Political news

• Driverless Cars: The Race Is On For Policy To Catch Up

  26-11-2017 23:54
  In this year’s Budget, the UK Chancellor Phillip Hammond introduced sweeping regulatory reforms that could mean that driverless cars will be able to be tested on Britain’s roads by 2021, without any human operator inside or outside the car and without legal constraints.While this is likely to be great news to many, the race is now on for policymaking to catch up. Why? Because driverless cars could substantially change more than just the way people travel.Some of these changes could b
  
  Read more

• Ratko Mladic's Conviction Should Be A Lesson For The Left

  26-11-2017 23:41
  Ratko Mladic’s conviction was two decades in the making, a tribunal at the Hague holding him guilty of participating in genocide as the Bosnian Serb commander during the Bosnian War in the nineties.The massacre of Srebrenica in 1995 saw thousands of Muslims slaughtered for their identity, so that only Serbs could live there. Ethnic cleansing here was the aim of the war, not its consequence. It’s a grim reminder of the fact that mass murder takes place around the world and we as peopl
  
  Read more

• This Is How You Fix Universal Credit, Chancellor

  26-11-2017 23:21
  Universal Credit is back in the headlines after Budget 2017, following years of failings, cost increases, delays and criticisms. The Conservative government has finally begun to row back on some of the extremes of the failing system; as part of his Budget Chancellor Phillip Hammond promised to end the one-week wait before someone is allowed to claim the benefit, reversing one of George Osborne’s many assaults on the UK’s poorest. He also made a small concession to helping with rent a
  
  Read more

• Durham student rugby team forced to cancel event mocking miners’ strike

  26-11-2017 23:02
  Team at Durham University had planned to recreate conflict between colliers, police and Thatcher government
  A miners’ strike-themed party organised by a student rugby team has been cancelled after being criticised as deplorable by university authorities.Members of the Trevelyan College rugby team at Durham University had been due to depict the conflict between miners and Margaret Thatcher’s 1984 government. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Unfortunate ITV News Editor Gets Trapped In A Lift Going Up And Down For An Hour

  26-11-2017 22:09
  If you’ve had an unusual weekend, spare a thought for ITV Editor Mike Rigby.He got trapped in a glass lift as it surged up and down, and appeared powerless to stop it from happening.Footage of his incarceration was posted on Twitter by ITV colleague Paul Brand, who detailled the elevator odyssey.The political correspondent wrote: “Our Programme Editor Mike Rigby has currently been going up and down in a lift for half an hour with no sign of escape.“The bulletin could be sparse
  
  Read more

• Tory revolt could prompt compromise on defence cuts

  26-11-2017 22:02
  Liam Fox admits tensions within Conservative party over plans to cut strength of armyA compromise deal could soon be reached with Conservative MPs angered by further UK defence cuts, as the chair of the Commons defence committee warned that spending had dangerously downgraded the place of defence in national priorities.The international trade secretary, Liam Fox, acknowledged there were tensions over the potential cuts after several MPs spoke openly about their concerns, including former army of
  
  Read more

• The Guardian view on terror in Egypt: airstrikes will not end the crisis | Editorial

  26-11-2017 20:58
  The devastating attack on the al-Radwa mosque in northern Sinai marks a dramatic escalation in the threat from Islamist radicalism in the peninsula. President Sisi’s vow of ‘brute force’ cannot solve itTo describe Friday’s horrific gun and bomb assault on a Sufi mosque in the northern Sinai peninsula as the deadliest attack by armed militants (rather than the state) in Egypt’s modern history understates it. It is one of the worst to happen anywhere in recent years.
  
  Read more

• 'Strictly Come Dancing' Results: Susan Calman Voted Off After Alexandra Burke Dance-Off

  26-11-2017 20:56
  Susan Calman has become the ninth celebrity to be voted off this year’s ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.The comedian and her partner Kevin Clifton were axed from the BBC ballroom competition after landing in the dance-off with Alexandra Burke and Gorka Marquez during Sunday’s (26 November) results show.Both couples performed their routines again, Alexandra and Gorka did their Rumba to ‘Halo’ by Beyoncé and Susan and Kevin performed their American Smooth to &lsq
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Liam Fox sparks Dublin tension with Brexit border comments

  26-11-2017 20:38
  No Irish deal until final UK-EU trade deal, says minister
  
  Read more

• Executive apprentice courses hit by fee delays

  26-11-2017 20:28
  Uncertainty over tuition funding clouds MBA schemes
  
  Read more

• Brexit: Irish border won't be resolved until EU-UK trade deal struck - Fox

  26-11-2017 19:52 via bbc.co.uk
  The Irish government says it won't accept a hard border and that it could veto UK trade talks with the EU.
  
