Political news

• Politically homeless?

  15-07-2017 23:58 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Are new political parties in the UK always doomed to fail?
  
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• Former civil service head warns Theresa May of Brexit chaos

  15-07-2017 22:56 via theguardian.com
  
  Gus O’Donnell says squabbles, unrealistic expectations and overburdened administration means UK is in for a ‘rough ride’Top former civil servants have warned Theresa May that squabbling cabinet ministers, unrealistic expectations and an overburdened administration risk derailing her hopes of a smooth Brexit. Related: Brexit followed by Corbyn in No 10 would put UK flat on its back – BlairContinue reading...
  
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• ‘What do you want?’: As indecision and the UK’s lack of leadership grow, EU gets serious

  15-07-2017 22:30 via theguardian.com
  
  As a new round of talks are set to begin, the government’s position on Brexit is still unclear – with some diplomats fearing there will be no compromiseWhen the EU’s suave chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier warned last week that he could hear the clock ticking down on Britain’s time to secure a comprehensive trade deal, his deliberately anxiety-inducing imagery played into a fear growing in the minds of many in Whitehall, the government and Brussels.The concern grippi
  
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• Gus O'Donnell | Brexit is a massive venture. There’s no way these changes will happen smoothly

  15-07-2017 22:30 via theguardian.com
  
  Leaving the EU would have been enough of a challenge for a strong majority government – there needs to be clear political leadershipDavid Davis has described elements of his job leading the UK out of the EU as “making landing on the moon look simple”. My successor as cabinet secretary and head of the civil service, Sir Jeremy Heywood, has described Brexit as “the most complex challenge the civil service has faced in our peacetime history”. And now the head of the Na
  
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• 'There is an alternative': Corbyn brings message to Conservative seats

  15-07-2017 21:10 via theguardian.com
  
  Labour leader delivered speeches in Southampton and Bournemouth in first stops on tour of all 73 Tory-held marginalsJeremy Corbyn promised to carry on reminding voters in Conservative marginals that there “is an alternative” as he continued his election-style summer campaign with visits to two Tory-held seats on the south coast on Saturday.The Labour leader told supporters in Southampton that Theresa May’s party should “step aside” for a Labour “government in
  
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• The UK must not step away from the world stage because of Brexit

  15-07-2017 19:00
  Britain has influence and values that still have a place in geopolitics
  
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• John McDonnell hits back at Blair’s criticism of Labour’s Brexit policy

  15-07-2017 17:47 via theguardian.com
  
  Shadow chancellor says referendum result has to be respected and Labour is confident it can negotiate access to European markets post-BrexitThe shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, has hit back at Tony Blair’s criticism of Labour’s Brexit policy, accusing him of being out of touch with ordinary people.The Labour leadership has dismissed a call by Blair to leave open the option of Britain remaining a member of a reformed European Union.Continue reading...
  
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• Tony Blair says EU could compromise on freedom of movement

  15-07-2017 17:03 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Ex-PM says Britain could still stay in a reformed EU - but Labour says the referendum result "must be respected".
  
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• 'Postcode lottery' affects firefighters' response to tower block blazes

  15-07-2017 16:06 via theguardian.com
  
  Union asks Theresa May for urgent review of firefighters’ resources, following ‘hindered’ response to Grenfell Tower blazeFirefighters’ capability to tackle devastating blazes such as the Grenfell Tower fire vary widely depending on where they are based in the UK, a union has said.The different standards in how fire services can respond to life-threatening tower block fires is a “postcode lottery”, the Fire Brigades Union has said.Continue reading...
  
