Political news

• Liam Fox Challenged To Eat A Chlorine-Washed Chicken While In America

  24-07-2017 21:03
  
  International Trade Secretary Liam Fox has slammed the British media for being “obsessed” with chlorine-washed chickens after he was challenged to eat one while on a visit to the US.
  The unlikely request came after it was reported Fox supports the inclusion of US-bred chlorine-bathed poultry products entering British food markets as he attempts to forge new post-Brexit trade deals.
  His position appears to have caused a split in the Cabinet, with Environment Secretary Michael Gove and
  
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• Donald Trump Tells Journalist To Be 'Quiet' For Asking Awkward Questions During Photo Op

  24-07-2017 21:02
  
  Donald Trump has rolled his eyes, told a journalist to be “quiet” and bitterly complained about the media “breaking the code”, as he was forced to face questions he didn’t like during a staged photo op.
  Trump posed for pictures on Monday with White House summer interns towards the end of their time working for his administration.
  He seemed to hope it would provide respite from barrages of questions he has faced over his increasingly embattled position as President.
  
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• Liam Fox challenged to eat a US chlorinated chicken

  24-07-2017 19:28
  UK trade secretary dismisses media obsession on American food standards
  
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• Media is 'obsessed' with chlorine-washed chicken, says Liam Fox

  24-07-2017 19:22 via theguardian.com
  Trade secretary says issue is a ‘detail’ in lengthy trade talks with US as controversy grows over food standards post-BrexitLiam Fox, the trade secretary, has accused the media of being obsessed with safety concerns about chlorine-washed chicken being sold in Britain as part of a potential trade deal with the US after Brexit. The controversy overshadowed the first day of Fox’s trip to Washington, amid worries that a trade deal with America could lead to imports of food with low
  
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• Royal Welsh Show: Michael Gove's pragmatic Brexit approach

  24-07-2017 19:19 via bbc.co.uk
  Michael Gove says he is "pragmatic" and "open-minded" on the approach to farming in Britain at it leaves the EU.
  
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• Sajid Javid Accused Of 'Misleading' MPs By Claiming No Councils Asked For Fire Safety Cash After Grenfell

  24-07-2017 18:58
  
  Sajid Javid falsely told MPs no councils had asked for extra cash to make their tower blocks safe from fires, HuffPost UK has discovered.
  The Local Government Secretary made the claim in the Commons a week after Brent Council asked for money to carry out safety work to high-rise buildings.
  Brent Council sent a letter to the Local Government Secretary on July 13 asking for £10million to pay for sprinklers in its tower blocks in the wake of the Grenfell tragedy in nearby Kens
  
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• Do not treat women as ‘discount items’, Clare Balding tells BBC

  24-07-2017 18:12
  Row over gender pay gap gathers pace as female stars form pressure group
  
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• Liam Fox downplays UK-US chlorinated chicken differences

  24-07-2017 17:56 via bbc.co.uk
  The UK minister says chlorine-washed poultry is an issue for "the very end stage of one sector" of trade talks.
  
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• The UK government is losing ambition and drive in the north

  24-07-2017 17:34
  Upgrading rail infrastructure is vital for rebalancing the economy, writes Sebastian Payne
  
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• London’s £30bn Crossrail 2 project moves a step forward

  24-07-2017 17:32
  Government to support railway line as long as private sector pays half construction cost
  
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• Australia warns UK not to toughen visa regime

  24-07-2017 16:48
  Canberra wants a more liberal system for those seeking work in Britain after Brexit
  
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• UK moves to take strain off energy network

  24-07-2017 16:38
  Households will be encouraged to use power when demand is lower
  
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• Liam Fox Concedes UK Unlikely To Agree Free Trade Deal With EU In Time For Brexit

  24-07-2017 15:51
  
  Liam Fox has said the UK is unlikely to sign a free trade deal with the EU by the time Brexit happens.
  The international trade secretary told an audience in Washington DC today that there was a “growing consensus” in the Cabinet that a transition arrangement would be needed to “diminish any instability” in the economy.
  “It would nice to think we could get a full free trade agreement by the time we get to March 2019, but that would be an optimistic view of recent fr
  
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• Brexit is the child of complacency, not pain

  24-07-2017 15:39
  The experience of loss keeps European politics honest — that is missing in Britain
  
