Political news

• Brexit: Theresa May says 'important progress' made at EU summit

  23-10-2017 22:50 via bbc.co.uk
  But Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn says the PM's update sounds like "Groundhog Day".
  
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• Women MPs Reveal Sex Assaults To Help Victims Speak Up After Harvey Weinstein Scandal

  23-10-2017 22:38
  Women MPs have revealed shocking accounts of being subject to sexual assaults and harassment as they aim to encourage victims of abuse to speak out.Labour’s Mary Creagh said she was sexually assaulted by about 12 boys during a school playground game of kiss-chase.Jess Phillips told how she had been left “paralysed by fear” when she woke up at a party to find her boss undoing her belt and trying to get into her trousers.Conservative Theresa Villiers said she had to “fend o
  
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• MP Jared O'Mara quits equalities committee over homophobic remarks

  23-10-2017 22:10 via bbc.co.uk
  The Sheffield Hallam Labour MP is "deeply ashamed" of remarks he made before entering Parliament.
  
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• Watchdog warns Tories over Neath call centre election use

  23-10-2017 22:09 via bbc.co.uk
  The Information Commissioner's Office says parts of scripts crossed the line into direct marketing.
  
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• Prisons Chief Forced To Admit Record High Suicide Rate Is 'Damning Indictment' Of Jails

  23-10-2017 20:21
  Prison suicides hitting a record high is a “damning indictment” of life inside jail, the boss of the National Offender Management Service has admitted.Michael Spurr, NOMS chief executive, was called before the Public Accounts Committee to explain a shocking rise in prison suicides revealed in a National Audit Office report.It found the number of self-inflicted deaths was 120 in 2016 - an all-time high and almost double that of 2012.  Around 70% were known to have an existing men
  
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• May awaits EU decision on post-Brexit links with UK

  23-10-2017 19:59
  Labour claims divided cabinet is trying to defer trade deal showdown
  
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• Labour and rebel Tories secure debate on universal credit rollout

  23-10-2017 19:47
  Three-hour parliamentary session to take place as pressure grows to reduce six-week delay before benefits payments beginLabour and Conservative MPs have secured an emergency debate on the new universal credit welfare system, as ministers face continued calls to reduce the six-week waiting time for claimants to receive their first payment. What is universal credit? Continue reading...
  
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• Business must help fix the failures of capitalism

  23-10-2017 19:46
  Collective hand-wringing must be accompanied by concrete action
  
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• Abortion: 'Hardship' travel grant for NI women

  23-10-2017 19:40 via bbc.co.uk
  Government to pay for grants and travel costs for some NI women seeking free abortions in England.
  
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• Martin Rowson on Brexit demands – cartoon

  23-10-2017 19:32
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• May implies UK will not implement Brexit transition unless trade deal agreed too - Politics live

  23-10-2017 19:30
  Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen, including Theresa May’s statement to MPs about Brexit and the EU summitNo 10 lobby briefing - SummaryLunchtime summaryTheresa May’s Commons statement on Brexit - Summary 6.25pm BSTHere are the main points from Theresa May’s Commons statement on Brexit and on the EU summit.An implementation period is about a period which is adjusting to the future relationship. That’s the basis on which I’ve p
  
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• UK to help CES tech start-ups after expo chief's criticism

  23-10-2017 19:19 via bbc.co.uk
  The government will fund small firms to attend the tech expo after claims it did little last time.
  
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• Gambling laws: Labour MP admits party was wrong to liberalise

  23-10-2017 19:14 via bbc.co.uk
  A Welsh MP admits the party did not foresee the impact of technology, especially in sport.
  
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• Female politicians speak out about sexual assault experiences

  23-10-2017 19:11
  Jess Phillips, Mary Creagh, Theresa Villiers and Anne Jenkin share personal accounts in hope of encouraging other victims to talkFemale politicians have shared their experiences of sexual assault and harassment to encourage other victims to speak out.The Labour MPs Jess Phillips and Mary Creagh and Conservatives Theresa Villiers and Anne Jenkin have spoken of having been assaulted or subjected to unwanted advances.Continue reading...
  
