Political news

• Martin Rowson on the united Tory front on Brexit – cartoon

  31-07-2017 21:00
  Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Anthony Scaramucci 'Removed' As Donald Trump's Communications Director

  31-07-2017 20:51
  
  Anthony Scaramucci has been fired from his role as White House communications director, according to The New York Times.
  It comes after a controversy-laden week for Scaramucci that included a profanity-laced tirade against other members of President Donald Trump’s White House staff. His tenure lasted just ten days. 
  In that time he also managed to give an extraordinary interview to BBC Newsnight where he said he was unlike others in Washington because he preferred “front-stabbin
  
  Read more

• Tories employ smoke and mirrors over post-Brexit deal

  31-07-2017 20:48
  While No 10 says it is not looking for an ‘off-the-shelf’ agreement, the cabinet is now largely agreed that transitional deal is neededTheresa May’s cabinet is now largely agreed on the need for some form of transitional deal after Brexit – but what might that look like?For days now Philip Hammond, the chancellor, has been advancing his ideas publicly through the media and behind the scenes during roundtable meetings with business figures.Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• The Guardian view on European agencies: lost to a myth | Editorial

  31-07-2017 20:35
  The Medicines agency and the Banking Authority are the latest EU agencies that must leave Britain because of Theresa May’s insistence that the European court of justice must have no say in these islandsThe process of divesting London of some of the key European institutions that have been based here for years is quickening. Bids from countries seeking to be the new home of the European Medicines Agency and European Banking Authority when they relocate have to be in by midnight tonight. The
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Democracy is dying – and it’s startling how few people are worried | Paul Mason

  31-07-2017 19:59
  There is a concerted and combined effort by the likes of Putin, Erdoğan and Trump to hollow out democracy. To stop them, we must change how we view the worldA rough inventory of July’s contribution to the global collapse of democracy would include Turkey’s show trial of leading journalists from Cumhuriyet, a major newspaper; Vladimir Putin’s ban on the virtual private networks used by democracy activists to evade censorship; Apple’s decision to pull the selfsame tech
  
  Read more

• Sling the Singapore model out of the Brexit debate

  31-07-2017 18:47
  Slashing tax and regulation is economically and politically unfeasible
  
  Read more

• Labour suspends councillor who called Pride marchers paedophiles

  31-07-2017 18:35
  Chika Amadi, who sits on Harrow council, condemned for ‘offensive, distasteful and homophobic’ comments on social mediaA Labour councillor has been suspended for social media posts that called Pride marchers “paedophiles” and threatened to unleash the “burning anger” of God on her critics.Chika Amadi, a charity worker and evangelical pastor who sits on Harrow council, was criticised after sharing a post from anti-LGBT Christian website LifeSiteNews.com. The 20
  
  Read more

• Theresa May’s government is stronger for its weakness

  31-07-2017 18:12
  Power has spread from the prime minister to a plurality of cabinet members
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Theresa May’s government is better for its weakness

  31-07-2017 18:12
  Power has spread from the prime minister to a plurality of cabinet members
  
  Read more

• Brexit weekly briefing: while May's away, the cabinet fray

  31-07-2017 17:42
  Jeremy Hunt insists the cabinet is united in approval of a gradual Brexit – but that hardly chimes with the Brexit hardliners. Meanwhile, the clock is tickingWelcome 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 independ
  
  Read more

• Kids Company ex-directors facing bans

  31-07-2017 17:33 via bbc.co.uk
  Nine former directors face being banned from holding company directorships for up to six years.
  
