Political news

• Wolfenstein II Is Upsetting People Because It's About Killing Nazis

  06-10-2017 22:54
  
  If you didn’t know already, the year is not 1939.
  And since that fateful annus horribilis the world has learned a number of important lessons, one of which is - being a Nazi isn’t OK.
  Evidence of this can be seen in the myriad of films, books, speeches, you name it, that not only condemn an ideology that propagates genocide but roundly mocks it.Let's go! pic.twitter.com/m5MW1qBcjH— Josh | Demonitor (@SheerSavagery) October 6, 2017
  Only now its 2017 and the rulebook of huma
  
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• Germany rejects Theresa May’s Brexit transition hopes

  06-10-2017 22:00 via ft.com
  Berlin-led countries insist divorce bill from EU be resolved first
  
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• Germany rejects May’s Brexit transition hopes

  06-10-2017 22:00 via ft.com
  Berlin-led countries insist divorce bill from EU will be resolved first
  
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• Theresa May says cabinet 'fully behind' her leadership

  06-10-2017 21:56 via bbc.co.uk
  The PM says she retains the support of colleagues after a former Tory chairman urges a contest.
  
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• US orders new tariffs on Bombardier jets

  06-10-2017 20:40 via ft.com
  Trump administration elevates trade dispute with Canada and UK
  
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• Ingram Pinn’s illustration of the week: The British Dream

  06-10-2017 20:35 via ft.com
  Theresa May’s visionary speech quickly turns into a nightmare
  
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• Sack Boris Johnson and reshuffle cabinet, senior Tories to tell May

  06-10-2017 20:25
  Conservative MPs want prime minister to show she can exert discipline after Grant Shapps’s bid to trigger leadership contestTheresa May must sack Boris Johnson and shake up her cabinet if she is to reassert her authority and silence talk of a leadership plot in the wake of this week’s calamitous party conference, Conservative MPs will tell her.Few backbenchers were willing to give their public backing on Friday to Grant Shapps, the former party chairman who emerged as the prime mover
  
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• Top European human rights official Pedro Agramunt quits amid scandal

  06-10-2017 20:11 via bbc.co.uk
  Council of Europe president Pedro Agramunt was criticised for visiting Syria with Russian MPs.
  
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• Theresa May must get a grip on her feuding Tory party

  06-10-2017 20:05 via ft.com
  Britain’s prime minister should assert authority with a cabinet reshuffle
  
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• The Guardian view on Tory splits: doctrinal differences | Editorial

  06-10-2017 20:02
  MPs in the Tory party have to realise that voters have grown up in a culturally permissive era and are not aroused by the holy anger of the rightBig as the blow was to Theresa May at the general election in June, worse has followed. Not only was the election an unnecessary fight for Mrs May to have picked, she has emerged a diminished figure. Her cabinet is united – but mainly in their desire to succeed her. On the day of Mrs May’s big speech at the Conservative party conference this
  
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• Liberal guilt is over cosying up to the corporate elite | Letters

  06-10-2017 19:35
  Liberals are anxious but fear opposing the powerful, says Hedley TaylorDevorah Baum (The long read, 3 October) refers to the guilt which modern-day liberals feel because they have lost faith in utopian politics and realise they are acting out of self-interest. The guilt, she concludes, is a sign of the gap between the empathy which liberals feel for others’ suffering and the little they can do to alleviate it. But this personalisation of liberal guilt is in itself a cop-out. It is not so m
  
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• My mother caused a splash with Margaret Thatcher over washing | Letters

  06-10-2017 19:34
  Outrage followed the suggestion cleanliness was not the most important thing, writes Emma DallyOther people’s washing habits are not a new subject for media frenzy (Letters, 6 October). In 1961, my mother wrote an article in Family Doctor, a magazine of the British Medical Association, suggesting that cleanliness was not necessarily the most important thing for parents to focus on. Her comments provoked a furious debate in the popular press. The Daily Express accused her of attacking peopl
  
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• Boris, Lyndon and Johnsons in the tent | Brief letters

  06-10-2017 19:34
  Paying extra tax | Universal credit | Gun control | Theresa May | Boris Johnson | Notes and QueriesSorry to be a pedantic killjoy, but you can’t voluntarily pay extra tax (Letters, 4 October). If you pay more tax than you owe, it will sit as a credit on your HMRC tax account to be offset against your future liabilities. You can send a donation (not extra tax) to the exchequer, but if you have spare cash and want to do good, give it to food banks and other charities that directly support th
  
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• Martin Rowson on Grant Shapps’s challenge to Theresa May – cartoon

  06-10-2017 19:25
  Continue reading...
  
