Political news

• Jeremy Corbyn allies weigh creation of second deputy Labour leader

  21-07-2017 23:02
  Proposal to put woman in new role threatens to undermine current deputy Tom Watson
  
  Read more

• Rush to cash in pensions spurs FCA scrutiny

  21-07-2017 21:23
  Three firms agree to suspend services amid fears that transfer advice ignores risk
  
  Read more

• Theresa May heads off on summer break as Tories celebrate survival

  21-07-2017 20:54
  UK prime minister faces series of parliamentary tests on her return
  
  Read more

• Martin Rowson on Michael Gove's 'pragmatic' transition period – cartoon

  21-07-2017 20:13
  Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Tories were warned about anger at austerity before the election

  21-07-2017 19:53
  MPs warn that Corbyn has identified “the right grievances” as damning findings of internal research are revealedConcerns about austerity and the public-sector pay cap were highlighted in internal Conservative research carried out before the general election, leaving senior figures aghast that the party failed to act upon the warnings, the Guardian understands.Individuals taking part in a series of in-depth focus groups raised widespread concerns over issues such as school cuts and th
  
  Read more

• Banks and companies plan expansion in Frankfurt after Brexit

  21-07-2017 19:53
  US investment bank Morgan Stanley is latest to choose city as it vies to become EU’s principle financial centre and win back jobs lost in banking crisisSeveral hundred banks and companies have contacted German authorities about expanding in Frankfurt, as the city vies to become the EU’s principal financial centre after Brexit.Lucia Puttrich, Europe minister in the government of the state of Hesse, told the Guardian she had been in talks with several banks about expanding their presen
  
  Read more

• A healthy dose of reality enters the Brexit debate

  21-07-2017 19:51
  Theresa May’s welcome talk of transition still requires trade-offs
  
  Read more

• Budget deficit leaps as Brexit-fuelled inflation troubles Hammond

  21-07-2017 19:34
  Government borrowing rises by more than expected to £6.9bn in June – almost 50% higher than in the same month last yearThe government was forced to borrow more than expected in June after a jump in the UK’s budget deficit to £6.9bn – almost 50% higher than the same month last year.The sharp rise followed a spike in the cost of financing the UK’s debt, a drop in corporation tax receipts and a larger than forecast contribution to the EU in June. Continue reading
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Jeremy Corbyn is not the Messiah | Letters

  21-07-2017 19:11
  Readers engage with Owen Jones’s enthusiasm for the Labour leaderOwen Jones suggests that “to understand the future, we must reconsider the past” (Blair should accept his era is over, 20 July), adding that the lesson of the past is that “Labour’s role is to tear down a bankrupt social order, not defend it”. Noble sentiments – but surely not an accurate historical assessment? The early Labour party of a century ago was a reformist, social-democratic movem
  
  Read more

• Vince Cable leads a party that has lost all that it stood for | Deborah Orr

  21-07-2017 19:02
  Why didn’t he stand for the Lib Dem leadership 10 years ago? He might have avoided all the calls that led his party to disaster• Deborah Orr is a Guardian columnistVince Cable has become leader of the Lib Dems, and just 10 years after he should have taken his chance. Acting leader after the resignation of Menzies Campbell in 2007, he didn’t stand, leaving Chris Huhne and Nick Clegg to slug it out. The rest is disaster. The best that can be said about Clegg is that at least he wa
  
  Read more

• Michael Gove signals change of thinking on UK environment

  21-07-2017 18:24
  Minister cracks down on plastic pollution and backs changes to subsidy scheme for farmers
  
  Read more

• Brexit: Cabinet 'united' over EU transition deal

  21-07-2017 18:17 via bbc.co.uk
  An "implementation period" following Brexit must be driven by "pragmatism", Michael Gove says.
  
  Read more

• Donald Trump's Press Secretary Sean Spicer Resigns Over Hiring Of Communications Aide

  21-07-2017 18:14
  
  White House press secretary Sean Spicer has resigned over the hiring of a new communications aide.
  The New York Times reports Spicer resigned because he was unhappy Anthony Scaramucci was named White House communications director.
  The paper reported Trump wanted Spicer to stay on but Spicer said Scaramucci’s appointment was a mistake and resigned. 
  The White House later confirmed Sarah Huckabee Sanders is Trump’s new press secretary and Scaramucci is cthe new ommunications direc
  
  Read more

• Commons committee was hit by cyber attack

  21-07-2017 18:04 via bbc.co.uk
  Seventy seven people who emailed committee are warned details may have been compromised in June attack.
  