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• Fears Brexit deal breakdown would spell ‘catastrophe’

  15-07-2017 15:50
  Industry leaders warn Britain faces massive disruption if talks fail before March 2019
  
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• Brexit deal breakdown risks catastrophe, says industry

  15-07-2017 15:50
  UK warned of ‘massive disruption’ and plunge in output if talks collapse
  
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• Brexit followed by Corbyn in No 10 would put UK flat on its back – Blair

  15-07-2017 14:12 via theguardian.com
  
  Former Labour prime minister issues warning in lengthy article published by his own political instituteTony Blair has warned that the combination of Brexit followed by a Jeremy Corbyn government would soon leave Britain “flat on our back”, arguing that a deeply divided country needs a fundamental rethink of its political ideas.In another demonstration of his partial return to domestic politics, the former prime minister praised Corbyn’s performance in the general election, but
  
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• Tony Blair: 'absolutely necessary' Brexit doesn't happen – video

  15-07-2017 12:45 via theguardian.com
  
  The former prime minister says the Brexit process is doing economic and political damage. Speaking on Friday, Blair says stagnating living standards are causing a change in public opinion on BrexitBrexit followed by Corbyn in No 10 would put UK flat on its back – Tony Blair Continue reading...
  
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• Tony Blair Says There's A Way Around Brexit, Which 'Absolutely' Must Not Happen

  15-07-2017 12:34
  
  European Union leaders may be prepared to be flexible on the free movement of people in order to accommodate Britain as a way of reversing Brexit, Tony Blair has said.
  The former Labour Prime Minister has said that the option of reversing Britain’s planned withdrawal from the EU must be kept on the table, adding that it is “absolutely necessary” Brexit does not happen.
  He claimed that the Tories lost their majority in the election because large numbers of people voted to deny T
  
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• Why so few female councillors? Good old-fashioned sexism, for starters

  15-07-2017 11:07 via theguardian.com
  
  Men tell me councils were more honourable when councillors worked for free. I’m pretty sure councils were whiter, older and more male then too. Funny thatYou’re always surprised the first time you meet me; I don’t look like your usual local councillor. At 30, I’m half the average age, and as a woman, I’m in the minority. Only 33% of councillors in England are female, a figure that’s stayed stubbornly low over the past 20 years. There are a few reasons for that
  
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• Brexit: Blair says UK should consider staying in a reformed EU

  15-07-2017 10:17 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Tony Blair has said that the UK should rethink its Brexit plan "in the interests of the country".
  
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• Who will this ‘new’ Home Office drugs strategy help? Not today’s users | Henry Fisher

  15-07-2017 10:00 via theguardian.com
  
  What few good ideas there are in this pedestrian policy initiative seem to ignore the fact that public services like ours are squeezed to breaking point• Henry Fisher is director of drug policy thinktank VoltefaceThe wait is finally over for those of us working in the drug policy and drug treatment sectors. The Home Office published its new drug strategy on Friday, two years after its planned deadline in 2015. Sadly, however, this is not a case of good things coming to those who wait. For a
  
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• Conservatives fear descent into chaotic leadership battle

  15-07-2017 05:01
  Some ministers seen as manoeuvring to replace May as party limps to summer recess
  
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• Philip Hammond in row over 'even a woman can drive a train' jibe

  15-07-2017 01:36 via theguardian.com
  
  Chancellor reported to have made sexist remark at cabinet meeting, with Theresa May believed to have been less than impressed with his commentPhilip Hammond appears to have irked the prime minister by making a sexist remark in cabinet, exposing the tensions at the highest level of government.Reports suggest that in a discussion about transport, the chancellor quipped that driving trains had now been made so easy that “even a woman” could do it. Continue reading...
  
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• Law to be changed so terror offenders' jail terms can be lengthened

  15-07-2017 01:01 via theguardian.com
  
  MPs to be asked to extend Unduly Lenient Sentence procedure to terror-related crimes, giving victims and the public a say The legal scheme under which anyone can ask for convicted criminals to be given tougher sentences is to be extended to cover more terrorist offences.An order will be laid before MPs next week allowing those found guilty of encouraging terrorism, sharing terrorist propaganda and related offences to be brought back to court to have their punishment reassessed. Continue reading.
  
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• The world we have bequeathed to our children feels darker than the one I knew | Julianne Schultz

  15-07-2017 00:00 via theguardian.com
  
  The age-old intergenerational promise that children will have a better life than their parents has been broken. As a mother of millennials, I feel this personallyJulianne Schultz is the founding editor of Griffith Review More than 700 years ago a young poet commenced a journey that would define the human condition. Dante’s The Divine Comedy continues to resonate – arguably with new urgency in what many feel are dark times. His journey through hell commenced on the night before Good F
  
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