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• The Lola Ilesnami case highlights the Home Office’s failings

  24-07-2017 14:56
  
  Women are left at risk of poverty and abuse because of the Home Office's mistakes
  
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• The UK cabinet flap over chlorinated chicken

  24-07-2017 14:40
  There is wider concern over impact that US imports would have on British agriculture
  
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• Ivanka Trump Mocked On Social Media After Misquoting Albert Einstein

  24-07-2017 14:20
  
  Ivanka Trump is being trolled online for misquoting Albert Einstein in an old regrettable tweet.
  Back in 2013, the daughter of US President Trump shared a quote on her social media account which she attributed to the renowned physicist that read: “If the facts don’t fit the theory, change the facts.”"If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts." - Albert Einstein #quote #sunday— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) June 23, 2013
  Except, as Twitter has helpfully pointe
  
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• Labour at loggerheads over staying in customs union post-Brexit

  24-07-2017 14:16 via theguardian.com
  Divisions emerge in shadow cabinet after Barry Gardiner says it would be a disaster if Britain remained in customs unionMembers of Labour’s shadow cabinet are at loggerheads over whether Britain can hope to remain in the customs union when it leaves the EU, the Guardian can reveal.Barry Gardiner, the shadow trade secretary, has argued that the only option open to the UK would be a Turkey-style customs agreement, but claimed that such a deal would be “a disaster” as it would lea
  
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• Tory Activist Mary Douglas Slammed After Suggesting Transgender People Are Mentally Ill

  24-07-2017 14:15
  
  A Tory activist has been slammed as “bigoted” “ill-informed” and “unfeeling” after suggesting that people who want to change their gender are suffering from a mental illness. 
  Mary Douglas, a board member of Grassroots Conservatives, a campaign group which “promotes conservative values” within the party, angered Radio 4 listeners after she argued it “should not be easy” to change gender. 
  She told Radio 4′s Today program
  
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• Political books to enjoy in Parliamentary recess

  24-07-2017 14:15 via bbc.co.uk
  Some suggestions on what MPs and peers could be reading on the beach, or in their constituency office.
  
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• Labour’s Brexit secretary Keir Starmer in talks with Mishcon

  24-07-2017 14:06
  Return to advisory role for law firm raises potential conflicts of interest
  
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• Labour split over leaving single market highlighted as Welsh first minister backs Norway option - Politics live

  24-07-2017 13:30 via theguardian.com
  Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happenCarwyn Jones’ Today interview - SummaryNo 10 lobby briefing - Summary 12.30pm BSTThe Conservative MP Michael Fabricant has welcomed Barry Gardiner’s comments on Brexit and a customs union. (See 10.39am.)Glad to see unity between #Labour and #Conservatives over Customs Union (Single Market) if not unity within Labour over this.
  We must leave. https://t.co/1wpMEHZBbM 11.58am BSTMy colleague Anushka Asthana says th
  
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• Boris Johnson: Hongi greeting could be mistaken in Glasgow pub

  24-07-2017 12:49 via bbc.co.uk
  The foreign secretary was taught the hongi greeting during his visit to New Zealand.
  
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• Here's What Jeremy Corbyn Actually Said About Student Debt Ahead Of The General Election

  24-07-2017 12:40
  
  Comments made by Jeremy Corbyn in an interview just days before the General Election claiming he would “deal” with student debt have sparked a fiery debate about Labour promises to young voters.
  It was widely reported at the time that the leader had “hinted” that he would eradicate historic debt for thousands of recent university leaders. 
  But the party has been accused of “lying” to students and graduates after a number of top names on the left denied t
  
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• Boris Johnson tries 'hongi' greeting in New Zealand

  24-07-2017 12:40 via bbc.co.uk
  Mr Johnson thanked locals for teaching him the greeting, in which people touch their noses together
  
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• The inside story

  24-07-2017 12:16 via bbc.co.uk
  Anne McElvoy tells the inside story of the general election and what really went on behind the scenes.
  
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• Boris Johnson compares Māori greeting to 'Glasgow kiss' – video

  24-07-2017 11:38 via theguardian.com
  The UK foreign secretary, on his first visit to New Zealand, jokes that a traditional Māori greeting involving pressed foreheads, the hongi, could get someone into trouble. ‘I think it’s a beautiful form of introduction, though it might be misinterpreted in a pub in Glasgow,’ he said.Boris Johnson jokes traditional Maori greeting could start Glasgow pub fightContinue reading...
  
