Leave voter on Thursday night’s BBC Question Time.
  Speaking on the show, which was this week held in Burton upon Trent, the young woman initially explained: “I think the problem is that the Leave guys didn’t actually know what they were campaigning for so those of us voting also didn’t know what was going to happen.
  “It was a campaign based on ‘we’re going to leave the EU hop
  
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• Arlene Foster: Man charged over Facebook abuse

  07-07-2017 09:36 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Police charge an 18-year-old with the improper use of a public electronic communications' network.
  
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• Naomi Klein: 'Trump is more like the schlock doctrine' – video

  07-07-2017 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  Naomi Klein tells Owen Jones that Donald Trump’s administration is using a ‘new formula’ for pushing through its agenda. Rather than the disaster capitalism she outlined in her book The Shock Doctrine, Klein says the Republican party is using Donald Trump’s ‘mental instability, out-of-control ego and general man-babyness’ to distract from their policies, which are ‘savaging’ environmental standards and already-inadequate financial regulationsAn ext
  
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• Labour must return to first principles on child poverty | Andrew Harrop

  07-07-2017 08:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The party’s manifesto policies would have cut living standards for the worst-off – and that can’t be right• Andrew Harrop is general secretary of the Fabian SocietyLabour has the most leftwing leader in its history. So how, in this election, did the party present a policy programme that would increase child poverty? It is a troubling question that casts a long shadow over the party’s hugely successful campaign: a campaign that in other regards stood out for its convi
  
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• Theresa May needs ‘reality check’ on Brexit says SNP

  07-07-2017 06:06
  Party’s new Westminster leader warns legislation requires Scottish parliament’s consent
  
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