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• Protect faith in privatised monopolies with tougher regulation

  06-10-2017 19:01 via ft.com
  An overhaul of industry watchdogs will head off calls for renationalisation
  
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• Ministers 'refusing to pay for fire safety measures' after Grenfell

  06-10-2017 18:33
  Councils accuse government of washing its hands of problem after earlier promising that money would be no objectCouncils have said the government is failing to release funds to improve the fire safety of dozens of tower blocks following the Grenfell Tower disaster despite promising that a lack of financial resources should not stand in the way of essential works.Ministers have said building owners are responsible for funding safety measures, but town hall leaders complain that they are “wa
  
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• A Guide To Why Mass Shootings Don't Change American Gun Laws

  06-10-2017 18:02
  
  “There is less hope than ever for fundamental reform of America’s gun laws,” former congressman Steve Israel tells HuffPost.
  The Democrat, who represented New York from 2001 to 2017, thinks that, even after the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history left 59 people in Las Vegas on Sunday, gun laws will not be tightened.
  The killing has led to calls for bi-partisan legislation, which would require stronger background checks for those buying guns, to finally be passed.
  
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• Whitehall rivals battle for Brexit staff

  06-10-2017 17:06 via ft.com
  Olly Robbins attempts to poach former colleagues to join him at Downing Street
  
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• Plaid Cymru to end Labour Welsh Government co-operation deal

  06-10-2017 17:06 via bbc.co.uk
  The so-called "compact" was struck after deadlock in the vote for first minister in 2016.
  
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• Poll tracker

  06-10-2017 17:02 via bbc.co.uk
  BBC political analyst Peter Barnes looks at how the polls have panned out over the summer.
  
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• Theresa May is doomed. Only Boris Johnson can rescue the Tories now | Andrew Gimson

  06-10-2017 16:56
  A lot of MPs on his own side despise him, but the foreign secretary is a winner, and the only challenger who can fend off Jeremy CorbynThe thing few Tories will tell you about the present ructions at the top of the party is that if one is lucky enough not to be Theresa May, her husband or one of her small band of devoted supporters, the whole thing is highly enjoyable. That may sound a heartless observation, but it is nevertheless true. Every superannuated bore in the parliamentary Conservative
  
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• The Tories must seize this chance to make UK homes energy efficient

  06-10-2017 16:56
  Politicians may debate the merits of a cap on energy bills but making our leaky houses energy efficient is the solution that all political parties should unite behindAs the letters began to fall off the slogan behind Theresa May during her leader’s speech at the Conservative party conference, it was hard not to see symbolism. Not just of a premiership under threat, but also of a signature policy falling apart within hours of being announced.
  The cap on energy bills was a pledge in the Cons
  
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• Theresa May vows to carry on 'with full support of cabinet'

  06-10-2017 16:49
  PM shrugs off backbench plot to oust her, led by Grant Shapps, saying she will continue to provide ‘calm leadership’ Theresa May has dismissed the idea she might be ousted by disgruntled Conservative MPs, saying she will carrying on providing “calm leadership” as prime minister and that she has the complete support of her cabinet.
  Speaking to reporters in her Maidenhead constituency after Grant Shapps, the former Tory party chairman, said even some of her ministers say pr
  
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• Labour has won the argument on energy bills. The Tories must now deliver | Caroline Flint

  06-10-2017 16:31
  We have been arguing for years that the big six overcharge customers. Theresa May must ensure there is fair pricing and transparency• Caroline Flint is a former shadow energy secretaryTheresa May’s defence of free market capitalism didn’t begin well. The headline from that speech – aside from the various calamities – was a price cap imposed on a failing energy market.As far back as 2011, I argued that the public was being ripped off by the energy giants. The governme
  
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• A Tory tale of feuds and farce: it’s The Shapps Ultimatum | Marina Hyde

  06-10-2017 16:15
  The former party chairman’s plot against May could sit on the sports pages. Just like an England football manager, the boss is never safeTory leaders are starting to feel like England managers. We apparently always need a new one, to unlock the potential of the amazing world-class players, who for some reason consistently underperform, disappoint the support, and are hampered by excruciating big-stage ailments such as being unable to pass.What happened at the top of the Conservative party
  