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• Staying in customs union after Brexit would be a disaster, says Labour's Gardiner

  24-07-2017 11:22 via theguardian.com
  Shadow minister also dismisses idea of staying in single market, underlining Labour’s divisions over post-Brexit tradeRemaining in the customs union after Brexit would be a disaster, Labour’s trade spokesman said in the latest sign of the party’s divisions on the issue.The shadow international trade secretary, Barry Gardiner, said remaining part of the customs arrangement would leave the UK bound by EU free-trade deals without achieving the benefits. Continue reading...
  
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• Remaining Inside EU Customs Union Would Be A 'Disaster,' Says Barry Gardiner

  24-07-2017 11:15
  It would be a “disaster” for the United Kingdom to strike a customs union deal with the European Union, Labour’s shadow international trade secretary Barry Gardiner has said.
  His comments put him at odds with shadow Brexit secretary Kier Starmer, who has argued remaining in the customs union should be kept “on the table”.
  Jeremy Corbyn yesterday said Labour had yet to make a “judgement” about what its policy on the customs union would be.
  The
  
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• Theresa May's Three-Week Summer Holiday 'Will Cost £700 More Because Of Brexit'

  24-07-2017 11:02
  
  Theresa May’s three-week summer holiday in Europe could end up costing her £700 more because of Brexit, according to Labour.
  The party has analysed the cost of the PM’s trip to Italy and Switzerland, including average hotel and food and drink costs, spending for souvenirs and the price of a cable car pass.
  May’s spokeswoman announced last week she would be taking a break with husband Philip and that they would spend much of their time walking.
  Based on a total cost of &p
  
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• IMF downgrades UK and US growth forecasts

  24-07-2017 10:45 via bbc.co.uk
  Lower activity in the first quarter of 2017 suggests both will underperform the global economy.
  
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• Don't make it easier to change gender, urge conservative activists

  24-07-2017 10:36 via theguardian.com
  Grassroots Conservatives spokeswoman backs view that gender dysphoria is a mental illness People who want to change their gender are suffering from a mental illness and encouraging them to do so is akin to affirming the belief of someone suffering from anorexia that they are fat, a conservative campaign group has claimed.A spokesperson for Grassroots Conservatives, which is independent of the party but primarily draws its membership from its supporters, said activists were concerned about the go
  
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• IMF lowers UK GDP forecast to 1.7% amid Brexit uncertainty

  24-07-2017 09:50
  Britain suffers biggest downgrade for advanced economy in latest forecasts by fund
  
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• Fiona the Unemployed Bettong: 'Is this government seriously trying to redefine inequality?' | First Dog on the Moon

  24-07-2017 09:03 via theguardian.com
  The government says people are poor because they make bad decisions, not because we live in an economic system designed to create poor peopleSign 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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• Why not fund the welfare state with a 100% inheritance tax? | Abi Wilkinson

  24-07-2017 08:59 via theguardian.com
  The idea that we should be able to pass on our life’s accumulated wealth is deeply embedded. But imagine if we could use that money for the greater good• Abi Wilkinson is a freelance journalistLike most of the British public, I disliked the Conservatives’ “dementia tax” proposal during the election campaign. When you make someone’s access to social care dependent on giving up the money they intend to pass on to descendants, you risk encouraging them to struggle
  
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• The UK ignores China's trillion-dollar Belt and Road plan at its peril | Colin Cram

  24-07-2017 08:23 via theguardian.com
  Post-Brexit, the UK will need to look east. So why does its transport investment strategy ignore the world’s greatest infrastructure programme?The UK risks being marginalised after Brexit if it does not revitalise its infrastructure to engage with the huge markets developing in central Asia. But the UK government’s recent transport investment strategy virtually ignores the greatest infrastructure programme the world has ever seen. Related: Reject the chancers and their fantasy vision
  
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• Electricity shake-up could save consumers 'up to £40bn'

  24-07-2017 08:13 via bbc.co.uk
  New rules will encourage UK consumers to generate and store their own power, ministers say.
  
