Political news

• Northern Ireland secretary puts pressure on assembly to reach power-sharing deal

  08-09-2017 23:41 via theguardian.com
  James Brokenshire suggests that salaries of more than £50,000 may be frozen unless Stormont gets up and runningThe British government will consider whether to stop paying members of the Northern Ireland assembly if Ulster politicians fail to reach a deal to restore power-sharing government in the region.The Northern Ireland secretary raised the possibility on Friday that individual salaries of more than £50,000 per annum being frozen in the absence of the Stormont assembly getting up
  
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• Lib Dem Move To Block Theresa May's 'Banana Republic' Plot To 'Rig' Parliament In Favour Of Tories

  08-09-2017 23:00
  
  Conservative plans to rip up parliamentary convention in order to stack crucial Commons committees with Tory MPs will now have to overcome a Lib Dem blocking move.
  Under current rules, the proportion of MPs on the standing committees that vote on legislation reflects the general election result.
  Having failed to win a majority at the election, the Conservatives will not have a corresponding majority on the committees.
  Downing Street insists changing this rule is “common sense”.
  The p
  
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• Hurricane Irma: Boris Johnson And Priti Patel Blasted For UK Response

  08-09-2017 21:30
  
  Ministers are under pressure to explain the UK Government’s response to Hurricane Irma and their “apparent lack of forward-thinking”. 
  Two chairs of powerful Westminster committees have warned Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and International Development Secretary Priti Patel that the British effort has been “found wanting” and many suffering the storms devastation in UK overseas territories “are still in grave need”. 
  A joint letter signed by
  
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• Martin Rowson on racism and UK criminal justice – cartoon

  08-09-2017 21:15 via theguardian.com
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• May hails leadership of Geoffrey Boycott, who was axed over team revolt

  08-09-2017 20:28 via theguardian.com
  PM tells Test Match Special she’s a fan of Boycott, known for avoiding risks, creating deep divisions and clinging on to powerTheresa May has declared her admiration for the leadership style of Geoffrey Boycott, the famously obdurate former England cricketer who was eventually sacked from his county captaincy amid an acrimonious dressing room revolt.The prime minister, a cricket fan, was the lunchtime guest on Friday on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Test Match Special, where she insisted that s
  
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• Government defends Tories seeking committee majorities

  08-09-2017 20:10
  Government wants majority on key parliamentary committees despite minority in House
  
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• Richard Desmond poised to sell Express and Star to Trinity Mirror

  08-09-2017 20:07 via theguardian.com
  Fears for media plurality as potential £130m deal for Express and Star papers plus magazines such as OK! signals exit of one of sector’s most ruthless operatorsBillionaire Richard Desmond is poised to sell his Express and Star newspapers and celebrity magazine OK! in a £130m deal, ending a 43-year publishing career that had its roots in music and pornographic magazines.Trinity Mirror, the publisher of the Labour-supporting Daily and Sunday Mirror titles has made an offer to tak
  
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• Nigel Farage backs far-right AfD for 'historic' German election success

  08-09-2017 20:00 via theguardian.com
  Former Ukip leader tells party it is potential ‘first voice of opposition’ in German parliament at campaign event in BerlinThe former Ukip leader Nigel Farage has endorsed the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the runup to the German federal elections, saying it would be a “historic achievement” if the party entered the Bundestag.“For the first time in modern history, there will be a voice of opposition in German parliament,” the South East England ME
  
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• An Incredibly Tiny Percentage Of Stalking Incidents End In Prosecution, Charity Says

  08-09-2017 20:00
  
  A shockingly tiny percentage of stalking incidents end in the prosecution of the perpetrator, according to a charity.
  The Suzy Lamplugh Trust estimates there are about 1.1 million cases every year in which victims are harassed, intimidated or made to feel unsafe by a stalker - many of which are never reported to the police.
  In 2015/16, there were just 753 prosecutions for stalking offences, with 529 ending in a conviction - around 0.04% of the total number of estimated incidents.
  And a study by
  
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• UK offshore wind power subsidy set to undercut nuclear

  08-09-2017 19:49
  Campaigners for renewable energy say this is a key moment for the industry
  
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• BBC's Jon Sopel On How The Media That Made Donald Trump Shouldn't Now Try To Be His Opposition

