Political news

• ‘We can provide a politics of hope, a politics for the people’

  23-09-2017 22:00
  Labour needs to build on its electoral success and prepare for governmentWhat a difference six months makes. The political landscape is barely recognisable from the day Theresa May stood in Downing Street to announce a snap general election. The pundits expected a Tory landslide. The election would strengthen the government’s hand in the Brexit negotiations and stabilise the country, they agreed. Labour faced oblivion. Related: Brexit battles face Jeremy Corbyn’s ‘mainstream&rs
  
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• Labour should commit to staying in the single market and customs union

  23-09-2017 22:00
  Labour figures publish an open letter in the Observer, demanding that Labour shows ‘the courage of its convictions’ and toughens its pro-EU messageAs organisations and politicians from across the Labour movement, we are writing to urge the Labour Party to have the courage of its convictions on Brexit.We have watched with dismay as the Government has used a narrow referendum result to justify an extreme approach to Brexit, a scapegoating of EU migrants, and a Westminster power grab th
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn urged to make Labour the pro single market party

  23-09-2017 22:00
  Leader faces calls from across Labour movement to back full membership of single market and customs unionJeremy Corbyn today faces calls from across the Labour movement to commit to full and permanent membership of the EU single market and customs union – so the party can offer a clear alternative to the Tories over Brexit.As Labour’s annual conference opensin Brighton, more than 30 MPs, together with MEPs, Labour peers, trade union leaders and mayors, publish an open letter in the O
  
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• Brexit battles face Jeremy Corbyn’s ‘mainstream’ party in Brighton

  23-09-2017 22:00
  The Labour leader has job security, but his third conference in the role will be dogged by divisions over the EUAs Labour MPs prepared to head to Brighton yesterday, some were scratching their heads and asking themselves the same question: can it really only be two years ago that they last trooped to the Sussex seaside for the first annual gathering under the new leadership of Jeremy Corbyn? Related: ‘We can provide a politics of hope, a politics for the people’Continue reading...
  
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• New Brexit rules ‘could lead to unskilled workforce crisis’

  23-09-2017 21:29
  IPPR thinktank warns UK may suffer if rules for non-EU migrant workers are extended to EU citizens for access to jobs marketA swath of UK industry would find it “near impossible” to recruit non-skilled workers from Europe post-Brexit if proposals recently outlined in a draft government document were enacted, according to the IPPR thinktank.According to the Home Office document, leaked earlier this month, rules that apply to non-EU migrant workers could be extended to their EU counter
  
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• Corbyn warns Tories will roll back on EU protections

  23-09-2017 19:44 via ft.com
  Labour leader says government wants to use Brexit to cut taxes and deregulate
  
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• Labour should be radical on Brexit after May’s Florence speech

  23-09-2017 19:04 via ft.com
  The UK opposition must seize the moment to outfox the prime minister
  
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• Only a quarter of older people would consider voting Labour, poll shows

  23-09-2017 19:00
  While Opinium polling data suggests Labour is continuing to make gains among young voters, winning over the ‘grey vote’ is much harderOnly a quarter of older people would consider voting Labour at another election, according to a new survey that highlights the challenge faced by Jeremy Corbyn in winning over the “grey vote”.Just 26% of voters aged 65 to 74 say Labour would be an option for them if another election was called. Crucially, this includes the 25% who voted for
  
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• Here's What You Need To Know Before Signing That Uber Petition

  23-09-2017 17:55
  
  Over half a million people have signed a petition calling for the “Saving of Uber in London”.
  In response Sadiq Khan has told each of them to “direct your anger” at the transport app and not TfL.
  But should you be angry? And should you sign in the name of cheaper fares? 
  The petition - which was set up by Uber itself - has raised eyebrows amongst some who question why people are lobbying for the reinstatement of the Uber’s licence rather than for the company to
  
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• Brexit critic Colin Firth opts for Italian passport for ‘family reasons’

  23-09-2017 17:42
  Oscar-winning actor will continue to be based in London as officials in Rome confirm he now holds dual nationalityMany of the threats and promises exchanged during the row over Brexit have yet to be tested by time, but this weekend at least one has come to pass. The Oscar-winning film actor and producer Colin Firth, unmoved by Theresa May’s pronouncements in Florence, has accepted Italian citizenship, according to the Italian interior ministry in Rome. Related: Kingsman: The Golden Circle
  