  Read more

• Want to sound cleverer than Jacob Rees-Mogg? Here are five long words to drop into conversation

  31-07-2017 16:36
  The record for the longest word spoken in parliament has been broken with pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis – but there are plenty of alternativesIs this the first sign of Moggmentum draining away? We can but hope. Jacob Rees-Mogg, the MP for North East Somerset, has been knocked off his perch as utterer of parliament’s longest word. Michael Bryan’s use of “pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis” in a select committee meeting means floccinaucinihi
  
  Read more

• Kids Company trustees face bans from running UK companies

  31-07-2017 16:07
  Insolvency Service requests charity’s former trustees are disqualified from boards
  
  Read more

• Economics students risk being short-changed on tuition, claims study

  31-07-2017 15:20
  Wide variation in contact time with university teachers will reignite fees debate
  
  Read more

• UK confirms Brexit will end free movement of EU citizens

  31-07-2017 15:03
  Downing Street statement comes after days of growing divisions among cabinet ministers
  
  Read more

• No 10 says free movement ends when UK leaves EU

  31-07-2017 14:58 via bbc.co.uk
  Downing Street moves to end reports of differences over plans for UK immigration after Brexit.
  
  Read more

• No 10 contradicts Hammond over 'off the shelf' Brexit transition deal

  31-07-2017 14:50
  Downing Street spokesman makes announcement at odds with what chancellor is thought to have told business leaders about post-2019 arrangementsDowning Street has said that the UK will not seek an “off-the-shelf” model for a post-Brexit transitional period, contradicting the position Philip Hammond is believed to have expressed to business leaders.The chancellor has been pressing for a simple transition arrangement to maintain trading conditions with Europe for at least two years after
  
  Read more

• Refusal To Prosecute Tony Blair Over Iraq War Is 'Not Justice', Accuser's Lawyer Says

  31-07-2017 14:46
  
  The refusal to prosecute Tony Blair over the Iraq War is “not justice” and grants British leaders “complete immunity”, the lawyer representing his accuser has said.
  The High Court dismissed a private prosecution by Abdul Wahed Shannan Al Rabbat, a former chief of staff in the Iraqi Army, who sought to bring Blair, then-Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and then-Attorney General Lord Goldsmith before the courts to face charges of the “crime of aggression” for their
  
  Read more

• Boy, 16, uses 'longest word' in Parliament

  31-07-2017 14:35 via bbc.co.uk
  Michael Bryan used a 45-letter word at a Youth Select Committee meeting.
  
  Read more

• Brexit: UK will not cut taxes, says Philip Hammond

  31-07-2017 14:26 via bbc.co.uk
  Chancellor Philip Hammond says the UK has no desire to try to undercut European rivals after Brexit.
  
  Read more

• No.10 announcement on free movement completely without meaning

  31-07-2017 14:03
  
  It's becoming increasingly hard to tell when ministers are being ambiguous or just stupid
  
  Read more

• Liverpool Fans Back Safe Standing In Football Stadiums In Historic Poll

  31-07-2017 14:00
  
  Liverpool fans have given their backing to introducing safe standing in football stadiums.
  Supporters’ union Spirit of Shankly carried out a poll to gauge support among match-goers for the policy - a particularly emotive subject for the club due to the death of 96 of its fans at Hillsborough.
  Nearly 18,000 people took part, with 88% of them saying they would back rail seating areas being introduced in grounds, which would allow fans who wanted to to stand.
  Spirit of Shankly chair James Mc
  
  Read more

• Iraq War: Bid to prosecute Tony Blair rejected by High Court

  31-07-2017 13:02 via bbc.co.uk
  Iraqi general fails in High Court bid to bring private prosecution against the ex-UK prime minister.
  
  Read more

• Brexit Cheerleader Confirms Government Wants To Keep EU Healthcare Benefits

  31-07-2017 12:27
  
  Brexiteer Steve Baker has confirmed the government wants the UK to keep hold of its current healthcare benefits after it leaves the EU.
  The Wycombe MP, who played a key role in galvanising Tory eurosceptics ahead of the referendum last year, said the UK will seek to protect benefits which allow its citizens to access health services in Europe for free, or at a reduced cost, as part of its exit negotiations.
  Responding to a written question, Baker, who was made a Brexit minister by Theresa May a
  
  Read more

• Boris Johnson attacks Vince Cable for 'peddling lies'

  31-07-2017 12:24 via bbc.co.uk
  The foreign secretary says Sir Vince Cable is "making stuff up" about cabinet Brexit tensions.
  
