Political news

• Party leaders agree new complaints procedure, says Theresa May

  06-11-2017 23:54 via bbc.co.uk
  Westminster's party leaders are to introduce a new grievance procedure, says Theresa May.
  
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• Grenfell Tower: 131 families are in hotels, MPs hear

  06-11-2017 23:53 via bbc.co.uk
  Kensington and Chelsea Council admitted it had "huge" amounts of work to do to rehouse victims.
  
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• Peter Schrank on the Paradise Papers – cartoon

  06-11-2017 22:44
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• Daily Mail Journalist Ann Leslie Slammed For Criticising Woman Who Report Sexual Harassment

  06-11-2017 22:25
  A Daily Mail journalist has faced a backlash after criticising women for coming forward about being sexually harassed.Speaking on Channel 4 News, Dame Ann Leslie told Krishnan Guru-Murthy that women “can’t have it both ways”.The long-serving foreign correspondent condemned women who have spoke out in the aftermath of the Harvey Weinstein scandal as she revealed on the programme that she had been sexually assaulted by late Tory MP Nicholas Fairburn.The journalist said that the S
  
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• Theresa May Says 'Sorry' To Victims Of Westminster Sex Harassment Scandal As New Complaints System Agreed

  06-11-2017 21:38
  Theresa May has apologised to victims of sex harassment in Westminster, admitting that “too many” women have been subject to abuses of power “over too many years”.The Prime Minister spoke after she, Jeremy Corbyn and other party leaders agreed to introduce new safeguards as early as next month to protect Parliamentary and political staff – amid fresh allegations of historic and current sleaze.A former junior Labour party researcher alleged that a member of Ed Miliba
  
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• Labour urges May to treat sexual harassment consistently across parties

  06-11-2017 21:25
  Party leaders agree grievance system for Westminster staff as MPs on both sides of the house are suspended following misconduct allegationsLabour has urged Theresa May to ensure the same punishments are meted out to MPs on both sides of the House of Commons as the sexual harassment scandal in Westminster escalates.Dawn Butler, the shadow equalities minister, raised the issue with the prime minister at a cross-party summit in parliament on Monday to discuss how to respond to the crisis. Continue
  
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• Lib Dem member 'referred to police over rape allegation'

  06-11-2017 21:13 via bbc.co.uk
  The Liberal Democrats suspend a party member and refer reported rape allegations to the police.
  
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• Paradise Papers: Lewis Hamilton 'Avoided' VAT On £16.5m Jet Through Isle of Man Deal

  06-11-2017 20:38
  Lewis Hamilton has ‘avoided’ paying £3.3m in tax by registering his private jet on the Isle of Man, the reports falling out of the so-called Paradise Papers have claimed in the second major bout of revelations.The allegations surrounding the Formula 1 champion and his £16.5m plane are the latest disclosures from millions of documents that have been leaked, exposing how the powerful and wealthy have invested vast sums in offshore tax havens.On Sunday, the Queen faced
  
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• Boris Johnson accused of endangering safety of UK woman in Iran

  06-11-2017 20:24
  Foreign secretary wrongly said Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was ‘teaching journalism’
  
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• Leadsom 'knew about rape allegation'

  06-11-2017 20:19 via bbc.co.uk
  Ex-activist says she asked the Commons clerk to pass on concerns about the "toxic" Westminster culture to senior Tories.
  
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• Labour calls for tax office inquiry into Tory donor Lord Ashcroft

  06-11-2017 20:16
  After Paradise Papers revelations John McDonnell questions if Conservatives made proper checks on donorLabour has called for the tax office to investigate Conservative donor and Brexit supporter Lord Ashcroft after the revelation in the Paradise Papers of a secret Bermuda-based trust that sheltered his vast wealth.The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, also questioned whether the Conservative party had undertaken proper checks before accepting donations from Ashcroft. Continue reading...
  