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• Transport chaos looms as rail unions widen strikes over driver-only trains

  23-09-2017 17:00
  Carefully planned walkouts will cause commuter misery next month, as the government and train operators try to save moneyPity British commuters this autumn. In southern England, Merseyside, East Anglia and the east coast main line they will face a wave of disruption after strikes were announced for Tuesday 3 October and Thursday 5 October. London Underground will also face disruption on the later date.Privately, the rail workers’ union, the RMT, and drivers’ union Aslef believe they
  
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• What Is Happening In Catalonia?

  23-09-2017 16:14
  
  Recipe for this Autumn’s cocktail: in a glass, mix powerful emotional concepts like rebellion, democracy, disobedience, independence, and “we want to vote.”
  Add a splash of a good Catalan cava. Shake it well, and voila! Serve it in a
  cold glass: it’s invigorating and bubbly, the perfect flavor to leave your daily
  problems behind, forget about the past, and smile toward the future. Be
  careful, because it’s also flammable: if the amounts aren’t exact, or if the
  
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• Corbyn says greater role for grassroots will help him become PM

  23-09-2017 15:46
  Labour leader says he wants a ‘more open, more democratic party’ in speech ahead of Brighton conference openingJeremy Corbyn has said his drive to give Labour members more control over the party will help him enter Downing Street.
  He said plans to give his grassroots support a greater role will not only help to oust Theresa May it will also change the “system of inequality and injustice” in society. Continue reading...
  
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• Anas Sarwar relinquishes shares in family firm

  23-09-2017 15:06 via bbc.co.uk
  The move by the Scottish Labour leadership candidate follows criticism that the company did not pay all staff the real living wage.
  
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• Treasury criticises Moody's after UK credit rating is downgraded

  23-09-2017 15:03
  Credit ratings agency warns hard Brexit would damage economy’s long-term health hours after Theresa May’s Florence speechThe Treasury has hit back at warnings by the credit ratings agency Moody’s that the likelihood of a hard Brexit and a squeeze on the public finances would damage the UK economy’s long-term health. Announcing its decision just hours after Theresa May gave her speech in Florence on the government’s Brexit strategy, the ratings agency said it had cut
  
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• Donald Trump Calls NFL Players Advocating Black Rights 'Sons Of Bitches'

  23-09-2017 13:58
  
  Donald Trump has called for the firing of American football players who kneel during the pre-match national anthem in protest of the treatment of black people by police.
  In a fiery speech in Alabama, a state with a history of lynchings and segregation, the President also called for NFL fans to boycott the sport.
  The kneeling protests began last year whith San Francisco 49er Colin Kaepernick and have since been taken up by a number of other black and white players.Trump said such prote
  
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• 'Suspected Explosion' Detected In North Korea Sends Analysts Scrambling To Determine Cause

  23-09-2017 13:02
  
  A magnitude 3.4 earthquake in North Korea has sent analysts scrambling to determine if it was the result of another nuclear test or a natural event.
  China’s earthquake administration said on Saturday it was a “suspected explosion” but an official at South Korea’s meteorological agency said the initial view was that it was a natural quake.
  “We use several methods to tell whether earthquakes are natural or manmade,” said the official, who asked for anonymity. &l
  
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• Labour Moderates: Corbynites Must Be Allowed To Crash The Bus Before Anything Will Change

  23-09-2017 13:01
  
  With conference season upon us, many Labour activists who were once at the heart of their party are finding themselves pushed to the fringes. 
  The battle for control of Labour’s internal “machine” has been all but won by supporters of Jeremy Corbyn and those who are less than enthused by the leader are facing their own new battle: What comes next?
  Candidates from the left slate stormed to victory in the recent election of members of the Conference Arrangements Committee (
  
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• 'Save Uber' Petition Reaches Half A Million Signatures In A Day

