Political news

• Sexual harassment in Westminster: The allegations and denials

  03-11-2017 23:47 via bbc.co.uk
  Allegations of inappropriate behaviour by MPs from different parties surfaced more than a week ago.
  
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• Celebrity Gogglebox: Jezza, no one cares about your coddled eggs

  03-11-2017 23:15
  Theresa May may have been busy, but Jeremy Corbyn was free to join Liam Gallagher, Freddie Flintoff and others in this charity specialIn Edinburgh (I’m not sure why) Jeremy and Jessica are on the sofa, drinking tea while watching University Challenge. Jeremy knows that Williams Jennings Bryan stood as the Democratic party candidate for president of the United States in 1900. In a picture round, Jessica recognises Dame Maggie Smith. And that’s it really, two correct answers between th
  
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• Clive Lewis denies sexual harassment allegations

  03-11-2017 22:54 via bbc.co.uk
  Labour MP Clive Lewis has denied groping a woman at the party's annual conference this year.
  
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• Tory MP Charlie Elphicke Has Whip Suspended Following 'Serious Allegations'

  03-11-2017 22:53
  The news came shortly after it was revealed that Labour is investigating Clive Lewis after an official complaint accused the shadow minister of groping a woman at the party’s annual conference last month.The allegation was made by a party member who said she was meeting the front-bencher for the first time when they hugged and gave her “bum a big squeeze”, reports The Independent.The Labour Party told HuffPost UK in a statement: “The Labour Party is in
  
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• Tory party suspends MP Charlie Elphicke after 'serious allegations'

  03-11-2017 22:31
  Conservative chief whip Julian Smith says matter has been referred to the policeThe Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke has been suspended by the party following serious allegations which have been passed on to the police, the Tory chief whip, Julian Smith, has said.in a brief statement released by the party on Friday evening, Smith said: “I have suspended the Conservative party whip from Charlie Elphicke MP following serious allegations that have been referred to the police.” Continue
  
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• Labour MP Kelvin Hopkins denies sexual harassment claim

  03-11-2017 22:13 via bbc.co.uk
  Labour's Kelvin Hopkins says he "absolutely and categorically" denies claims by a party activist.
  
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• Donald Trump's Own Government Has Rubbished His Views On Climate Change

  03-11-2017 21:58
  The rapid pace of global climate change is almost certainly driven by human activity, like burning fossil fuels, according to a US government report that contradicts assertions by President Donald Trump and members of his administration.“For the warming over the last century, there is no convincing alternative explanation supported by the extent of the observational evidence,” said the report by a group of more than 50 US government scientists released on Friday.Give me clean, beauti
  
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• Labour MP Clive Lewis denies allegation he groped woman

  03-11-2017 21:17
  Party launches investigation after formal complaint made about alleged case of sexual assault at annual conferenceThe Labour party is investigating a complaint of sexual harassment against the MP and former frontbencher Clive Lewis over claims he groped a woman at an event during the party conference in September.A brief party statement said: “The Labour party is investigating a formal complaint made today against Clive Lewis.” Continue reading...
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn judgment questioned over suspended MP’s promotion

  03-11-2017 21:16
  Labour leader’s office was warned of sexual harassment claim against Kelvin Hopkins
  
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• Labour Party Investigating Shadow Minister Clive Lewis Over Groping Claim

  03-11-2017 21:11
  Labour is investigating Clive Lewis after an official complaint accused the shadow minister of groping a woman at the party’s annual conference last month.The allegation was made by a party member who said she was meeting the front-bencher for the first time when they hugged and gave her “bum a big squeeze”, reports The Independent.The Labour Party told HuffPost UK in a statement: “The Labour Party is investigating a formal complaint made today against Clive Lewis.&r
  
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• Labour demands inquiry into delayed payments to trainee GPs

  03-11-2017 20:52
  Hundreds of doctors in England have not received salaries, according to BMA, as a result of errors by CapitaLabour is demanding an inquiry into how trainee GPs did not receive their salaries from a private firm that is meant to pay them on behalf of the NHS.
  Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, has urged Jeremy Hunt to act after the Guardian disclosed that the delays had led to some family doctors being unable to pay their mortgage and having to seek help from a charity.Continue readi
  
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• Stop blaming the victims. Confront the culprits instead | Jonathan Freedland