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• UK must push for public register in offshore centres, say MPs

  06-11-2017 20:09
  ‘Paradise Papers’ leak revives call for 2014 plan to reveal owners of offshore groups
  
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• Corbyn’s sweet nothings get business leaders rolling over for a tummy tickle | John Crace

  06-11-2017 20:08
  After the Maybot’s depressing appearance at the CBI conference, Jezza was parachuted in for a bit of Brexit-based TLCThere’s nothing Paul Drechsler, the CBI president, likes more than a captive audience. Which makes the CBI’s annual conference his ideal day out. A chance to try out some Forrest Gump business insights, along with his rotary club MC routine, in his opening address. After urging business leaders to “eat, drink and sleep productivity” – no one nee
  
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• Fears for Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe after Boris Johnson remark

  06-11-2017 20:06 via bbc.co.uk
  Foreign secretary's comments could double Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's Iran jail term, says charity.
  
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• Ex-chief of Lloyds testifies he was alerted to imminent HBOS nationalisation

  06-11-2017 20:06
  Daniels says ministers were worried the financial system ‘freezing up’ in 2008
  
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• Theresa May Urged To Sack Boris Johnson After New Blunder Risks Increasing Jail Term For British-Iranian

  06-11-2017 19:58
  Theresa May is under intense pressure to sack Boris Johnson amid fears that his latest diplomatic blunder could add an extra five years to the jail term of a British-Iranian charity worker.Already reeling from the Westminster sex harassment scandal, the PM tried to declare “full confidence” in both Johnson and International Development Secretary Priti Patel, who was dragged into a separate row involving Israel.The Prime Minister defended both her Cabinet ministers for “doing a
  
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• Christmas cancelled by universal credit as benefit cuts hit the most vulnerable | Letters

  06-11-2017 19:51
  Unless urgent changes are made to increase benefits and tax credits, and reform universal credit, the impact on poor families will be devastating, says Mike Stein. Meanwhile, David Higdon is shocked to find a woman at the checkout in tearsThe Institute for Fiscal Studies research predicting increases in child poverty to 37% over the next five years lays bare the current role of fiscal welfare in exploiting the poorest members of society through punishment, deterrence and regulation (Benefit cuts
  
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• Paradise Papers: Lord Ashcroft 'does not control' offshore trust

  06-11-2017 19:34 via bbc.co.uk
  Conservative Party donor faces accusations of ignoring trustees despite rules on independence.
  
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• UK under pressure to act over tax havens after Paradise Papers leak

  06-11-2017 19:31
  Theresa May refuses to commit to public inquiry or open registers, as impact of revelations is felt around the worldBritain has come under mounting pressure to launch a crackdown on tax avoidance and reform its network of offshore havens, amid international outrage at the activities of multinationals and billionaires revealed by the Paradise Papers.
  During urgent questions in the House of Commons on Monday, the disclosures from the leak were described as the “biggest tax scandal of this ge
  
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• Paradise Papers: Queen should apologise, suggests Corbyn

  06-11-2017 19:20 via bbc.co.uk
  The Labour leader says anyone avoiding tax, as revealed in leaked Paradise Papers, should apologise.
  
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• Blair agreed 'second term' exit before Granita dinner says Brown

  06-11-2017 19:18 via bbc.co.uk
  Gordon Brown says he reached an "explicit understanding" with Tony Blair about a handover of power.
  
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• UK media ‘must sign up to regulator’ or lose freedoms, say peers

  06-11-2017 19:16
  Proposed amendments to Data Protection Bill by Lords would restrict press exemptions
  
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• Here Are The Scandals Blighting Theresa May's Cabinet, And It's Only Monday

  06-11-2017 19:15
  Theresa May’s Government has been hamstrung from day one after her disastrous snap election saw the Conservative Party lose its parliamentary majority.Add a dash of in-fighting over Brexit and even usual loyal Tory MPs are concerned. South West Devon MP Gary Streeter, elected in 1992, is not one of the usual suspects to publicly bemoan the state of the party.Feels increasingly like 92-97 parl: no majority, no money, ripping ourselves apart over EU. That lasted 5 years. Oh dear.— Gary
  
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• Here Are The Scandals Blighting Theresa May's Cabinet