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• Ken Clarke Urges Theresa May To Team Up With Labour To Defeat 'No Deal' Tories

  23-10-2017 19:03
  
  Theresa May was urged to form a Brexit coalition with Labour today in order to drown out the ‘no deal’ voices in her Cabinet.
  Tory veteran Ken Clarke – a stalwart of Margaret Thatcher’s government – called for cross-party working in order the get the Brexit negotiations back on track.
  The pro-EU MP – who stood for the Tory leadership three times – challenged the Prime Minister to appoint a “trusted minister” to liaise with opposition to help
  
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• No Brexit transition period without final EU trade deal, May tells MPs

  23-10-2017 19:02
  Prime minister says UK cannot have an implementation period after Brexit in March 2019 unless there is something to implementTheresa May has signalled there will be no transitional period to prevent a “cliff-edge” Brexit unless the UK manages to agree a deal with the EU on their future relationship.The prime minister has been under pressure to help businesses plan for the future by agreeing a time-limited transitional period by Christmas, but she told MPs that this “implementat
  
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• Juncker rejects claim May begged for help at dinner meeting

  23-10-2017 19:02
  European commission president denies making comments reported in German media, as aide denies being source of leakJean-Claude Juncker has rushed to salvage relations with Downing Street at a dangerous point in the Brexit negotiations by denying claims that the prime minister had begged for help at a recent private dinner, instead insisting she had been in “good shape” and “fighting”.The European commission president made the comments hours after his chief of staff, Martin
  
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• Theresa May: We are going to leave the European Union in March 2019 – video

  23-10-2017 18:59
  Theresa May says she has a ‘degree of confidence’ of making enough progress by December to begin Brexit trade talks and a time-based implementation period beneficial for the UK and EU. The government’s ‘ambitious and positive’ proposals on the thorny issue of the UK’s financial settlement had helped moved the discussions forward, the prime minister said. In response to Yvette Cooper’s question on whether the transition period for Brexit would come into f
  
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• Minimum alcohol price law unveiled in Wales

  23-10-2017 18:56 via bbc.co.uk
  It is claimed one life a week could be saved in Wales if cheap alcohol sales are banned.
  
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• These Self-Charging Car Batteries Could Revolutionise The Electric Car

  23-10-2017 18:18
  Self-charging batteries in electrics cars could become an actual thing in the future.According to researchers at Warwick University’s Energy and Innovations Centre, the answer could lie in what’s known as fuel cells.“What we would envisage in the future is a combination of an electric vehicle with its electric battery combined with a fuel cell acting as what you would call a range extender so you’ve got an electric vehicle that produces no emissions, when the battery gets
  
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• UK retirees using ‘pension freedoms’ for alcohol and gambling

  23-10-2017 18:10
  MPs receive evidence some pensioners are using new liberties to squander savings
  
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• Jared O'Mara: Labour MP Apologises For 'Unacceptable' Derogatory Comments

  23-10-2017 18:07
  
  A Labour MP has apologised for a series of “unacceptable” derogatory comments amid calls for him to quit a parliamentary committee that investigates women’s equality.
  Jared O’Mara made rape jokes, asked Girls Aloud for an orgy and branded British women “fatties” in online comments reported by the Guido Fawkes website. His remarks emerged just days after another Labour MP, Clive Lewis, was reprimanded by the party after a video emerged of him ap
  
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• We Need To Find A Way To Openly Discuss Period Related Health Issues

  23-10-2017 17:59
  Bleeding through your clothes is not normal. Pain which keeps you indoors is not normal. Nor is anaemia. These are some of the common signs and symptoms suffered by millions of girls and women every month around the time of their period. Not to mention diarrhoea, vomiting, dizziness, fainting, sleeplessness, depression and anxiety. Accompanied with this are missed school days, sick leave from work (citing reasons unrelated to their period in 73% of women), inability to attend social activities a
  
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• In Just Two Decades, Technology Has Become A Cornerstone Of Criminality