  08-09-2017 18:31
  
  Donald Trump has made this “the most challenging time to be a journalist in America,” Jon Sopel tells me.
  As the BBC’s North America Editor covering the 45th President, Sopel walks the most precarious of tightropes and thinks he is doing it well. But other journalists, he fears, are doing exactly what the media-hating president wants.
  He didn’t baulk when it was his turn to be the reporter the president was berating. “Here’s another beauty,” Trump s
  
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• Boris Johnson says EU has legal duty to discuss future trade relations

  08-09-2017 18:17 via theguardian.com
  Foreign secretary dismisses warnings over UK’s approach to Brexit talks and expresses ‘rock-solid confidence’ that a deal can be reachedBoris Johnson has risked further antagonising Brussels by dismissing warnings this week about Britain’s approach to the negotiations and insisting the EU is obliged to start talking about a future trade deal.After a bruising week for the British government, the foreign secretary expressed his “absolutely rock-solid confidence”
  
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• Conservatives scramble to reverse slump in support among young

  08-09-2017 18:14
  Ministers solicit ideas on closing the generational gap in attempt to woo younger voters
  
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• Ian Paisley denies £100K Sri Lankan holiday claim

  08-09-2017 18:10 via bbc.co.uk
  The DUP MP refers himself to a parliamentary watchdog over claims he did not declare trips.
  
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• 'Power grab' row over committee changes

  08-09-2017 17:51 via bbc.co.uk
  Ministers say changes will stop "unwarranted delays" - Labour says they want to "rig Parliament".
  
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• 'Geoffrey Boycott Has My Tupperware' And 5 Other Unlikely Quotes From Theresa May's Interview On Test Match Special

  08-09-2017 17:42
  
  Prime Minister Theresa May made an appearance on BBC radio’s Test Match Special and it was nothing short of bizarre.
  Among all the cricket talk with show host Jonathan Agnew, there were several head scratching comments that came out of the PM’s mouth.
  They included...
  1. “Geoffrey Boycott has still got my Tupperware”'Geoffrey Boycott has still got my tupperware' is one of the last things I ever expected to hear out of Theresa May's mouth.— Riath Lirael (@Riath84) Se
  
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• Trump hand holding was 'moment of assistance' - May

  08-09-2017 17:22 via bbc.co.uk
  PM explains Trump photo and rejects claims she was robotic in election campaign, in a BBC interview.
  
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• Theresa May to lay out Brexit transition plan in Europe speech

  08-09-2017 17:10
  UK prime minister will then deliver tougher message to Conservative party conference
  
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• Brexit: match the face to the quote

  08-09-2017 15:36 via theguardian.com
  Take our quiz as major figures react to a leaked UK plan for post-Brexit migration and MPs tackle the controversial EU withdrawal bill
  "[The leaked Home Office papers] reads like a blueprint on how to strangle London’s economy, which would be devastating not just for our city but for the whole country. It risks thousands of families being split up".Boris JohnsonSadiq KhanKen LivingstoneVince Cable“There is a reason for wanting to ensure that we can control migration. It is because of
  
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• 7 Dubious Things About Donald Trump Jr's Russia Testimony'

  08-09-2017 15:25
  
  Donald Trump Jr testified to Senate investigators yesterday on his now-infamous 2016 meeting with a Russian lawyer at Trump Tower, once again insisting he did not collude with a foreign power to help his father win the Presidency.
  But some of those listening to the closed doors testimony have said the session did not fully address many of the concerns raised, with ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Adam Schiff, saying it ‘raises more questions than it answers&r
  
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• Theresa May: 'I Am Not A Robot'

  08-09-2017 15:01
  
  Theresa May has insisted she is not “in the least robotic”.
  The prime minister was ridiculed during the election campaign as the “Maybot” for her supposed robotic answers to questions.
  Speaking to BBC 5 Live’s Test Match Special (TMS) today, May also repeated her suggestion that she would try and cling on as Tory leader and fight the 2022 election.
  “I’m not a quitter,” she said.
  The prime minister said she got “frustrated” that &l
  
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• Donald Trump Calls Ivanka 'Honey' And 'Baby' And Collectively Creeps Out The Internet

  08-09-2017 15:01
  
  President Donald Trump’s latest interaction with his daughter Ivanka has left many people feeling a bit queasy.
  The US president was giving a speech in North Dakota about tax reform when he invited his daughter to the stage, but it was the language he used to introduce her that’s made people cringe.
  He referred to the first daughter as “honey” and “baby” and told the crowd that he likes her calling him ‘daddy’.He said: “Sometimes they’l
  
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• Political headlines: Corbyn, Sturgeon and Rees-Mogg

  08-09-2017 15:00 via bbc.co.uk
  As MPs return to Westminster, a leaked document suggests what might happen to immigration controls in a post-Brexit UK.
  