  03-11-2017 20:19
  It’s wrong to say sexual abuse is complicated. It’s obvious men exploiting their power are the problemSo much rubbish has been spoken by so many men about sexual harassment that it’s hard to nominate a winner. But a strong contender in a crowded field is surely Rick Perry, the US energy secretary who, when running for president, famously forgot which government department he wanted to close (it was, naturally, the department of energy).Perry’s contribution to th
  
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• On sexual harassment we men need to be clear: the problem is not women, it’s us | Jonathan Freedland

  03-11-2017 20:19
  It’s not good enough for men to complain that it’s all too complicated. In fact it’s very simpleSo much rubbish has been spoken by so many men about sexual harassment that it’s hard to nominate a winner. But a strong contender in a crowded field is surely Rick Perry, the US energy secretary who, when running for president, famously forgot which government department he wanted to close (it was, naturally, the department of energy).Perry’s contribution to th
  
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• Conservatives draw up code of conduct amid Westminster harassment claims

  03-11-2017 20:07
  Theresa May reveals new guidelines for MPs, peers and others, setting out party’s procedure for dealing with complaintsTheresa May has unveiled a new party code of conduct guaranteeing an independent voice in investigations of abuse and harassment, as both the Conservatives and Labour faced pressure over whether they had failed victims.
  The code was revealed by May in a letter to the Speaker of the Commons, John Bercow, about her party’s plans to tackle the issue, following claims th
  
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• Infrastructure boost is a no-brainer for Philip Hammond | Letter

  03-11-2017 19:53
  Richard Kozul-Wright and Dianna Barrowclough of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development on industrial strategyYour report (UK-wide official pledge on ‘basic infrastructure’ urged, 1 November) outlines an independent commission’s call for the British government to provide “universal basic infrastructure” for every citizen as part of an ambitious new industrial strategy. The commission’s report supports Unctad’s broader argument across many
  
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• The Guardian view on languages and the British: Brexit and an Anglosphere prison | Editorial

  03-11-2017 19:51
  The English language may seem an asset for Britain. But its dominance may also cut the British mind off from what the rest of the world is sayingThe language (or languages) spoken in a society help to define its identity. That is as true of Britain as of every other nation. Most countries, like Britain, have one or sometimes more official languages. To become British, for instance, a person must prove knowledge of English. Equivalent provisions exist in almost all other countries.Language rules
  
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• No, minister: how Westminster reeled during a week of sex scandals

  03-11-2017 19:44
  Allegations of unwanted sexual advances in the corridors of power mount up, despite Theresa May’s attempts to draw a line under issue of harassment As MPs returned to their constituencies from Westminster with relief this weekend, it was hard to escape the sense that, as Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson put it, “the dam has broken,” on decades of sexual misbehaviour in the corridors of power.Veteran MPs said the drip, drip, drip of allegations of unwanted sexual advances, lew
  
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• The high price of inept political leadership

  03-11-2017 19:37
  A sexual harassment scandal at Westminster deepens Britain’s drift
  
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• Journalist Petronella Wyatt Tells Today Programme She Was 'Flattered' By Groping In Westminster

  03-11-2017 19:24
  A senior political journalist has revealed she was “flattered” by men groping her when she worked in Westminster in the 1990s, during a heated exchange on Radio 4′s Today programme.Petronella Wyatt appeared with Women’s Equality Party leader and former political reporter Sophie Walker to talk about their experiences of working in politics, as allegations of sexual harassment continue to rock the chambers.Wyatt, who is the former deputy editor of the Spectator, t
  
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• Could My Child Have ADHD? Signs, Symptoms And Advice For Parents

  03-11-2017 19:20
  Mums and dads with children who are in the process of being assessed for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are being advised to “hold on in there” by parents who have been in that position themselves.The diagnosis process can be slow and complicated - a report organised by ADHD charities and experts found that nearly a third of children with the disorder had waited for two or more years to receive a diagnosis.But diagnosis is vital, as the report’s authors warn th
  
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• Candy Atherton obituary

  03-11-2017 19:13
  Labour campaigner who became the first female MP to represent Cornwall since 1920Candy Atherton, the former Labour MP who has died suddenly aged 62, was an indomitable campaigner who spent her life fighting inequality and injustice. When she won the marginal seat of Falmouth and Camborne in 1997, famously defeating the Conservative incumbent, Sebastian Coe, she became the first Labour MP in Cornwall since 1970 and the first woman MP in the county since 1920.During her eight years in the House of
  