  Read more

• UK Supreme Court names first female president

  21-07-2017 17:58
  Baroness Hale to take over from Lord Neuberger on Britain’s highest court
  
  Read more

• Severn tolls abolished by end of 2018, says Alun Cairns

  21-07-2017 17:55 via bbc.co.uk
  The fees paid on entry to Wales - from £6.70 to £20 - have long been a source of contention.
  
  Read more

• Labour MP Liz Twist Reveals Her Husband Died By Suicide In Emotional Maiden Speech

  21-07-2017 17:52
  
  Labour MP Liz Twist used her maiden speech to reveal her husband Charlie took his own life and call for “deeds as well as words” to reduce the number of suicides.
  The Blaydon MP, who volunteers for the Samaritans, lost her spouse 17 years ago and warned “unemployment, job uncertainty and poverty” all increased the chances of a person ending their life.
  She told MPs in the House of Commons: “All of us come to this House with not just a passion for politics, but a per
  
  Read more

• Diane Abbott fires back after ITV News tweets her interview stumble

  21-07-2017 17:37
  Writing in the Guardian, Labour MP accuses broadcasters of missing the story, treating her differently to white, male MPs, and ignoring racist abuseDiane Abbott has accused broadcasters of being proud to pursue “fact-free, research-free and investigation-free” journalism and of failing to acknowledge racist abuse against her. Related: TV journalists set out to make me look stupid – and missed the real news | Diane AbbottContinue reading...
  
  Read more

• U-turn on rail schemes hits Northern Powerhouse plan

  21-07-2017 17:30
  Leeds to Manchester railway unlikely to be fully electrified, says Chris Grayling
  
  Read more

• Theresa May can flee the UK, but remainers will have to take solace in the Proms

  21-07-2017 17:12
  The prime minister must be fed up after recent events, although appointing Michael Gove to environment will have made her chuckleTo celebrate the start of the Proms, I bought a soundbar to go with the TV. Predictably, this led to several hours of torment as I struggled to connect it. The only instructions that came with the speaker gave little away other than “Plug in and play”. There were few clues about what to plug in where, and it was only by trial and error and a bit of tape to
  
  Read more

• EU and Britain fail to reach agreement on half of issues in Brexit talks

  21-07-2017 16:59
  Teams working on future rights of EU citizens in UK and Britons in Europe are still to resolve 22 of 44 issues under discussionThe EU and UK Brexit teams working on the future rights of EU citizens in the UK and Britons in Europe have failed to reach agreement on 22 of the 44 issues under negotiation, a joint working paper has revealed.
  A detailed colour-coded document reveals there is agreement on 22 “green areas” but fundamental disagreements on 14 “red” issues and a fu
  
  Read more

• Prisons boss received 'scandalous' £20,000 bonus

  21-07-2017 16:53 via bbc.co.uk
  Michael Spurr was given the payment despite jails being branded "unacceptably violent and dangerous".
  
  Read more

• Michael Gove’s green dream: like Brexit, the reality awaits

  21-07-2017 16:39
  Gove’s vision for the environment is undoubtedly ambitious but it is at odds with much government action – making it real will be a gargantuan taskWho knew? Environment secretary Michael Gove, arch Brexiter and seen just months ago grinning and thumbs up in eco-villain Donald Trump’s lair, turns out to be – in words, at least – a deep green.
  His first major speech railed against “corporate greed and devil-take-the-hindmost individualism”, “extracti
  
  Read more

• TV journalists set out to make me look stupid – and missed the real news | Diane Abbott

  21-07-2017 16:27
  This week I was caught up in a ‘gotcha’ storm. The headlines should have been about the alarming rise in crime, not about an interview stumble• Diane Abbott is shadow home secretary and MP for Hackney North and Stoke NewingtonI found myself in the middle of a “gotcha” journalism storm this week. The government released new crime statistics on Thursday, revealing the highest annual rise in crime in a decade. This, together with the fact that we are seeing the lowest p
  
  Read more

• Of course the Maybot needs to recharge her batteries. I propose a holiday in balmy Brexit Britain

  21-07-2017 16:07
  Rather than rambling in Italy, our PM should try a tour of our newly sovereign paradise and take in the cool culinary trend of ‘food banks’. And then there’s the chance to spot a rare police officer in the wildIt seems Theresa May is finally listening to suggestions that she take a hike. The prime minister is about to head off on her hols, a three-week walking tour of northern Italy and Switzerland with a quick stop in Brussels. Even the Maybot has to recharge her batteries now
  
  Read more

• Reality Check: Is Brexit inevitable?

  21-07-2017 16:02 via bbc.co.uk
  How the law, politics and practicalities could affect the process of the UK leaving the EU.
  