  23-10-2017 17:57
  Twenty years ago, a computer defeated the world's leading chess player; Steve Jobs re-joined Apple and countries agreed to merge two specialised bodies to form the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Back then, despite the steady march of progress, the Internet was just starting to impact homes and offices. Crime was mostly low tech. There was no global agreement on heinous crimes such as human trafficking, and not everyone considered corruption a crime. Some viewed it, wrongly, as
  
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• Northern Irish women offered free abortion services in England

  23-10-2017 17:35
  Justine Greening announces funding for previous pledge to stop charging women who undergo procedureThe UK government has revealed plans to provide free abortion services in England for women from Northern Ireland, which has some of Europe’s most restrictive laws on terminations.The government announced a change of policy in June in an attempt to head off a Tory rebellion in a vote on the Queen’s speech. Dozens of Conservatives had suggested to whips that they would vote on an amendme
  
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• Brexit: Jeremy Corbyn on May's European Council statement

  23-10-2017 17:28 via bbc.co.uk
  Jeremy Corbyn calls on Theresa May to "do the right thing" and guarantee the rights of EU citizens in the UK, regardless of Article 50 negotiations.
  
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• Labour MP says sorry for old web posts about Girls Aloud ‘orgy’

  23-10-2017 17:25
  Jared O’Mara says he did not intend to offend anyone with music site comments about Jamie Cullum, Michelle McManus and girl bandA Labour MP has apologised for posting a series of derogatory comments about celebrities before he was elected but said he would not resign from parliament’s equalities committee.The Sheffield Hallam MP Jared O’Mara said he was deeply ashamed at the online posts, which joked about having an orgy with members of Girls Aloud, claimed Michelle McManus onl
  
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• Brexit: Theresa May statement on European Council

  23-10-2017 17:23 via bbc.co.uk
  Theresa May speaks of a "new deep and special partnership" between the UK and EU.
  
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• Why The UK Must Move On From Tribalism

  23-10-2017 17:07
  It's midday, BBC News is blaring the churlish cacophony that rings around the House of Commons, signalling yet another pointless Wednesday lunch time in British democracy.Theresa May and her government benches sit smugly and coax members opposite in to riposte, whilst Jeremy Corbyn's opposition rise to the bait with innovative disdain each and every time.Looking on at this often familiarly pathetic scene, is it any wonder why the sentiment of separation from power has never been greater than it
  
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• Justine Greening: Northern Irish Women Can Access Free Abortion In England By The End Of The Year

  23-10-2017 17:05
  
  Northern Irish women will be able to access full, free abortion services in England by the end of the year, Justine Greening has announced.
  The women and equalities secretary confirmed in a written statement on Monday that the Department of Health would give funding direct to providers of the procedure, making the process as straightforward as possible. 
  The government agreed to cover the cost of abortions for women from Northern Ireland - where termination rights are severely restricted -
  
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• #MeToo Is Painful, Yes, But So Much More

  23-10-2017 17:04
  For a while it seemed that Harvey Weinstein might have found a way out. He had checked in to rehab, resigned from the company he co-founded, and in a somewhat unusual turn of events, been dismissed from the Academy. He seemed to have poured a lot of time and energy in to spinning a (sycophantic) redemption narrative. He asked for forgiveness. He blamed his age. He underlined his desire to seek help. He even brought his Mum into proceedings.He may have been granted the possibility to fade in to t
  
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• Jean-Claude Juncker 'Shocked' At Leak Claiming Theresa May 'Begged' For Brexit Help

  23-10-2017 16:59
  
  Jean-Claude Juncker has said claims Theresa May “begged” him for help in the Brexit talks are incorrect.
  The President of the European Commission said on Monday “nothing is true” in a German newspaper story that reported details of a dinner he held with the prime minister last week.
  The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) said it had been told May “begged for help” on Brexit, seemed “anxious” and “tormented” as well as “desp
  
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• Met Office Forecasts ‘Indian Summer’ Respite From The Storms

  23-10-2017 16:54
  If you spent last week in a stormy weather-induced depression you’ll be happy to know a brief respite is on the way.This week will see highs of 18C on Tuesday and Wednesday in the south east – meaning you can probably shoehorn some outdoor half-term activities in.But you’ll have to be quick as this unseasonably warm spell of weather – a mini Indian summer if you will - begins to tail off from Friday, returning to average temperatures for this time of the year, which
  
