Political news

• Britain to ban sale of all diesel and petrol cars and vans from 2040

  25-07-2017 23:38 via theguardian.com
  Plans follow French commitment to take polluting vehicles off the road owing to effect of poor air quality on people’s healthBritain is to ban all new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2040 amid fears that rising levels of nitrogen oxide pose a major risk to public health.The commitment, which follows a similar pledge in France, is part of the government’s much-anticipated clean air plan, which has been at the heart of a protracted high court legal battle. Continue reading...
  
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• Donald Trump's Mental Health Is Ok To Comment On, Psychoanalysts' Group Tells Members

  25-07-2017 21:25
  
  Psychoanalysts should feel free to publicly debate Donald Trump’s mental health, a group representing them has said.
  Mental health professionals diagnosing Trump from afar was a controversial part of the election campaign and his presidency.
  In April, a group of psychiatrists called him “paranoid and delusional” and one even added: “We have an ethical responsibility to warn the public about Donald Trump’s dangerous mental illness.”
  In 2015, Vanity Fair quoted
  
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• More than 600,000 pupils in England taught by unqualified teachers, says Labour

  25-07-2017 21:03 via theguardian.com
  Party says many school staff have no guaranteed training in safeguarding children, and standards are at risk Labour has accused Theresa May’s government of allowing more than 600,000 pupils to be taught by unqualified teachers.After a pledge by Jeremy Corbyn to stamp out the practice, the party has analysed official figures to calculate that 613,000 pupils in state-funded schools in England have been taught by adults with no formal teaching qualifications. Continue reading...
  
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• Brussels attacks Liam Fox's 'ignorant' remarks on chlorinated chicken

  25-07-2017 20:46 via theguardian.com
  EU withering about UK trade secretary’s view on food standards being minor matter in potential trade deal with US after BrexitSenior EU figures have hit back at Liam Fox’s “ignorant and indigestible” claim that lowering UK food standards to allow the import of chlorinated chicken from the US is an insignificant detail.European officials warned that Fox has failed to grasp the implications of continuing trade with the EU, should the UK lower its standards compared to the E
  
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• UK business secretary rules out post-Brexit protectionism

  25-07-2017 20:05 via ft.com
  Greg Clark says BMW’s electric Mini decision shows value of Britain’s supply chains
  
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• EU barriers to state ownership do exist | Letters

  25-07-2017 20:01 via theguardian.com
  The Single Market Act has given rightwing governments carte blanche to sit back and watch millions of people lose their livelihoods, writes Ian MacKillop. But Nick Dearden cautions against stepping away from the EU and towards the USPolly Toynbee (Labour should exploit the Tories’ disarray on Europe, not copy it, 25 June) claims it is wrong to suggest the EU prevents state ownership and gives as an example how European rail networks remain state-owned; she should have added “for now&
  
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• BBC Panorama's 'A Prescription For Murder?' Prompts Fears People Will Stop Taking Anti-Depressants

  25-07-2017 19:51
  
  Mental health campaigners fear a BBC Panorama exploring the potential link between violence and certain anti-depressants could stop people taking their medication.
  Panorama will air ‘A Perscription For Murder?’ on Wednesday, which looks at the case of James Holmes, who murdered 12 people in a mass shooting in a cinema in 2012 despite having no history of violence.
  He was taking SSRI anti-depressants at the time and had no history of violence.
  The promotion for the programme asks
  
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• Top judge urges ‘certainty now’ on corporate law after Brexit

  25-07-2017 19:46 via ft.com
  Lord Chief Justice says government should reassure that English rules will still be used
  
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• The fallacy of Labour’s hard stand on Brexit

  25-07-2017 19:12 via ft.com
  Protecting jobs and the economy is best done inside the single market
  
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• Change In Abortion Law For Northern Irish Women Does Not Go Far Enough, Providers Say

  25-07-2017 18:18
  
  A change in the law which allows Northern Irish women to access abortions on the NHS does not go far enough, experts say.
  Marie Stopes, one of the UK’s leading providers of terminations, said women deserve to be allowed to access services close to home - and that many are not receiving adequate information about their options from their GPs.
  Northern Irish residents seeking an abortion currently have to come to the UK mainland, at an average cost of around £350 - and are often left
  
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• US working on ‘major trade deal’ with UK, says Trump

  25-07-2017 18:11 via ft.com
  President lashes out on Twitter at ‘very protectionist’ EU as Britain faces tough talks
  
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• Gove the environmentalist - too good to be true?

  25-07-2017 18:01
  
  There were unexpected positives in Michael Gove's first speech as environment secretary - but is it all just hot air?
  