  Read more

• Boris Johnson Brands Suggestion He Might Quit A 'Lie'

  31-07-2017 11:56
  
  Boris Johnson has branded suggestions he is set to quit as Foreign Secretary over Brexit as “lies” after Cabinet tensions on EU withdrawal broke into the open.
  Johnson attacked Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable after he referred to rumours the Foreign Secretary may resign as a Cabinet rift emerged over whether a three-year post-Brexit transitional scheme for migrants would come into force.
  A spokesman for Johnson told the Press Association: “Vince Cable is making this st
  
  Read more

• Tony Blair prosecution over Iraq war blocked by judges

  31-07-2017 11:42
  High court rules that there is no crime of aggression in English law under which former PM could be chargedTony Blair should not face prosecution for his role in the 2003 Iraq war, the high court has ruled.The lord chief justice, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, and another senior judge, Mr Justice Ouseley, said on Monday that there was no crime of aggression in English law under which the former prime minister could be charged. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Let’s try and understand North Korea’s actions: it sees the world as its enemy | Gabrielle Rifkind

  31-07-2017 11:30
  The country’s latest ballistic tests are a sign of its insecurity. The US should cease manoeuvres in the region – and find a way to engage with Pyongyang
  • Gabrielle Rifkind is the founder of Oxford Process, a diplomacy initiative that creates dialogue in areas of conflictNorth Korea continued flaunting its burgeoning weapons arsenal on Friday by firing off one of its sophisticated long range ballistic Hwasong-14 missiles. This missile landed in Japanese waters. By the end of th
  
  Read more

• Philip Hammond says UK will not slash taxes after Brexit

  31-07-2017 11:18
  Chancellor tells French newspaper that UK plans to remain ‘recognisably European’
  
  Read more

• Brexit: Race to host EU agencies relocated from London

  31-07-2017 11:11 via bbc.co.uk
  London is home to Europe's Banking Authority and Medicines Agency - but both need new bases after Brexit.
  
  Read more

• Britain doesn’t need to ‘take back control’ of immigration. We already have it | Karan Bilimoria

  31-07-2017 11:00
  If the public knew that other countries use an EU directive to repatriate thousands of individuals, they would realise the Brexit emperor has no clothes• Karan Bilimoria is a crossbench peerConcern over immigration was one of the most important factors for those who voted for Brexit, yet we already have the power to take back control of the free movement of EU citizens to the UK – we just aren’t using it. Both major political parties’ front benches, and even cabinet member
  
  Read more

• Give MPs deadline on hiring relatives, campaigners urge

  31-07-2017 10:52 via bbc.co.uk
  New MPs can no longer employ family members using taxpayers' money but returning MPs can.
  
  Read more

• Our politics may look unpredictable but these four signals can tell us a lot

  31-07-2017 10:28
  
  These are the things to look out for to see which way the tide is moving
  
  Read more

• Claudia Webbe: Labour MPs Who 'Forgot The Real World' Realise They Owe Jeremy Corbyn Their Jobs

  31-07-2017 10:15
  
  Labour MPs who tried to oust Jeremy Corbyn now realise they “owe” their place in the Commons to him and the party members that joined to back his leadership, Claudia Webbe says.
  As a member of Labour’s powerful ruling National Executive Committee (NEC), Webbe has had a ringside seat to the internal battle for control of the party following Corbyn’s election as leader.
  In an interview with HuffPost UK, the Islington councillor says the MPs who underestimated Corbyn’
  
  Read more

• The EU supports poorer regions. Will the Tories abandon them after Brexit? | Molly Scott Cato

  31-07-2017 10:00
  With UK funding ever more weighted towards the south-east, poorer regions face uncertainty when Britain leaves the EU• Molly Scott Cato is Green Party speaker on economy and finance and MEP for the south-westIn delivering the refrain: “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone,” Joni Mitchell provides us with an unlikely Brexit anthem. From the freedom to travel and work to the knowledge that you can eat safe food or use your phone abroad without paying roa
  