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• Cradle of democracy? Westminster is more like Goodfellas without the guns | Marina Hyde

  03-11-2017 19:10
  Gropes, plots and blackmail as standard: this week revealed a politics far removed from societal normsThe Conservatives seem to have been staging the last scene of Hamlet for over a year now. I’m not quite sure how everyone isn’t dead yet, but it now wouldn’t be remotely out of place if someone announced: “Following a number of allegations about their behaviour on the trip to England, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are suspended.” Related: If Fallon-style scandal driv
  
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• Tory MPs accused of blocking votes-at-16 bid

  03-11-2017 19:03 via bbc.co.uk
  Rowdy scenes in the Commons as a Labour MP's bid to lower voting age at general elections is blocked.
  
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• Labour MP accuses Tories of wrecking bid to lower voting age

  03-11-2017 19:03 via bbc.co.uk
  Labour MP Jim McMahon accuses Conservatives of wrecking his bid to lower the voting age.
  
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• 'No deal' Brexit could add £930 a year to UK shopping bills, say experts

  03-11-2017 19:00
  Poorer families and unemployed will be especially badly hit, says thinktank report calculating cost of walking away from EU without trade dealHouseholds face increases of up to £930 in their annual shopping bills if Britain walks away from Brexit talks without a trade deal, according to new research that reveals a disproportionate impact on poorer families and the unemployed.
  Meat, vegetables, dairy products, clothing and footwear would be subject to the largest consumer price rises under
  
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• How sleaze returned to haunt the Conservatives

  03-11-2017 18:50
  Fallon’s departure heightens Brexit tensions and leaves PM struggling to contain crisis
  
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• Save three times your salary before you’re 40 to retire? That’s absurd advice | Merryn Somerset Webb

  03-11-2017 18:28
  Financial advisers may wheel out these statistics, but in today’s precarious times what’s needed is sensible saving and government helpHow much should you be saving – and have banked already – for your retirement? Listen to the financial industry, and the answer is an awful lot more than you probably have.According to Jean Chatzky, a financial journalist at US network NBC, by the time you are 30 you should have at least the equivalent of your annual income saved for retir
  
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• Gavin Williamson Accused Of 'Rank Hypocrisy' By Labour For Arguing Against Cuts To Local Services

  03-11-2017 18:21
  Gavin Williamson has been accused of “rank hypocrisy” by the Labour Party for arguing against cuts to local services in his constituency.Before his promotion this week, Williamson served as Theresa May’s Chief Whip and was responsible for ensuring Tory MPs voted with the government.But in an articles on his website, Williamson said he campaigned against cuts to the police, fire services, prisons and libraries.In one post, the South Staffordshire MP’s constituents were tol
  
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• MPs demand Twitter action over Russian interference in UK politics

  03-11-2017 18:20
  Digital, culture, media and sport committee wants to see lists of suspect Russian-related accountsA parliamentary committee is demanding Twitter hands over lists of Russian-related accounts that may have attempted to interfere in the UK’s democratic process.
  The call from MPs on the digital, culture, media and sport committee came after Twitter told a US Congress inquiry it had detected thousands of Russian troll accounts posting material linked to American politics. Continue reading...
  
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• MPs demand Twitter act over Russian interference in UK politics

  03-11-2017 18:20
  Digital, culture, media and sport committee wants to see lists of suspect Russian-related accountsA parliamentary committee is demanding Twitter hands over lists of Russian-related accounts that may have attempted to interfere in the UK’s democratic process.
  The call from MPs on the digital, culture, media and sport committee came after Twitter told a US Congress inquiry it had detected thousands of Russian troll accounts posting material linked to American politics. Continue reading...
  
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• Priti Patel held undisclosed meetings in Israel

  03-11-2017 18:08 via bbc.co.uk
  International Development Secretary held meetings without telling the Foreign Office, the BBC has learned.
  