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• Brexit weekly briefing: Fox's trade narrative derailed by chlorinated chicken

  25-07-2017 17:54 via theguardian.com
  Some progress was seemingly made in preparatory talks in Brussels, while in Washington Liam Fox hoped to bring good news of a US-UK trade dealWelcome to the Guardian’s weekly Brexit briefing, a summary of developments as the UK heads to the EU door marked “exit”. If you would like to receive it as a weekly early morning email, please sign up here.
  You can listen to our latest Brexit Means … podcast here. Also: producing the Guardian’s independent, in-depth journali
  
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• Electric Mini’s reliance on German batteries highlights UK weakness

  25-07-2017 17:46 via ft.com
  Britain struggles to keep up with rivals despite government support
  
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• Labour MP says shadow minister is 'fundamentally wrong' on Brexit

  25-07-2017 17:06 via theguardian.com
  Heidi Alexander says international trade spokesman Barry Gardiner’s arguments for leaving single market are ‘disingenuous’A Labour MP has described the shadow international trade secretary’s position on Brexit as “fundamentally wrong”, calling his arguments “depressing and disingenuous”.Heidi Alexander said she believed Barry Gardiner to be “intelligent and witty” but that his Guardian article outlining why the UK should leave both the
  
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• Boris Johnson talks wildlife and obesity in New Zealand

  25-07-2017 16:51 via bbc.co.uk
  Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson muses about wildlife and obesity during a trip to the Zealandia eco-centre in Wellington.
  
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• ‘We don’t have bodyguards, we are completely vulnerable’: female MPs on the fears they face

  25-07-2017 16:43 via theguardian.com
  Since Jo Cox’s murder, politicians have learned to take threats seriously. With toxic abuse coming from all sides of Britain’s political divides – and female, gay and ethnic minority MPs experiencing the worst of it – is this culture of intimidation undermining democracy?Paula Sherriff tries her best not to be paranoid, or let it get in the way of her work as an MP. But, ever since her friend and colleague Jo Cox was murdered in the street a few miles from where Sherriff
  
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• Electric Mini to be built in Oxford

  25-07-2017 16:35 via bbc.co.uk
  A fully electric version of the Mini is to be built at the Cowley plant near Oxford, BMW says.
  
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• Tory MPs call for action to avert post-Brexit ports gridlock

  25-07-2017 16:18 via theguardian.com
  Backbenchers say customs checks need to be improved, roads widened and projects such as new Thames crossing speeded upA prominent group of Conservative MPs have called on cabinet ministers to accelerate the preparation of Britain’s ports for Brexit in order to prevent “gridlock” for the British economy.A report endorsed by the European Research Group of Tory backbenchers says urgent action is needed to improve customs checks, widen roads, speed up infrastructure projects and pr
  
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• Trump: UK-US trade deal could be 'big and exciting'

  25-07-2017 15:32 via bbc.co.uk
  The US President also takes a swipe at the EU's "very protectionist" stance towards his country.
  
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• Donald Trump Twitter Tirade Betrays Just How Much Sh*t He's In

  25-07-2017 15:23
  
  Donald Trump is no stranger to a Twitter tirade, but as his beleaguered presidency stumbles on they’re becoming more and more a tantalising insight into his clearly troubled state of mind.
  His latest, seven tweets in less than an hour, was longer than most and breathtaking in its scope.He's on a roll. Trump tweeting early today about Sessions, Ukraine, healthcare, McCain, and Kushner... https://t.co/8z1bkO1t1M— Nadia Khomami (@nadiakhomami) July 25, 2017
  Here’s what we can lear
  
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• NHS Vacancies Surge Blamed On Brexit, Pay Cap And 'Constant Reorganisation'

  25-07-2017 15:21
  
  A “deeply disturbing” surge in advertised vacancies for NHS jobs, including thousands of nurses and midwives, has been blamed on Brexit and low pay.
  It has been revealed there were 30,613 vacancies advertised in March 2017 on NHS Jobs, the main recruitment website, up from 26,424 a year before.
  Nurses and midwife positions accounted for 38% of the vacancies - 11,485.
  The union Unite said the “very disturbing” rise was due to a “perfect storm” of Brex
  
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• Corbyn joins calls to reclaim UK pseudo-public space from corporate owners

  25-07-2017 15:14 via theguardian.com
  Labour leader among those voicing concern after Guardian revealed secretive world of privately owned public spaces in LondonRevealed: the insidious creep of pseudo-public space in London
  ‘It’s all very Orwellian’: Guardian readers respondExplore the map – and tell us what we’re missingJeremy Corbyn has called for Britain’s pseudo-public spaces to be reclaimed from corporate interests, after a Guardian Cities investigation revealed the extent to which private o
  