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• Some Guy Secretly Edited Pennywise Into His Sister’s Engagement Pics

  23-10-2017 16:49
  The only thing more frightening than that scene in ‘It’ where the kids see Pennywise in old photos might be when you spot the creepy clown in your own pics.Especially when they’re your engagement photos.BuzzFeed’s Jesse McLaren secretly added Pennywise to his sister’s engagement photos, then shared the images on Twitter. 
  There’s no word on her reaction just yet, but you can see the eerie images in his tweet: 
  My si
  
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• Juncker on German press reports about Theresa May meal

  23-10-2017 16:42 via bbc.co.uk
  The EU's Jean-Claude Juncker denies leaking an account of dinner with Theresa May.
  
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• Tory Minister Greg Hands Given Swift Education On The Origins Of Kebabs After Unfortunate Tweet

  23-10-2017 16:29
  
  International trade minister Greg Hands has been given a quick education on the origins of some much-loved foreign food after a jibe about a German doner kebab shop backfired.
  The Conservative MP for Chelsea and Fulham posted an image of German Doner Kebab - an international kebab shop with more than 20 branches in the UK - on Twitter, alongside the caption: “How long before we have German Fish & Chips?”How long before we have German Fish & Chips? pic.twitter.com/8OmvAytgJQ&m
  
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• I Was One Of The Original Electric Car Owners

  23-10-2017 16:29
  Today the Nissan LEAF is the most popular electric car on the planet, yet seven years ago the idea of a car you plugged in rather than took to the petrol station was a novel concept, one that seemed to belong to the future not present day.Indeed, when the original LEAF went on sale in 2000, most people still didn’t know what an EV was or how it worked. But Elinor Chalmers, an orthodontist from Dundee in Scotland, and Fabrizia Gianì, a Corporate Sales Manager who lives in Rome, Italy
  
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• Who Is Mandip Gill? 9 Facts In 90 Seconds On Doctor Who's New Assistant

  23-10-2017 16:24
  Mandip Gill may not be a household name at the moment, but that is all about to change thanks to her role in ‘Doctor Who’.The actress has been announced as one of the new companions to Jodie Whittaker’s Doctor on the BBC sci-fi series.She’ll be joined in the Tardis alongside ‘The Chase’ presenter Bradley Walsh and newcomer Tosin Cole when ‘Doctor Who’ returns for its 11th series in 2018.In lieu of meeting Mandip’s new character, Yasmin, get t
  
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• Muslim Women React To Channel 4 Show Trailer ‘My Week As A Muslim’

  23-10-2017 16:10
  Muslim women have branded Channel 4′s new show ‘My Week As A Muslim’ as patronising, set to air tonight at 9pm.The documentary trailer shows a white woman having her skin darkened and being given a new, wider nose using prosthetics.The programme’s executive producer, Fozia Khan, said it allowed the protagonist to “meaningfully walk in the shoes of someone from a different background...”Shazia Awan, Co-Founder of Shoot From The Hip Media Productions and Se
  
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• Call to tax unoccupied homes with stamp duty and council tax review

  23-10-2017 16:05 via bbc.co.uk
  A call is made for new taxes on the empty homes that are owned by super-rich investors.
  
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• Patrick O'Donnell, the self-proclaimed MP for Clapham

  23-10-2017 16:02 via bbc.co.uk
  An 18-year-old has been posting images of him campaigning, meeting constituents and politicians on social media.
  