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• Millicent Fawcett statue going up in Parliament Square

  08-09-2017 15:00 via bbc.co.uk
  Westminster's Parliament Square will get a new statue and for the first time it will honour a woman.
  
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• The only Brexit option for Irish peace

  08-09-2017 14:41
  To avoid a hard border, UK has to commit long-term to the customs union
  
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• Court to hear challenge to Theresa May's £1bn deal with DUP

  08-09-2017 14:31 via theguardian.com
  Northern Irish Green activist spearheads crowdfunded case, arguing deal breaches Good Friday agreement and Bribery ActTheresa May’s parliamentary deal with the Democratic Unionist party will face a judicial challenge in the divisional court in London within the next few weeks.The crowdfunded legal challenge brought by Ciaran McClean, a Green party activist in Northern Ireland, is likely to be heard by several senior judges. Continue reading...
  
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• Week in review: The likes of Jacob Rees-Mogg pick and choose their religious beliefs to suit them

  08-09-2017 14:25
  
  Rees-Mogg seems to have no trouble rejecting his church's teachings when it comes to the poor
  
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• Grounded: Dire outlook for Brexit transport negotiations

  08-09-2017 13:53
  
  Recent transport meeting warns of the "dire situation" we are in
  
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• Tribunal says EU judges should rule on legality of UK surveillance powers

  08-09-2017 13:47 via theguardian.com
  Investigatory powers tribunal says need for European court of justice clarification is ‘obvious’ regarding bulk data collectionEU judges are to be asked to rule on the legality of Britain’s mass digital surveillance powers, the UK’s top national security court has said.In a politically charged judgment on Friday, the investigatory powers tribunal (IPT) ruled that the European court of justice (ECJ) should decide whether the UK’s bulk collection of communications dat
  
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• Brexit Britain can have a less toxic debate about immigration

  08-09-2017 13:41
  Research shows the shouting match belies the public’s more balanced view
  
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• Downing Street Denies Plot To 'Rig' Parliament By Stacking Commons Committees With Tory MPs

  08-09-2017 13:37
  
  Dowining Street has been branded “absolutely deluded” for claiming the government has a Commons majority when it does not.
  Theresa May is under-fire from opposition parties for plans to stack crucial Commons committees with Tory MPs - despite having failed to win a majority at the general election. 
  Jeremy Corbyn has accused the prime minister of trying to “rig” parliament with the plan to give almost unprecedented power to a minority government.
  But No.10 said
  
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• Second aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales named by Duchess of Rothesay

  08-09-2017 13:00 via bbc.co.uk
  Prince Charles, the man who shares a title with the £3bn vessel, watches as his wife Camilla carries out the ceremony.
  
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• Celebrate Success!

  08-09-2017 12:54
  Have you ever noticedhow terrible we can be at acknowledging what we have achieved?When congratulated on a success, we might hear ourselves say, "oh it was nothing".On reaching a goal, we might skip the celebration because there is something else to strive for now.When reviewing a half completed to-do list, we'll bemoan what we didn't do, rather than focus on what we did do.Is this because we're modest to the extreme, or do we simply not recognise just how much we do day to day, month to month,
  
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• Bias against ethnic minorities 'needs to be tackled' in justice system

  08-09-2017 12:50 via bbc.co.uk
  MP David Lammy says some offenders do not trust solicitors and face discrimination in prison.
  
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• Alan Duncan, Who Criticised Caroline Lucas Over Hurricane Climate Change Comments, Has Links To Oil Industry

  08-09-2017 12:47
  
  The moment the Government accused me of 'lacking humanity' for mentioning climate change policy in relation to Hurricane #Irma.Unreal. pic.twitter.com/GAIMZjesU2— Caroline Lucas (@CarolineLucas) September 7, 2017
  A minister who criticised Caroline Lucas for raising climate change during a statement on Hurricane Irma has links to the oil industry. 
  Alan Duncan told the Green MP she was “lacking humanity” when she suggested the government needed to be talking about climate
  
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• A quarter of McDonald's UK workers have seen viral Momentum video, Facebook data shows

  08-09-2017 12:11 via theguardian.com
  Campaign group says video showing employees talking about their zero-hours contracts has been watched by total of 2mA viral Momentum video on the McDonald’s workers’ strike has been viewed by around a quarter of the burger chain’s UK employees, according to Facebook data.
  The Labour grassroots campaign group, whose online campaigning drew huge audiences for pro-Labour videos and memes during the general election, said the video had been made on a budget of less than £30.
  