  06-11-2017 19:15
  Theresa May’s Government has been hamstrung from day one after her disastrous snap election saw the Conservative Party lose its parliamentary majority.Add a dash of in-fighting over Brexit and even usual loyal Tory MPs are concerned. South West Devon MP Gary Streeter, elected in 1992, is not one of the usual suspects to publicly bemoan the state of the party.John Major’s premiership also became a byword for sleaze and scandal, with the Tories brought down by in part by his ‘Bac
  
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• Brexit impact studies not what you think, David Davis tells Labour

  06-11-2017 18:49 via bbc.co.uk
  David Davis plays down significance of Brexit impact studies as he is given 24 hours to publish them.
  
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• Priti Patel reprimanded in person by Theresa May over Israel visit, No 10 reveals - Politics live

  06-11-2017 18:43
  Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen, including Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn speaking at the CBI conferenceTheresa May’s CBI Q&A - SummaryJeremy Corbyn’s CBI Q&A - SummaryLunchtime summaryAfternoon summary5.38pm GMTMy response to the Panorama programme pic.twitter.com/zqJmI4p0gY Related: Bernie Sanders attacks billionaires and firms exposed by Paradise Papers – live The motion passed on Wednesday obliges ministers to provide the com
  
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• The Not-So-Hidden Misogyny Of The Wedding Industry

  06-11-2017 18:41
  I got married last year. I've never been one of those people who dreams of getting married and has a Monica Geller wedding binder stashed under the bed. But I love a party, and when the opportunity came up it seemed like a pretty good idea. So I did it - and I loved it. I loved it so much that not long after the wedding I started my own company and joined the wedding industry.So that's the back story. The fact is, the wedding industry can be a wonderful place. It's packed full of amazingly creat
  
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• The Not-So-Hidden Misogyny Of The Wedding Industry - And What To Do About It

  06-11-2017 18:40
  I got married last year.I've never been one of those people who dreams of getting married and has a Monica Geller wedding binder stashed under the bed.But I love a party, and when the opportunity came up it seemed like a pretty good idea.So I did it - and I loved it.I loved it so much that not long after the wedding I started my own company and joined the wedding industry.
  So that's the back story.The fact is, the wedding industry can be a wonderful place.It's packed full of amazingly creative p
  
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• I Would Have Taken The Test For Predicting Miscarriage When Pregnant With My Rainbow Baby

  06-11-2017 18:38
  Miscarriage has long been a taboo topic that has only recently started to be discussed more openly. It's often not until a pregnant woman has experienced a miscarriage that they become aware of just how common this heartache is and how many of the women around them have a story similar to their own. The recent development of a blood test that allows doctors to identify pregnancies at a high risk of miscarriage has huge implications for expecting couples.As a woman who has experienced a miscarria
  
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• The Day My Child Ate A DIFFERENT Sandwich

  06-11-2017 18:37
  Remember, remember, the third of November.That's how it goes doesn't it? Well that's how it will be in our house forever more. You see in our house, the third was a momentous occasion not to be sniffed at.Joseph ate a sandwich that did not consist of cheese spread.Any autism parent will know about the food battles. The monotony of the same food EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Yep, you all know it. The problems it causes when eating out because there is nothing your child will eat and you cannot face th
  
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• Dementia Destroyed My Wife's Life And Damaged Our Family - We Must Find A Cure

  06-11-2017 18:31
  I want to tell you our story of early-onset dementia. It is important to me because so many people think of dementia as a condition that affects the elderly and makes them forgetful.The truth is that dementia can strike at any time and its effects on the person and their family can be shattering.Liza and I had been married for 15 years and counted ourselves blessed. Living in a delightful village, we had everything we could wish for.I had a good but high pressure job in the City: I was the Chief
  
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• Calling All Badass Women

  06-11-2017 18:30
  Bernadette is on her knees, fist clenched. Determination oozing out her eyes. The target is on the ground between two breeze blocks. Traverser la cible, go through the target. Focus. She sucks in one last breath, blinks, raises her fist...Rewind to morning. Nine women around a table dangling teabags into hot water. No breeze blocks, just nine women with name-tags. Nine different women. In age, in colour, in expectations, waiting for Sophie to arrive.God, Sophie looks dainty. A kind of Victoria-S
  