  Read more

• Rendition case against Jack Straw must be held in secret, judge rules

  21-07-2017 15:43
  Decision means couple allegedly abducted and sent to Libya and their lawyers will be excluded from hearing parts of the trialThe high court should sit in secret when the former foreign secretary Jack Straw faces a damages claim over his alleged role in the abduction and torture of a Libyan dissident and his pregnant wife, a ruling has said. Having failed in a previous attempt to have the case against Straw struck out, government lawyers successfully sought to have it heard behind closed doors un
  
  Read more

• Baroness Hale appointed as UK's first female top judge

  21-07-2017 15:38 via bbc.co.uk
  Yorkshire-born Baroness Hale is to become the UK Supreme Court's first female president, aged 72.
  
  Read more

• Judge says torture case evidence can be heard in secret

  21-07-2017 15:36 via bbc.co.uk
  The High Court says MI6 and the government need a "fair opportunity" to fight claims made a Libyan dissident.
  
  Read more

• The surge in Britons seeking a second passport

  21-07-2017 15:34
  Some EU states are keener than others on the principle of dual citizenship
  
  Read more

• Labour MPs tell Boots of concern over emergency contraception cost

  21-07-2017 15:34
  Female Labour MPs write to Boots about company’s refusal to cut price of morning-after pill as calls for boycott growThe women’s parliamentary Labour party (PLP) has written to Boots UK’s chief pharmacist to express “deep concern” about the company’s refusal to reduce the price of emergency contraception, as calls for a boycott continue to grow. On Thursday, Boots said it would not lower the cost of the morning-after pill despite a campaign from the British Pr
  
  Read more

• Unseat Boris Johnson Event Will See Hundreds Knock On Doors To Canvass For Labour Support

  21-07-2017 15:14
  
  A rally to try to unseat Boris Johnson will take place in his constituency at the weekend.
  The rally, organised by journalist Owen Jones, will include speeches from shadow foreign secretary, shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer and Labour MP Marsha De Cordova.
  Attendees will go on to knock on doors around the area to convince constituents to vote Labour in order to unseat him at the next General Election, whenever that may be.In an exclusive blog on HuffPost UK, Jones explained: “Labour ca
  
  Read more

• UK to back temporary free movement after Brexit, says Michael Gove

  21-07-2017 15:07
  Leading Eurosceptic minister confirms support for transitional arrangement
  
  Read more

• Jeremy Corbyn To Campaign In Scottish Marginals Over Summer

  21-07-2017 14:59
  
  Jeremy Corbyn plans to spend part of his summer touring marginal seats in Scotland.
  Labour was left with just one MP in Scotland after the 2015 surge. But it picked up six more seats at the last election and is looking to make further gains.
  The party said that of the 64 seats Labour needs to win to secure a Commons majority, 18 are in Scotland.
  Corbyn said 
  “Under Labour, Scotland will have a government that works for the many not the few.
  “Labour remains on an election footin
  
  Read more

• The Black Country flag row shows Britain is still blind to its colonial past | Matthew Stallard

  21-07-2017 14:51
  Local MP Eleanor Smith raised concerns over the emblem – and caused outrage. But the region’s connection to slavery cannot be ignored• Matthew Stallard is a historian of class and race at the University of ManchesterThe recently designed flag of the Black Country achieved its most prominent national coverage yet on Wednesday at prime minister’s questions when Theresa May came to its defence following the newly elected MP for Wolverhampton South West’s expression of &
  
  Read more

• Nigel Farage Selectively Quotes Article 50 With 'Dishonest' Claim About Divorce Bill

  21-07-2017 14:14
  
  LATEST: LBC has retracted the article and issued a clarification (see below).
  Nigel Farage has been forced to delete a tweet claiming the UK does not have to pay anything to the EU after 2020.
  During his LBC radio show last night the former UKIP-leader waxed lyrical about his favourite topic whilst holding up a piece of paper that he claimed was a direct quote from Article 50.
  He said: “So you could say, morally, that we have signed up to a series of spending agreements that take us throug
  
  Read more

• William and Kate have been duped into endorsing Poland’s ugly nationalism | Kate Maltby

  21-07-2017 13:58
  The royal couple’s Polish trip was all about sucking up to a deeply unpleasant government. Why? We might need its help over Brexit• Kate Maltby is an associate fellow of Bright Blue, a thinktank for liberal conservatismStick “Poland” into Google News this week, and you’ll have been rewarded by a slew of headlines about the Duchess of Cambridge’s latest dress. Today, the duke and duchess finish their summer tour of Europe. The Telegraph has gushed: “&lsquo
  
  Read more

• Former victims' commissioner is new Parliament watchdog

  21-07-2017 13:54 via bbc.co.uk
  Kathryn Stone previously served as Northern Ireland's victims commissioner.
  