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• Halt universal credit or rough sleepers will double, says Burnham

  06-10-2017 16:14
  Greater Manchester mayor says officials from across public sector including NHS believe rollout should be stoppedThe number of rough sleepers in Greater Manchester could at least double this winter unless Theresa May halts the much-criticised rollout of universal credit, Andy Burnham has warned.
  The Labour mayor said it was the unanimous view of the region’s public officials that the homelessness crisis would “dramatically worsen” if the welfare programme was not halted urgentl
  
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• Britain's wildlife needs urgent new protections ahead of Brexit, say MPs

  06-10-2017 16:12
  EU laws that have protected hundreds of conservation sites and the species that live in them for decades could be watered down or lost with the EU withdrawal billInteractive: How will Brexit affect British wildlife?Hundreds of treasured wildlife habitats across the UK that have been protected for decades by the European Union must be urgently maintained and preserved with a new environment act, MPs and campaigners say. Continue reading...
  
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• MBA students become unlikely beneficiaries of UK apprenticeship levy

  06-10-2017 16:08 via ft.com
  Business schools cheer the unexpected boost from contentious tax
  
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• Britain’s productivity crisis matters. Don’t expect Philip Hammond to mention it | Duncan Weldon

  06-10-2017 16:00
  Slower economic growth is likely in the next few years, and it’s going to harm living standards. The chancellor should stock up on headache tabletsThe news that the government’s independent fiscal watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, is about to slash its forecasts should not have come as a surprise. The chancellor’s fiscal plans were based on forecasts dating back to March this year and already looked to be, once again, too optimistic. The IMF, the OECD and, most no
  
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• Andy Coulson on the future of Theresa May and the Conservatives

  06-10-2017 15:59 via bbc.co.uk
  David Cameron's former communications director says now is not the time for Theresa May to step down.
  
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• European borders: Niall Ferguson on Spain and Catalonia

  06-10-2017 15:42 via bbc.co.uk
  Historian Niall Ferguson on Spain and Catalonia amid independence calls.
  
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• Conservative conference: Anne McElvoy on the political week

  06-10-2017 15:40 via bbc.co.uk
  Anne McElvoy looks back over the political week from the Conservative conference.
  
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• European politicians divided on Catalonia crisis

  06-10-2017 15:35 via bbc.co.uk
  The crisis in Catalonia has been a tricky issue for some European politicians.
  
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• 'We've lost control of the narrative': Tory voters on Theresa May

  06-10-2017 15:30
  We asked our readers if the time is right to replace the Conservative leader, and what the party needs to do to get back on track after conference
  Theresa May has dismissed the idea she might be ousted as prime minister, telling reporters “what the country needs is calm leadership, and that’s what I’m providing, with the full support of my cabinet.” The reassurance came after Grant Shapps, the former Conservative party chairman, emerged as the head of a backbench plot to
  
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• Donald Trump's 'Calm Before The Storm' Comment Sparks Worried Speculation

  06-10-2017 15:18
  
  Donald Trump has cryptically described a photoshoot following discussions with US military leaders on Iran and North Korea as “the calm before the storm”.
  When pressed on what the remark meant he simply replied: “You’ll see.”
  Adding to the surreal feeling, classical music played in the background and tables were set in the nearby Blue Room for a fancy meal.TRUMP: "Maybe it's the calm before the storm."
  ...
  REPORTER: "What storm Mr. President?"
  TRUMP: "You'll find ou
  
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• The next PM: possible contenders to replace Theresa May

  06-10-2017 15:06
  After the disappointment of the Tory conference, the rumour mill is in overdrive, but who are the realistic candidates?There is, we are told, no vacancy. But with a former Conservative party chairman touring the broadcast studios saying even some of Theresa May’s ministers agree it is time for her to go, it is no surprise speculation about the succession has intensified.But who would be best placed both to secure enough Tory MPs’ votes to reach the last two of the field, and then be
  
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• Universities try to transcend Brexit

  06-10-2017 14:58 via ft.com
  UK academic staff are hoping initiatives can help maintain pan-European relations
  
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• Theresa May rebuffs Shapps leadership plot

  06-10-2017 14:55 via ft.com
  Prime minister insists she is not planning to resign after calamitous week
  
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• Grant Shapps: from rising Tory star to plotter against the PM