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• Parents Share Heartbreaking Message To Friends Who Excluded Their Autistic Son From Parties

  06-11-2017 18:25
  A mum has shared the expletive-filled message her husband sent to his friends after their child, who has autism, was not invited to any of their kids’ parties.Christine Stephenson, from Newcastle, explained it broke her heart that her husband Shane had to call out the exclusion of their six-year-old son Reilly.“Reilly is pretty much nonverbal and is an awesome little boy,” Christine told HuffPost UK.“Shane was incredibly upset at the thought of Reilly not being part of hi
  
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• What Would You Be Willing To Pay For The Brexit 'Divorce Bill'?

  06-11-2017 18:20
  Despite its current salience among politicians and negotiators, a recent poll revealed that British people place the so-called "divorce bill" well down in their list of priorities below immigration control, co-operation, free trade, and the customs union. People in France and Germany, on the other hand, consider it a priority to make sure the UK pays what it owes. And Michel Barnier, of course, also considers the settlement to be a sticking point and has expressed concern that the talks are at a
  
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• Eat, Drink And Be Healthy This Festive Season

  06-11-2017 18:19
  Tis almost the season to be jolly, but these days it all seems to kick-off long before you open the first door on your advent calendar... and continues past the sound of popping corks welcoming in the New Year.Christmas can be a time for indulgence, but eating, drinking and making merry can cause you to seriously pile on the pounds over the course of a few short weeks. In fact, on average people gain between one and five lbs (0.5-2.5kg). And, you only need to take in 500 additional calories (kca
  
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• Priti Patel apologises over undisclosed Israeli meetings

  06-11-2017 18:18 via bbc.co.uk
  Priti Patel was on holiday in Israel when she met the PM - but did not tell the Foreign Office.
  
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• David Davis Asks For More Time Before Handing Over Secret Government Report On Brexit

  06-11-2017 18:18
  David Davis has asked for more time before releasing the Government’s secret economic analysis of Brexit - despite ministers agreeing last week to publish the papers.The Brexit Secretary has written to the chair of Parliament’s Brexit Select Committee Hilary Benn telling him it will take his department time to bring together all the information required from across Government. He also repeated his request that some parts of the report remain secret in order to avoid harming the
  
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• AB-solute S**T

  06-11-2017 18:14
  Search #fitfam on Instagram and you'll see more rump than at an American steakhouse. Juicy! Every year seems to go the same way. Suddenly the once desolate roads are blistering with enthusiastic joggers. Shopping bags are bulging with iron rich greens and fresh organic fruits that costs half your monthly wage. Hello Christmas detox... We always vow to ditch the junk food and create a body that looks like it has been carved by angels. That's until there is another sodding celebration at the offic
  
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• Gap Between Britain's Regional Economies Is Biggest Of Any Country In Europe, Labour MP Says

  06-11-2017 18:09
  The gap between Britain’s regional economies is starker than that of any other country in Europe thanks to the north’s poor transport links, according to a Labour MP.Diana Johnson, who will lead a debate on the issue on the Commons on Monday evening, says for every £1 of government spending in the north, London received £2.59 - and future budgets should concentrate on redressing the balance.The Hull MP fears the difference will become more pronounced after plans to electr
  
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• PM hails ‘important step’ in Westminster sex abuse scandal

  06-11-2017 17:56
  Party leaders agree plans to protect parliamentary staff better
  
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• Swindon Bridal Boutique Commemorates Remembrance Sunday With Wedding Dress Made Entirely Of Poppies

  06-11-2017 17:45
  A Swindon Bridal boutique is showcasing a stunning wedding dress made of 250 handmade poppies in honour of Remembrance Sunday.Charlotte Boswell, the boutique’s sale consultant, created the striking dress for very personal reasons.Her father served as a pilot in the RAF and her brothers are currently serving in the British army.It took Charlotte more than 14 hours to make the dress and five hours to present it in the shop’s window display.“Last year we had a display with a
  
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• How To Eat Out With A Baby...