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• Labour is in no position to exploit Brexit

  25-07-2017 14:38 via ft.com
  The party is as divided over how to leave the EU as the Conservatives
  
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• Labour Party Tuition Fee Debt Row Grows After Shadow Minister Imran Hussain's Facebook Video Emerges

  25-07-2017 14:32
  
  A Labour Party candidate told voters during the election campaign that Jeremy Corbyn would write off tuition fee debts for thousands of students, it has emerged. 
  There has been a fierce row in recent weeks over whether the Labour leader vowed to abolish the historic debts, which are now understood to be worth £100 billion. 
  While Tories have attacked Labour for “deceiving” young voters, Corbyn and the party have insisted he never made such a pledge. 
  Corbyn tol
  
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• Brexit: UK and EU still split on citizens' rights

  25-07-2017 14:20 via bbc.co.uk
  David Davis says the rights of EU nationals in the UK will be protected by a new treaty and UK courts.
  
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• Ministry Of Justice Denies Conflict Of Interest Over Prisons Contract

  25-07-2017 13:52
  
  A company which has a former government adviser on its board won a £900,000 contract from the Ministry of Justice last year.
  Unilink, which lists ex-Barnardo’s chief executive and former Prison Service director general Sir Martin Narey as one of its non-executive members, was paid by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) to pilot ‘in-cell technology’ at 20 prisons across the country.  
  Narey was also on the board of the Ministry of Justice at the time - a
  
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• Housing, not student fees, is the key to the young vote

  25-07-2017 13:35
  
  There are many good reasons to scrap tuition fees - but for the Tories to win the support of younger voters, they must prioritise housing
  
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• Barack Obama Slickly Puts Anthony Scaramucci In His Place During Q&A Over Wall Street Reform

  25-07-2017 13:27
  
  Anthony Scaramucci, the newly hired White House director of communications, is well-prepped in challenging US Presidents.
  He once described his current boss, President Trump, as a “hack politician” during the Republican primaries, although the new comms chief now insists neither he nor Trump cares about what was said back then.My two Bosses!
  Btw my political views don't matter I serve @POTUS pay attention to his! pic.twitter.com/I9gP7hwoVc— Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaram
  
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• Holiday like a PM

  25-07-2017 12:54 via bbc.co.uk
  Point at fish or get a street named after you to recreate these prime ministerial summer holidays.
  
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• Tory MP James Cleverly Criticises Party's 'Lazy', 'Hopeless' And 'Bitter' General Election Campaign

  25-07-2017 12:36
  
  Theresa May’s “lazy” general election campaign was “hopeless” and “bitter”, a Conservative MP has said.
  James Cleverly warned on Monday evening the party needed to engage young voters more and would be in a “very bad place” if it became nothing more than the “political wing of rural, aged, Britain”.
  “On one end of the spectrum there are people who say it was the worst general election campaign in living memor
  
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• Donald Trump Confirms Existence Of Secret CIA Program - On Twitter

  25-07-2017 12:30
  
  Donald Trump appears to have confirmed the existence of a classified CIA programme - in a tweet.
  In a series of posts last night the President took aim at a report on Syrian rebels in the Washington Post, owned by Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos.
  The article detailed Trump’s apparent decision to “end the CIA’s covert programme to arm and train moderate Syrian rebels battling the government of Bashar al-Assad, a move long sought by Russia”.
  US officials told the newsp
  
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• Plans to ban leaseholds on new-build houses in England

  25-07-2017 12:23 via bbc.co.uk
  Ground rents paid to freeholders could also be restricted, under proposals for England.
  
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• Keir Starmer turns down role with Mishcon de Reya law firm

  25-07-2017 12:22 via bbc.co.uk
  The shadow Brexit secretary had faced claims the job could lead to a conflict of interest.
  
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• Keir Starmer turns down job at article 50 law firm

  25-07-2017 12:18 via theguardian.com
  Labour frontbencher says he will not take up paid role at Mishcon de Reya amid criticism of potential conflict of interestThe shadow Brexit secretary, Keir Starmer, has turned down a paid advisory role with the law firm that took the government to court over article 50, after criticism of the potential conflict of interest.Mishcon de Reya said on Monday that it was in talks with Starmer, who was director of public prosecutions before he entered parliament, about a position. Continue reading...
  
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• Boris Johnson: Brexit will enable UK to engage with the world

  25-07-2017 11:33 via bbc.co.uk
  Boris Johnson says the UK is ready to engage with the world "in a way we haven't been able to do for 43 years".
  