  06-10-2017 14:54
  The backbencher revealed as leading a bid to oust Theresa May enjoyed a rapid ascent in the party but withdrew amid scandal Former Conservative party chairman Grant Shapps has been unmasked as the ringleader of a bid to oust Theresa May as prime minister, but he was once pegged as a serious contender for the top job himself.The rapid trajectory towards power enjoyed by Shapps in the first half of his political career has long since gone into reverse, however, and he resigned from his ministerial
  
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• SoftBank boosts Arm’s UK workforce by 24%

  06-10-2017 14:34 via ft.com
  New owner updates on jobs pledge that was part of £24.3bn deal for chip designer
  
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• Forget ‘transition’. We must stay in the EU until a deal to leave is agreed | Jonathan Lis

  06-10-2017 14:21
  Theresa May’s proposal for post-Brexit continuity amounts to the status quo – but without democratic representationWe may remember Theresa May’s disastrous conference speech for the awkward delivery, but far more pressing for Britain’s future are the words she never even attempted to say. Ever since the prime minister conceded the inevitable period of post-Brexit continuity, deliberate obfuscation has replaced transparent policy, while basic truths remain unspoken or misu
  
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• Welcome to the weirdest place on Earth: the Tory party conference | John Crace

  06-10-2017 14:15
  If you thought young activists posing for selfies with the DUP’s Arlene Foster was as strange as it could get, think againEverywhere I went at the Tory party conference felt like disappearing down a wormhole into a parallel universe. One minute I was in a fringe meeting where a cabinet minister was saying Britain must be prepared for no deal with the EU, and the next I was in the main exhibition hall where the Conservatives had accepted a round-the-clock advert from the Port of Dover autho
  
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• Fall in productivity puts pressure on Hammond before budget

  06-10-2017 14:13
  OBR also expected to cut productivity forecasts, wiping out about two-thirds of chancellor’s £26bn budget ‘war chest’The productivity of UK workers fell in the three months to June, piling pressure on the chancellor, Philip Hammond, before his budget next month. Despite increasing numbers of hours put in by workers, labour productivity as measured by output per hour fell by 0.1% in the three months to June, according to the Office for National Statistics. That continues a
  
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• 'Life is good'

  06-10-2017 14:00 via bbc.co.uk
  What do people waiting for an organ, or who have recently had a transplant, make of plans for an opt-out organ donation system in England?
  
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• Grant Shapps' Attempts To Oust Theresa May Prompt Tories To Get Sassy On Twitter

  06-10-2017 13:57
  
  After breaking cover to reveal he is leading the move to oust Theresa May, Grant Shapps is now getting a thorough pasting from many of his Tory colleagues - even on Twitter.
  The party, which is trying to figure out how best it should be reaching younger voters, has suffered ridicule for its meagre Instagram attempts, but it seems its members are upping the sass on Twitter following Shapps’ revelation.
  Wells and Somerset MP James Heappey probably wins first prize with this top GIF cont
  
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• Britain to ban the sale of ivory

  06-10-2017 13:54 via ft.com
  UK seeks to aid international efforts to combat elephant poaching
  
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• Week in Review: End of May reopens Tory Brexit wounds

  06-10-2017 13:53
  
  The Conservative party is struck by the same hesitancy and division which May shows in her judgement
  
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• Theresa May on providing 'calm leadership'

  06-10-2017 13:49 via bbc.co.uk
  Theresa May says she's providing "calm leadership" and has the full support of her cabinet.
  
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• Theresa May Refuses To Quit: 'I Am Providing Calm Leadership'

  06-10-2017 13:26
  
  Theresa May today refused to stand down despite mounting pressure, claiming it is business as usual.
  The embattled prime minister told reporters at an event in her Maidenhead constituency: “What the country needs is calm leadership and that is what I am providing, with the full support of my cabinet.”
  May’s defiant message comes after Tory chairman Grant Shapps revealed on Friday morning he was leading a plot to oust her.
  Shapps said he was one of five former Cabinet ministers
  
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• OBR Overestimated UK Productivity For Seven Years And It's Going To Cause Philip Hammond Some Real Problems

  06-10-2017 13:14
  
  Philip Hammond could be in for a rough ride next month, with a suggestion that for the last seven years the UK’s level of productivity has been overestimated, directly impacting on the Budget.
  Last year the Chancellor said he was setting aside £26 billion as a fund to help cushion the effects of leaving the European Union:The OBR expects cyclically adjusted public sector net borrowing to be 0.9% in 2020-2021, giving us £26 billion of headroom against the headline 2% targe
  
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