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• Labour can win. But first it must explain what Corbynism means | Jeremy Gilbert

  24-07-2017 08:00 via theguardian.com
  There are now two competing interpretations – a grassroots movement and a centralised philosophy• Jeremy Gilbert is professor of cultural and political theory at the University of East LondonThe claim that Tony Blair discouraged Labour members in Jeremy Corbyn’s constituency from trying to deselect their MP is made for a reason. Blairites in parliament are fearful that new rules may make them more accountable to local members. The implication is that Corbyn should follow Blair&r
  
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• Steve Bell’s If ... Vince Cable, the elephant man in the room

  24-07-2017 07:10 via theguardian.com
  Continue reading...
  
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• 'Britain is fast becoming the sick man of Europe' – experts debate Brexit data

  24-07-2017 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Two former members of Bank of England’s interest rate-setting committee find little comfort in low productivity and rising inflation Professor of economics at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, and member of the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee from June 2006 to May 2009 Continue reading...
  
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• Brexit economy: sterling fall hits public finances and fails to boost trade

  24-07-2017 07:00 via theguardian.com
  The latest monthly Guardian analysis uncovers signs amid the ongoing slowdown that pound depreciation may start to fadeThe sharp fall in sterling triggered by the EU referendum result is having an adverse effect on Britain’s already weak public finances but has yet to bring about the expected improvement in the trade deficit, a Guardian analysis of the economic news of the past month shows.In a period in which business confidence took a hit from the government’s loss of its overall m
  
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• Boris Johnson jokes traditional Māori greeting could start Glasgow pub fight

  24-07-2017 06:59 via theguardian.com
  UK foreign secretary is visiting New Zealand for two days as Britain looks to strengthen its ties with its former colony in preparation for BrexitThe British foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, joked on his visit to New Zealand on Monday that a traditional Māori greeting could be misinterpreted as a head butt in other countries.Johnson is visiting the South Pacific nation for two days as Britain looks to strengthen its ties with its former colony amid a broader reshaping of Britain’s gl
  
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• White collar prosecutions plummet even as crime rises

  24-07-2017 06:28
  Data show a 26% fall since 2011, while offences more than quadrupled in the same period
  
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• UK to tighten foreign investment reviews

  24-07-2017 05:04
  May aims to match Europe’s efforts amid concerns over national security
  
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• Green jobs growth slows amid government paralysis

  24-07-2017 05:04
  Ministers dither over decisions on future of renewables sector
  
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• Gardiner: Norway model for UK's future EU relations

  24-07-2017 01:15 via bbc.co.uk
  Adopting a Norway model for Brexit prevent the UK achieving the reasons why people voted to leave the EU, says Barry Gardiner.
  
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• Brexit deal should not 'drag on' until after next election, says Liam Fox

  24-07-2017 01:15 via theguardian.com
  But minister says cabinet braced for longer transitional period to ensure ‘maximum certainty and minimal disruption’Liam Fox has conceded Britain is likely to seek a transitional deal until 2022 after leaving the European Union, but said the arrangements should not “drag on” until after the next general election.The international trade secretary has previously said interim arrangements for trade, customs and immigrations should last no longer than “a few months&rdqu
  
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• Nigel Evans on 'appalling' Conservative election manifesto

  24-07-2017 01:04 via bbc.co.uk
  Conservative MP Nigel Evans has criticised his party's 2017 "appalling" election manifesto,
  
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• State pension changes will cost 7 million people £10,000 each

  24-07-2017 01:01 via theguardian.com
  Analysis shows each person affected may lose £9,800 after government announces raising pension age earlier than plannedMore than 7 million people will lose just under £10,000 each because of new government plans to increase the state pension age earlier than planned. Last week the government announced it would raise the state pension age to 68 for those now in their late 30s and early 40s. The change will affect Britons born between 1970 and 1978, who will now have to wait another ye
  
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• Business secretary to announce investment in battery technology

  24-07-2017 01:01 via theguardian.com
  Greg Clark to flesh out industrial strategy by setting out plans to increase productivity, including research projects A £246m investment in developing battery technology in Britain is to be launched by the government as part of its drive towards what it says is a modern industrial strategy. The business and energy secretary, Greg Clark, will announce the funding, including a £45m competition to make batteries more accessible and affordable, in a speech on Monday that should spell ou
  
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