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• Brexit: UK 'overwhelmingly reliant' on abattoir vets from EU

  25-07-2017 11:23 via bbc.co.uk
  The UK is "reliant" on EU nationals to enforce welfare and hygiene standards in abattoirs, peers say.
  
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• Jared Kushner Makes Rare Speech On Russia And The Internet Loses It Over His Voice

  25-07-2017 10:30
  
  President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior White House advisor Jared Kushner has publicly spoken out about his involvement with Russia - but it’s his voice that’s really got people talking.
  Kushner made a brief statement to the press following a two-hour, closed-door interview with the Senate Intelligence Committee, saying: “Let me be very clear. I did not collude with Russia, nor do I know of anyone else in the campaign who did so.”Having typically kept a low p
  
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• 13 Times Donald Trump's Speech To Boy Scouts Was Totally Inappropriate

  25-07-2017 10:10
  
  On Monday Donald Trump gave a speech in front of 40,000 Boy Scouts at their annual Jamboree in West Virginia and it was... incredible.
  Rather than tone down his trademark political rhetoric whilst addressing a crowd consisting mostly of 7-10-year-olds, the President of the USA covered “fake news”, his Electoral College victory and squeezed in digs at both Obama and Clinton.As a Scout leader, my stomach is in knots about what Trump did today. If you haven't watched it yet, don't. It's
  
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• Crossrail 2: Support by government 'outrageous' after northern snub

  25-07-2017 09:56 via bbc.co.uk
  Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham says the go-ahead for London will cause "widespread anger".
  
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• Donald Trump's New Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci Destroyed By Seth Meyers

  25-07-2017 09:25
  
  President Donald Trump’s new communications director Anthony Scaramucci has been labelled “a human pinkie ring” by Late Night show host Seth Meyers.
  Scaramucci, a former hedge fund manager who was once shut down in the most presidential way by Barack Obama, appeared before the media at a press conference on Friday. He gushed about how much he “loves” Trump and bragged about the president’s athletic abilities.
  Meyers wasn’t buying any of it and did not h
  
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• Post-Brexit trade deals 'threaten UK's animal welfare standards'

  25-07-2017 08:37 via theguardian.com
  House of Lords report warns farmers will be pressured by imports from countries that use cheaper methods to produce food “Overwhelming” support in the UK for high animal welfare standards is under threat from Brexit, an influential parliamentary committee has said.The report from the House of Lords warns the standards of UK producers could be put under pressure by demands from other countries to allow an influx of cheap and lower-standard food as part of trade deals.Continue reading.
  
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• Uber and Deliveroo to face Commons grilling, Rachel Reeves warns

  25-07-2017 06:27 via ft.com
  New head of business committee to focus on working conditions in gig economy
  
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• William Hill and Ladbrokes lavish entertainment on British MPs

  25-07-2017 05:01 via ft.com
  Spending jumps after government comes under pressure to act against betting terminals
  
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• Rise in personal loans dangerous, Bank of England official says

  25-07-2017 03:02 via bbc.co.uk
  Household debt is rising much faster than incomes, the Bank of England's Alex Brazier says.
  
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• London mayor seeks to boost late-night theatres and shops

  25-07-2017 01:01 via ft.com
  Sadiq Khan says capital’s nightlife should involve more than after-hours drinking
  
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• Leasehold ban proposed for sale of new houses

  25-07-2017 01:01 via ft.com
  Drive to check fast-rising ground rents and high fees charged by freeholders
  
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• Companies risk fines for labour abuses lower on supply chain

  25-07-2017 01:01 via ft.com
  Employment enforcement tsar proposes joint liability for illegal practices
  
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• Cheap Imported Food Could Threaten Animal Welfare After Brexit, Warns Report

  25-07-2017 01:01
  
  Animal welfare standards could take a step backwards after Brexit as UK farmers struggle to compete with cheap imported foods, a new report is warning.
  A House of Lords investigation into the impact of leaving the EU on animal welfare predicts farmers could be sucked into a “race to the bottom” as they struggle to keep prices low.
  There are fears farmers would resist improvements to animal welfare rules and the UK could slip behind EU standards in order to for farmers to remain comp
  
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• Newsnight Presses On With Washington Interview As Rain Hammers Down On Guests

  25-07-2017 00:30
  
  The dangers of live TV were exposed on Newsnight on Monday night as the BBC broadcast from Washington just as the heaven’s opened. 
  Presenter Emily Maitlis was interviewing Ron Christie, former aide to George W Bush, and ex-White House Counsel Bob Bauer on the day President Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, said he had not colluded with Russia following a two-hour-long meeting with congressional investigators.
  And then it rained. A lot."It makes you wonder, w
  
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