  Read more

• Week in review: One step forward two steps back for women's equality

  21-07-2017 13:48
  
  From equal pay to reproductive rights women are still experiencing regular discrimination because of our gender
  
  Read more

• Michael Gove says cabinet is united on Brexit transition period

  21-07-2017 13:48
  Environment secretary says ministers agree UK should seek post-Brexit period of ‘pragmatic’ approach to free movementMichael Gove has said the cabinet is committed to a post-Brexit transition period that takes a “pragmatic approach” to free movement to give businesses and the agriculture industry reassurance.The environment secretary said many different sectors had impressed upon the government the importance of avoiding a cliff edge, after his first major speech since re
  
  Read more

• The Brexiters are coming apart at the seams

  21-07-2017 13:31
  
  We will all be the victims of their inadequacy
  
  Read more

• Brexit unity?

  21-07-2017 13:30 via bbc.co.uk
  A settled view seems to be emerging on the need for a transitional period after Brexit but questions remain on how long this will take.
  
  Read more

• Budget deficit leaps as Brexit-fuelled inflation gives Hammond a headache

  21-07-2017 13:29
  Government borrowing rises by more than expected to £6.9bn in June – almost 50% higher than in the same month last yearThe UK borrowed more than expected in June, with the country’s budget deficit rising to £6.9bn – almost 50% higher than the same month last year.Higher inflation following sterling’s slump after the Brexit vote forced the government to spend more on financing its debt mountain. Other factors included lower GDP growth in the first quarter, a fa
  
  Read more

• Andrew Neil's This Week Monologue Tears Into BBC Pay Gap

  21-07-2017 13:27
  
  Andrew Neil has given his take on the BBC pay row in a searing intro to BBC One’s This Week.
  The presenter said: “Welcome to BBC This Week, where politics comes at a discount & even the autocue is read more cheaply than on any other news or current affairs show.
  “Unless of course it’s read by a woman, in which case it’ll be even cheaper than us. Yes, I know that’s hard to believe.”
  The corporation was on Wednesday forced to reveal a huge ge
  
  Read more

• UK air traffic controllers warn of over-crowded skies

  21-07-2017 13:02 via bbc.co.uk
  Air traffic controllers are expected to guide a record 8,800 flights across the UK on Friday.
  
  Read more

• UK government borrowing rises in June

  21-07-2017 12:05 via bbc.co.uk
  The government's budget deficit grew by more than expected after inflation pushed up its interest bill.
  
  Read more

• Cabinet Committee List Reveals Damian Green As Power Behind The Throne

  21-07-2017 12:05
  
  Cabinet office minister Damian Green looks set to become the most important figure in government when Parliament returns from recess.
  Number 10′s published list shows the Ashford MP will sit on 18 out of 20 cabinet committees and taskforces, chairing eight of them and acting as second in command for nine. 
  He will lead both the European affairs and international trade Brexit committees, as well as the social reform home affairs committee and the immigration task force - ahead of chie
  
  Read more

• Britain First's Jayda Fransen Gets Chased Out Of Birmingham

  21-07-2017 12:03
  
  Britain First’s Deputy Leader has been filmed losing her cool whilst being chased out of Birmingham after confronting the holders of a Muslim bookstall.
  Jayda Fransen spent a number of hours in a heated confrontation near the Bullring on 13 July, which was broadcast as a live video on the far-right group’s Facebook page.
  But what it didn’t show were events later on as Fransen and her entourage were chased out of the city.
  After being followed by an angry crowd, some of whom sho
  
  Read more

• UK Supreme Court set to name first female president

  21-07-2017 12:02
  Baroness Hale of Richmond expected to take over from Lord Neuberger
  
  Read more

• Lib Dems Want Vince Cable To 'Occupy The Gaping Hole' In Politics And It's All Kinds Of Wrong

  21-07-2017 11:59
  
  The Liberal Democrats have well and truly set about reinvigorating their party - with a new leader, Sir Vince Cable, and a new pitch to boot.
  Except, a lot more thought should probably have gone into the making of that pitch.Speaking before his inauguration on Thursday, Cable said: “There’s a gaping hole in British politics.
  “We’ve got hard right on Brexit we’ve got the hard left in charge of the Labour party. Millions of people who want moderate, common sense polit
  
  Read more

Follow @political_UKnws on Twitter!