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• It's Not You, A Phobia Of Snakes And Spiders Is Actually Built Into Our DNA

  23-10-2017 15:57
  If the thought of a snake slithering around your feet or a spider walking up your arm sends shivers down your spine, despite never having come into contact with one in real life, then it could be your genes that are to blame.Over the last few decades there has been much debate between scientists about whether these phobias are innate or are learned during childhood.But a new study has discovered that it is in fact hereditary, as babies at only six months old (long before they have had
  
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• From latte socialist to gauche caviar – how to spot good-time leftwingers around the world

  23-10-2017 15:40
  As Ireland’s taoiseach showed recently, many politicians find it hard to accept that egalitarian types like nice stuff. In fact, there are myriad labels for such peopleWhen Leo Varadkar launched his leadership campaign for Ireland’s ruling party, Fine Gael, earlier this year, he did so with cupcakes and coffee from an establishment that would hold its own against the flat white meccas of Melbourne. But now that he is taoiseach, Varadkar has branded his leftwing critics “latte s
  
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• Labour MP Says Grieving Families Are Being Ripped Off By Inflated Council Burial Charges

  23-10-2017 15:38
  
  Grieving families are being ripped off by over-inflated council burial charges, a Labour MP has claimed.
  Siobhain McDonagh wants the government to take action after several families in her London constituency said they had struggled to fulfill their relatives’ dying wishes due to a huge hike in the cost of cemetery plots.
  The Mitcham and Morden MP said the problem was exacerbated in cases where a person had lived in one area for most of their life and been forced to move away in their lat
  
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• Parents Reminded To Seek Medical Advice Before Feeding Their Baby Vegan Diet

  23-10-2017 15:35
  Parents who are considering raising their baby as a vegan, are being urged to seek professional advice before cutting all animal products from their child’s diet.The British Nutrition Foundation has issued the advice after Holly Willoughby was criticised for claiming that babies as young as six months old can be weaned onto a vegan diet.Willoughby, who has three children - Harry, eight, Belle, six, and Chester, three with her husband Dan Baldwin - wrote in her second book &l
  
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• Why We Need A Shoppers' Budget

  23-10-2017 15:16
  On 22nd November, the Chancellor is expected to deliver a high-stakes Budget aimed at resetting the political agenda after conference season. It comes at a time when the UK economy has gone from the fastest growing in the G7 to the slowest, with once-in-a-generation changes fast approaching. Amid the febrility of the current political landscape and the unknowns of Brexit, what's needed is a Budget that lays solid foundations for growth and productivity. And there's no better yardstick than the c
  
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• The 20 Stages Of A Hangover As Told By 'Stranger Things'

  23-10-2017 14:59
  ’Stranger Things’ is a glorious show, and we couldn’t be more excited about season two landing on Netflix this Friday (27 October). One thing the show is not, however, is good hangover viewing.That’s got nothing to do with its gruesomeness, but more the fact that it mimics the fragile situations we often find ourselves in of a weekend. Here’s the stages of a hangover, as told by the show.1. When you wake up not even knowing your own name2. When you realise
  
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• #PatientsNotPassports Urges Government To Scrap Contentious Health Tourism Policy

  23-10-2017 14:59
  
  A contentious new government policy which requires health care professionals to crack down on so-called “health tourism” has been slammed by medics as an attempt to “scapegoat migrants and fuel xenophobia”.
  New rules come into force today which require all providers of treatment on the NHS to establish if patients are eligible for free care.
  Foreign visitors who are not eligible may have to pay upfront for any non-urgent or planned care under the regulations introduced by
  
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• ‘Holiday Of A Lifetime’: Sick Children Overjoyed On Dreamflight Trip To Florida

  23-10-2017 14:56
  Nearly 200 sick, seriously ill and disadvantaged children from across the UK have left their families behind and conquered their fears on a once-in-a-lifetime charity-funded sunshine holiday in America.The group spent 10 days in Florida on the annual Dreamflight trip, having been nominated by doctors, nurses and care workers around the country. The 192 youngsters – some of whom require round-the-clock attention – visited the likes of SeaWorld, Universal Studios and Disney World durin
  
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• 43.2% Of Irish Children Aged 7-9 Yrs Old Are Suffering From Anxiety Issues

  23-10-2017 14:54
  Research by a social network for primary school children in Ireland shows that more than 40% of kids aged seven to nine years old are showing increased levels of anxiety or stress.The research carried out on 43,000 of its users by Cybersmarties - a safe educational social network for primary school kids, shows that the threat of a nuclear war, loss of a family member or money worries.Cybersmarties.com, which is available to primary schools kids aged seven to 12 years old, carried out weekly rese
  
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