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• Pro-EU groups are fighting back against a hard Brexit

  08-09-2017 11:40
  
  The fightback against a hard Brexit is gathering pace
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn goes nuts for the revolutionary diet plan

  08-09-2017 11:27
  The UK opposition leader’s approach to adopting veganism is piecemeal
  
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• UK foreign secretary Boris Johnson loses key adviser

  08-09-2017 11:18
  Departure of media aide follows sharp criticism in recent months of the former London mayor
  
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• New McAlpine Boss: We Will Never Let Blacklisting Happen Again

  08-09-2017 11:14
  
  A construction firm blasted by MPs after it was awarded a lucrative contract to refurbish Big Ben says it will never allow blacklisting to happen again.
  Sir Robert McAlpine was one of eight major companies who had to pay out compensation after admitting it had penalised workers who were trade unionists or took part in union activities. 
  Hundreds of construction employees across the country lost their jobs and were unable to find further work after they were blacklisted by industry giants t
  
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• Morgan: Tory Brexit letter 'unacceptable'

  08-09-2017 10:31 via bbc.co.uk
  MPs are seeking to 'undermine the UK's negotiations with the EU,' Nicky Morgan says
  
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• Brexit risks turning the UK into fertile ground for labour exploitation

  08-09-2017 10:07
  
  If workers are left in limbo then those who wish to do harm will fill the void
  
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• Politics Live - readers' edition: Friday 8 September

  08-09-2017 10:04 via theguardian.com
  A forum where readers can discuss today’s politics and share links to breaking news and to the most interesting politics stories, blogs and tweets on the web9.03am BSTI’m not writing my usual blog today but here, as an alternative, is the Politics Live readers’ edition. It is a place for you to discuss today’s politics, and to share links to breaking news and to the most interesting stories and blogs on the web.Feel free to express your views robustly, but please treat o
  
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• The Waugh Zone Friday September 8, 2017

  08-09-2017 09:41
  
  1. RIGGING HELL
  Ever since the general election, Theresa May has faced a real problem at the helm of the UK’s first minority government since the 1970s. Although she cobbled together a deal with the DUP to pass her Queen’s Speech and Budgets, she still ran up against the hard fact that the Conservatives’ lack of a majority would make life very difficult on a daily basis.
  The hardest fact of all was that there would be no Tory majority on standing committees, where the guts
  
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• Which threatened species will pee on a politician in the fight for justice? | First Dog the Moon

  08-09-2017 08:35 via theguardian.com
  You’re here to represent Australia’s 1700 threatened species so be nice. Also, the Tassie devils need to stay away from Eric AbetzSign 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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• Brexit hampered by Conservative division, says ex-minister

  08-09-2017 08:26 via bbc.co.uk
  Former Treasury minister Lord O'Neill says a Conservative split continues to dominate Brexit.
  
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• Conservatives rethink housing and tuition fees policies

  08-09-2017 06:23
  Ministers solicit ideas on closing the generational gap in attempt to woo younger voters
  
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• 'Rivers of blood'

  08-09-2017 02:32 via bbc.co.uk
  Ian McDiarmid's latest role tries to uncover the true character of the controversial politician Enoch Powell.
  
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• Reality Check: Are ethnic minorities treated fairly in the justice system?

  08-09-2017 01:08 via bbc.co.uk
  How are black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people treated in the criminal justice system?
  
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• Theresa May Told To Make Britain's Judiciary More Diverse by 2025

  08-09-2017 01:06
  
  Theresa May must make Britain’s judiciary more ethnically diverse by 2025 to repair “chronic distrust” in the criminal justice system, a landmark review has said. 
  Despite black and minority ethnic (BAME) groups making up 12.9% of the UK population, just 7% of judges and 11% of magistrates identify as BAME.  
  David Lammy, who published the independent review of how BAME individuals are treated in the criminal justice system today, has said that trend cannot continue a
  
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