  Read more

• May's plans for EU citizens strip them of their rights

  31-07-2017 09:58
  
  EU citizens plan mass lobby of parliament to defend rights, as details emerge of restrictions they'll face under UK Brexit plan
  
  Read more

• Mental health sector gives mixed response to £1.3bn plan to improve NHS services

  31-07-2017 09:15
  Government says commitment to increase staff numbers will treat an extra million people, but nurses’ union remains scepticalMental health campaigners have welcomed a government plan to roll back years of service cuts that have caused “dangerously high” bed occupancy rates, waiting times and low staff retention.However, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN has said the government’s proposals “appear not to add up”. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Cabinet united on avoiding Brexit 'cliff edge' departure, says Hunt

  31-07-2017 09:14
  Health secretary backs gradualist approach favoured by Hammond amid reports of ministerial divisions over transitional dealThe cabinet is “absolutely united” behind a gradual, business-friendly Brexit, Jeremy Hunt has said, amid clashes between ministers on the post-EU approach to areas including immigration and trade.The health secretary said hospitals would still be able to recruit from EU nations after Brexit before a new immigration policy was finalised, throwing himself behind t
  
  Read more

• Chance of Brexit in 2019 'infinitesimally small'

  31-07-2017 08:44 via bbc.co.uk
  Archbishop Justin Welby says timeframe for Brexit too short without cooperation
  
  Read more

• Labour MP becomes first serving politician to be registered as lobbyist

  31-07-2017 08:00
  Barry Sheerman chairs Policy Connect, a London-based firm that has held meetings attended by businesses and ministersA veteran Labour MP has become the first serving politician to be officially registered as a lobbyist.Barry Sheerman, who represents Huddersfield, is listed on the register of consultant lobbyists because of his chairmanship of Policy Connect, a not-for-profit company that has held meetings attended by paying businesses and ministers. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Number of UK women earning over £1m-a-year doubles over 5 years

  31-07-2017 05:11
  Men still outnumber women 10 to 1 among those in £1m pay bracket
  
  Read more

• Network Rail to open infrastructure projects to tender

  31-07-2017 05:02
  UK transport group aims to upgrade stations, track and technology
  
  Read more

• Border lions

  31-07-2017 04:23 via bbc.co.uk
  Boris Johnson, Liam Fox and David Davis have been racking up the air miles as they make the case for Brexit.
  
  Read more

• Mental health staff recruitment plan for England

  31-07-2017 02:27 via bbc.co.uk
  More nurses, consultants and therapists will be among thousands recruited, says the health secretary.
  
  Read more

• Plea to ban mountain hare culling in Scotland

  31-07-2017 01:02 via bbc.co.uk
  Campaigners say at least half of all mountain hares in Scotland are either killed for sport or in a cull.
  
  Read more

• Tensions flare in cabinet over post-Brexit free movement

  31-07-2017 00:46
  Divisions laid bare as Liam Fox reveals there is no cabinet-wide agreement on what a transitional implementation period should look likeSenior Conservative MPs are urging members of Theresa May’s cabinet to stop publicly setting out their demands for a transitional deal on Brexit, saying the move could make negotiations with the European Union more difficult.The warnings from senior leave campaigners and allies of the Brexit secretary, David Davis, come as ministers prepare to clash over i
  
  Read more

• Boris Johnson and Vince Cable trade barbs over resignation rumours

  31-07-2017 00:31
  Foreign secretary’s office responds firmly to Liberal Democrat leader’s jibes about reports of disharmony in the Conservative cabinet
  A war of words between Boris Johnson and Vince Cable erupted on Sunday night after the new Liberal Democrat leader made reference to rumours that the foreign secretary might be about to resign. Johnson accused Cable of “peddling lies” about him after the Liberal MP criticised the alleged uncertainty surrounding the foreign secretary’s
  
  Read more

Follow @political_UKnws on Twitter!