  23-09-2017 12:02
  
  Nearly half a million people have signed a petition calling for Transport for London to reverse its decision to strip Uber’s licence in the capital.
  Save Your Uber in London was set up on the Change.org website after it was announced the firm would not have its licence renewed when it expires on September 30.
  The petition had gained more than 483,000 signatures by Saturday morning, just a day after being launched. Help ensure Londoners have more, not fewer, transportation options&mdas
  
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• I only have 10 minutes to help jobseekers get back on their feet and find work

  23-09-2017 11:46
  Staff like me desperately try to provide what little help we can - but jobcentre closures and the roll out of universal credit will make things even worse As a jobcentre work coach, I am tasked with moving jobseekers (those on health-related benefits or income support) into employment. It is my job to interview people and help identify the barriers stopping them from working. We then agree how they can be overcome.Related: Jobcentres have been stripped of all compassion for young peopleContinue
  
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• UK Credit Rating Downgraded By Moody's To Aa2 Due To Brexit Concerns

  23-09-2017 11:16
  
  Ratings agency Moody’s downgraded Britain’s credit rating on Friday, saying the government’s plans to bring down its heavy debt load had been knocked off course and Brexit would weigh on the economy.
  A few hours after Prime Minister Theresa May set out plans for new ties with the European Union, Moody’s cut the rating by a further notch to Aa2, underscoring the economic risks that leaving the bloc poses for the world’s fifth-biggest economy, reports Reuters.
  Analyst
  
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• What Theresa May said and what she meant

  23-09-2017 10:02 via ft.com
  Alex Barker dissects the prime minister’s Florence Brexit speech
  
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• Britons with newly gained German nationality prepare to go to the polls

  23-09-2017 10:00
  Citizenship applications leapt by 361% in 2016 as a record number of almost 3,000 UK citizens became German“It feels very strange to be a first-time voter at the age of 68,” says Michael Lawton, a retired TV producer living in Berlin who acquired German citizenship last September. Lawton is one of several thousand Britons who obtained German passports in the wake of the Brexit referendum, fearing the loss of his rights as an EU citizen to live and work in Germany, and who are now eli
  
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• Britons in EU tell May: 'Don't throw us under Brexit bus'

  23-09-2017 10:00
  Letter from British in Europe coalition seeks assurances over rights of Britons in mainland Europe and EU citizens in the UKCampaigners for British nationals in Europe have written to Theresa May to plead with the prime minister not to throw them “under the Brexit bus” . Continue reading...
  
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• Brexit: UK needs to clarify issues - Macron

  23-09-2017 08:36 via bbc.co.uk
  The French president says Theresa May needs to sort out three key issues before talks turn to trade.
  
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• Theresa May's Brexit speech in Florence

  23-09-2017 06:47 via ft.com
  The UK prime minister delivered a landmark speech in Italy on Friday with the aim of unlocking the stalled Brexit negotiations. Did she say enough to bring the EU and the UK closer together?
  
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• Internet effect

  23-09-2017 02:52 via bbc.co.uk
  A new study examines how web use affected the 2017 poll.
  
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• Dawn Butler: Jeremy Corbyn Is So Laid-Back Because He Lived In Jamaica

  23-09-2017 01:01
  
  Jeremy Corbyn’s relaxed attitude is down to the two years he spent living in Jamaica, according to one of his shadow cabinet ministers.
  Speaking to HuffPost UK ahead of the party’s women’s conference in Brighton, Dawn Butler, a key ally of the Labour leader, said his approach to politics had allowed more MPs to feel like they can “be themselves” and that introducing him ahead of a key speech during the general election was a “proud moment”.
  “
  
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• Factory orders fall due to rising import costs and Brexit uncertainty

  23-09-2017 00:48
  The CBI said its monthly survey of manufacturers revealed a slowdown in orders driven by the food and drink sectorBritish factory orders grew in September at their weakest rate since April as rising import costs and uncertainty surrounding Brexit negotiations dented business confidence.The CBI said its monthly survey of manufacturers revealed a slowdown in orders that dragged back its measure for new contracts to +7 from +13 in August. Continue reading...
  
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• UK credit rating downgraded over Brexit uncertainty

  23-09-2017 00:41 via ft.com
  Treasury disputes Moody’s gloomy outlook for public finances
  
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