  06-11-2017 17:43
  It used to be your favourite thing to do (well, one of them at least) but now the mere mention of it sends shivers down your spine.I'm talking about eating out... with a baby!There comes a time in every parent's life when sitting in a nappy-scented house, for hour after hour, cleaning up sick, sterilizing bottles and watching Judge Rinder, is no longer the fun it once was. It's at this point that the idea of taking your child to eat in a restaurant first crosses your mind.Yet you're reticent, wi
  
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• Separating Sexual Harassment And Rape Is Dangerous

  06-11-2017 17:35
  As the fallout from the Harvey Weinstein sexual assault scandal continues to expose more public figures in and outside the film industry, and gives a lifeline to survivors courageous enough to speak out - I thought it telling how some sections of the public have been tripping over themselves to denounce any sort of link between inappropriate sexual behaviour and rape.I say this because I know people who have been victims of both, and in most cases it was these 'innocuous' acts of knee-touching t
  
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• 'Love Island' And 'New Activists' Star Camilla Thurlow Talks Swapping 'Love Island' For Activism And Volunteering In Calais

  06-11-2017 17:30
  HuffPost UK recently caught up with the former bomb disposal worker about how ‘New Activists’ felt the like the right fit for her, why the refugee crisis means so much and what it’s like breaking the reality TV star mould...What made you want to get involved with ‘New Activists’?Having seen the other ‘New Activists’ and what they’d been working on, you could see that it was really opening people’s eyes to a whole different side of activism. L
  
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• Carl Sargeant facing allegations over a number of incidents, says FM

  06-11-2017 17:30 via bbc.co.uk
  Carl Sargeant inquiry was prompted by allegations of a number of incidents, the first minister says.
  
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• Bula From The UN Climate Change Talks In Bonn

  06-11-2017 17:27
  "Bula" is a Fijian greeting; it means "hello", but also means "life" and being alive. Today in the German city of Bonn, Fiji takes over the Presidency of COP. COP, or the Conference of the Parties, is the UN's annual climate change summit - following on from COP22 in Marrakech and COP21 in 2015 when the ground-breaking Paris Agreement was born. The Paris Agreement committed to collective leadership and shared responsibility to solve the climate change challenge. Now, almost two years after the P
  
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• Priti Patel apologises for undisclosed Israel meetings

  06-11-2017 17:24
  International development secretary met Benjamin Netanyahu without officials present
  
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• Boris Johnson ‘mistake’ could harm case for Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, say family

  06-11-2017 17:24
  Foreign secretary urged to correct statement jailed British-Iranian was working rather than being on holiday in IranBoris Johnson has been criticised for making a misleading statement about a British-Iranian woman serving a five-year jail term in Iran, in comments that appear to have complicated her legal case. The UK foreign secretary condemned Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s conviction for spying in Iran last week as a mockery of justice, but added that she was “simply teaching people
  
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• 'Mrs Brown's Boys' Stars Named In Paradise Papers Over Off-Shore Tax-Avoidance Scheme

  06-11-2017 17:23
  Three ‘Mrs Brown’s Boys’ cast members have been named in leaked Paradise Papers documents, after allegedly donating upwards of £2 million into a tax-avoidance scheme.Patrick Houlihan - who plays the titular character’s son Dermot - is one of the three named stars, as are Martin and Fiona Delaney, who play Trevor and Maria Brown in the hit BBC sitcom.According to the documents, the trio transferred their earnings into off-shore companies in Mauritius, and had th
  
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• Does The Queen Pay Taxes? A Guide To The Royal Finances After The Paradise Papers Leak

  06-11-2017 17:13
  As part of the so-called Paradise Papers leak, documents have revealed that the Queen’s private estate invested millions in offshore funds that have never before been disclosed.Around £10 million from the Queen’s private estate was paid into the Cayman Islands and Bermuda between 2004 and 2005, according to the recently revealed documents.The leak, which has seen millions of documents released, has revealed how the powerful and wealthy have secretly invested vast sums in offsho
  
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