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• The Brexit impact studies must be released in full | Gina Miller

  03-11-2017 18:05
  Ministers claim that disclosing the 58 reports could harm the national interest. But the government lost the vote so now we have to be told the truthThis week parliament voted to publish the 58 government studies on the economic impact of Brexit. But even though Labour’s motion was passed unopposed, I do not trust this government. It has blotted its copybook so many times since the referendum that I fear it will either not publish the 58 studies at all, or publish some largely meaningless
  
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• Conservatives publish new code of conduct for MPs

  03-11-2017 18:05 via bbc.co.uk
  New hotline and complaints procedure brought in amid Westminster sexual harassment scandal.
  
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• Vestiaire Collective Has Launched A Supermodel Sale

  03-11-2017 18:00
  For the third year, Vestiaire Collective has partnered with supermodel Toni Garrn to host a Supermodel Charity Sale.Known for encouraging consumers to recycle and resell designer garments, Vestiaire’s collaboration with Garrn will result in 100% of the proceeds going to the Toni Garrn foundation, which facilitates access to education for girls in the Zimbabwe.With donations from the likes of Kate Moss, Gisele Bunchen, Jourdan Dunn, Alexa Chung, Karlie Kloss and Naomi Campbel
  
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• Is Our Welfare System Fit For Those With Severe Mental Illness?

  03-11-2017 17:59
  In 1942 the Liberal MP William Beveridge authored his landmark report outlining his vision of welfare reformation for the United Kingdom. What followed in the post-war reconstruction was the birth of the NHS and a national system of benefits to provide "social security" from cradle to grave. Beveridge's aspiration was that every British Citizen could receive this help including the unemployed and the homeless. Of course, the sick would also be cured. Yet Beveridge admitted that, "However compreh
  
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• Why Talking About Abortion Matters

  03-11-2017 17:53
  We need to talk about abortion more.In one sense, people talk about abortion all the time. In many countries, debate rages about a woman's right to choose versus the rights of the foetus. Right now in the UK, the 50th anniversary of the Abortion Act 1967 is prompting debate about reform, while the creation of 'buffer zones' around abortion clinics, and Scotland's decision to allow women to take abortion-inducing medication at home are making headlines.But in another way, we don't talk about abor
  
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• Catalan crisis creates tensions in Scottish independence movement

  03-11-2017 17:50
  As a Catalan leader prepares to speak in Edinburgh, some supporters of Scottish self-determination are unhappy with the SNP’s stanceA grassroots leader from Catalonia will deliver the keynote address at a gathering of the Scottish independence convention in Edinburgh.Anna Arqué’s presence this Saturday at the largest meeting of the wider yes movement since the general election, 48 hours after the jailing of Catalan government ministers by the Spanish courts, speaks to the obvi
  
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• I Lost My Brother In The Bataclan Terror Attack But Will Ensure His Legacy Lives On Through Music

  03-11-2017 17:47
  The hours preceding the phone call that changed our lives were unremarkable. Sat at home preparing for a Christmas fair the following day, it was not until my parents contacted me to say they had heard there was a hostage situation unfolding at the Eagles of Death Metal gig in Paris where my brother was working selling merchandise that I had an unshakeable feeling that our lives were about to change forever. The next few hours were a maelstrom of phone calls and pleas for information until some
  
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• Letter: Sir Brian Barder obituary

  03-11-2017 17:43
  Brian Barder, whom I had known since student days, was the least pompous of diplomats. He had great self-confidence – he was much at ease with himself and had a happy family life – and an acute sense of humour. (At Cambridge, he had written for Footlights.) Related: Sir Brian Barder obituaryContinue reading...
  
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• Through these Trump-tinted glasses, Nixon looks like a decent chap | John Crace

  03-11-2017 17:39
  This week I was the Spectator’s persona non grata, and enjoyed Proust’s version of a passive aggressive note to a housemateKen Burns’s 10-part documentary on the Vietnam War finally reached its conclusion. It’s been a harrowing yet utterly gripping history lesson, with testimony from those who fought and campaigned on both sides. The final episode included the impeachment of President Nixon, which inevitably drew some telling comparisons with the present day. Back in the
  
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• Harriet Harman urged to apologise for 'staggering judgement error' over joke

  03-11-2017 17:33 via bbc.co.uk
  Harriet Harman is urged to apologise for repeating on TV a Holocaust joke that she had found offensive.
  
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• The Government Does Not Have The Right To Hide Brexit Impact Assessments From The Public

  03-11-2017 17:29
  A curious thing happened in Parliament on Wednesday night. We saw a debate in which the Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer, the pro-European backbench Conservative MP Anna Soubry and the fanatical hard-line Brexit supporter Jacob Rees-Mogg, all found themselves on the same side of an argument. So, what was this unifying moment, bringing together politicians with wildly different ideological backgrounds? The answer is simple: it was the basic principles of parliamentary scrutiny and sovereignty
  
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• Xbox One X Review

  03-11-2017 17:20
  It is finally here. Proudly labelled by Xbox as the world’s most powerful games console, the Xbox One X has two clear objectives.The first is to usher in a new generation of visually stunning video games in true 4K resolution. The other of course is try and level the playing field against Sony who have, it’s fair to say, utterly dominated in terms of sales since both the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 were first released in 2013.Of course to actually succeed in both of thes
  
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• Mario Odyssey Review

  03-11-2017 16:59
  Ask a non-gamer to name famous video games and we’re willing to bet a lot of gold coins that Super Mario will be up there on that list.The superhero plumber may be one of the most recognisable of the virtual characters, yet you’d be surprised to learn he has fewer stand-alone titles than you might think.Mario Odyssey then is his first full-length 3D blockbuster game in years.Its premise will be immediately familiar to anyone who spent years playing Mario 64 back in the 90s.Despite ma
  
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• Theresa May Gives Tory MPs New Code Of Conduct To Fight Westminster Sexual Harassment

  03-11-2017 16:45
  Theresa May has written to John Bercow to set out a new code of conduct for Tory MPs, following a series of allegations relating to sexual harassment at Westminster.The prime minister announced on Friday that the Conservative Party was also immediately setting up a new confidential telephone hotline for people to call to report any breaches.Under the new party rules, harassment is defined as:“Any unwanted physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct that has the purpose or effect of violating a
  
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• Budget Store Launches 99p Baubles Designed To Be Filled With Booze

  03-11-2017 16:40
  Last year alcohol-filled baubles were the Christmas trend that got everyone talking, from gin-filled delights to cocktail concoctions.But there was one down side to many of them: the price.Thankfully, cut-price store Home Bargains has come up with an ingenious way to lower the cost.Instead of selling pre-filled balls already containing alcohol, the store has launched a range of baubles you can fill with your very own booze.Each bauble comes with it’s own straw (classy), and will set you ba
  
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• Andrew Neil Shuts Down Harriet Harman After Awkward Holocaust 'Joke'

  03-11-2017 16:33
  Labour’s Harriet Harman has been accused of “appalling” behaviour after recounting a Holocaust joke on the This Week show and claiming “people like [host] Andrew [Neil] think things like that are perfectly alright”.The bizarre outburst came in a section on the show discussing if people are too easily offended with comedian Shazia Mirza arguing that in today’s culture “some people are offended and they don’t know why”.She added: “Sometim
  
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• Priti Patel says Foreign Office knew about Israel meetings

  03-11-2017 16:31
  Development secretary says officials wrong to claim she had not told them about talks in August accompanied by lobbyistThe international development secretary, Priti Patel, has accused Foreign Office officials of briefing against her following claims she broke the ministerial code by holding undeclared meetings in Israel. The cabinet minister insisted that Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary, was aware in advance of her trip in August this year.Continue reading...
  
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• Priti Patel accuses Foreign Office of briefing against her over Israel meetings

  03-11-2017 16:31
  Development secretary says officials wrong to claim she had not told them about talks in August accompanied by lobbyistThe international development secretary, Priti Patel, has accused Foreign Office officials of briefing against her following claims she broke the ministerial code by holding undeclared meetings in Israel. The cabinet minister insisted that Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary, was aware in advance of her trip in August this year.Continue reading...
  
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• Welsh communities secretary quits over allegations about ‘personal conduct’

  03-11-2017 16:25
  Labour’s Carl Sargeant vows to clear his name after stepping down while ‘distressing’ accusations are investigatedWales’s cabinet secretary for communities and children has stepped down amid allegations about his “personal conduct”.Carl Sargeant, the assembly member for Alyn and Deeside, said in a statement that he had met the first minister, Carwyn Jones, on Friday and been told that allegations had been made against him.Continue reading...
  
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