  Read more

• Spending probes question electoral law’s fitness for digital age

  26-11-2017 19:39
  Current rules on ballots and referendums were designed for billboards and leaflets
  
  Read more

• Britons Among 40 Injured As Tenerife Nightclub Floor Collapses

  26-11-2017 19:32
  The floor of a nightclub has collapsed in Tenerife, injuring 40 people including a number of British nationals.Emergency services said two of those hurt suffered serious injuries, including broken legs and ankles, after clubbers plunged “about one storey” into the basement of the Butterfly Disco Pub in the Playa de las Americas area.A hole of approximately four square metres (43 square foot) opened in the floor.British people are believed to have been among those caught up in th
  
  Read more

• A greener energy market requires ruthless control of costs

  26-11-2017 19:18
  Ever-rising subsidies sit uncomfortably with government policies to cap charges
  
  Read more

• FT City Network transcript: Budget and economic growth

  26-11-2017 19:06
  Chancellor performed reasonably well in the face of Brexit and low productivity
  
  Read more

• City of London panel links downturn to Brexit

  26-11-2017 19:06
  Business leaders give cautious welcome to initiatives in Hammond’s Budget
  
  Read more

• Durham University Rugby Club's 'Thatcher Vs Miners' Pub Crawl Condemned As 'Wholly Unacceptable'

  26-11-2017 18:17
  A Durham University rugby club has been condemned for organising a ‘Thatcher vs Miners’-themed social event in the heart of the mining community still scarred by violent clashes 30 years ago.University officials branded Trevelyan College’s rugby club planned ‘Backs vs Forwards’ event as “wholly unacceptable” after details of the pub crawl were shared on social media.The social, now cancelled, proposed forwards trying to convey “flat caps, filt
  
  Read more

• Durham University Rugby Club's 'Thatcher Vs Miners' Pub Crawl Condemned As 'Appalling'

  26-11-2017 18:17
  A Durham University rugby club has been condemned for organising a ‘Thatcher vs Miners’-themed social event in the heart of the mining community still scarred by violent clashes 30 years ago. University officials branded Trevelyan College’s rugby club planned ‘Backs vs Forwards’ event as “wholly unacceptable” after details of the pub crawl were shared on social media.The social, now cancelled, proposed forwards trying to convey “flat caps
  
  Read more

• Home Office review over harassment at abortion clinics

  26-11-2017 18:07 via bbc.co.uk
  Concerns about the tactics used by some protesters prompted the Home Office review.
  
  Read more

• Template for a post-Brexit deal to keep the borders open

  26-11-2017 18:02
  The route to this is a new customs partnership between the UK and the EU
  
  Read more

• An Irish border solution offers a template for post-Brexit trade

  26-11-2017 18:02
  The route to this is a new customs partnership between the UK and the EU
  
  Read more

• Labour will win argument on borrowing to invest, says John McDonnell

  26-11-2017 17:30
  In an interview with the Guardian, the shadow chancellor attacks the belief that ‘government borrowing is akin to burning money’John McDonnell has said Labour will win the argument for more borrowing for investment, saying the Conservatives and much of the media has failed to engage with the arguments for government spending.The shadow chancellor also attacked “media outriders using trite journalistic tactics” in an article in the Guardian, after a series of interviews wh
  
  Read more

• British government accused of being soft on tax avoidance

  26-11-2017 17:25
  Ministers fail to stop EU taking steps to name and shame British overseas territories in tax haven blacklistThe British government has been accused of being weak on tax avoidance after failing to block the EU from taking the first step in naming and shaming its overseas territories in a tax haven blacklist.Ministers in recent weeks fought to prevent Brussels from sending of letters informing 12 countries that they would be listed unless they promised to change their tax rules. The final EU black
  
  Read more

• Women's lives at risk from changes to funding for refuges, say charities

  26-11-2017 17:16
  Campaigners call government proposals to take short-term supported housing out of welfare system a ‘matter of life and death’The lives of vulnerable women and children will be put at risk by proposed changes to funding for refuges, abuse survivors and charities have warned.In little-publicised proposals, the government plans to remove refuges and other forms of short-term supported housing from the welfare system. Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• Man Charged With Attempted Murder Of D-Day Veteran, 96, Attacked With Claw Hammer

  26-11-2017 17:04
  A man has been charged with aggravated burglary and the attempted murder of a D-Day veteran, who was seriously injured in a suspected claw hammer attack.Jim Booth, 96, who has been described as an “exceptional person” and a “legend” by his family, was allegedly attacked at his home in Gipsy Lane in Taunton, Somerset, on Wednesday afternoon.Joseph Isaacs, 39, of no fixed address, was charged in connection with the incident on Sunday and will appear at Taunton Deane Magistr
  
  Read more

• Archbishop Of Canterbury Justin Welby Slams Pro-Brexit Headlines For 'Stirring Up Hatred'

  26-11-2017 16:51
  The Archbishop of Canterbury has accused Brexit-backing newspapers of “stirring up hatred” and called for the media to show “more discipline” around its use of language.Justin Welby, who voted Remain last year, on Sunday criticised headlines that branded public figures “public enemies” and “mutineers”.The Daily Telegraph this month labelled a group of Tory MPs “the Brexit mutineers” amid claims they would amend the government&rsquo
  
  Read more

• Boom in renewables weakens fracking's case in UK, says Tory MP

  26-11-2017 15:47
  Chair of policy committee also points to action to extract more North Sea gas and oil, suggesting support for shale gas is coolingThe case for fracking in Britain has weakened because of government action to extract more oil and gas from the North Sea and meteoric growth in renewable power, according to a Conservative MP tasked with developing the party’s energy policy.James Heappey said the new rules on tax relief for offshore oil and gas fields announced in last week’s budget could
  
  Read more

• A fall in apprenticeships is no cause to worry — yet

  26-11-2017 15:32
  The point of the UK’s levy was to make employers focus on quality
  
  Read more

• 'Relay Crime' Where Thieves Steal Car Without Keys Released On CCTV Footage

  26-11-2017 15:23
  CCTV footage has been released of one of the first “relay crimes” to be caught on camera - where thieves can steal a car without needing keys.Two men are seen on the footage carrying relay boxes to the male victim’s house at 9pm on September 24, West Midlands Police said.The incredible footage shows the thieves using the devices to steal a Mercedes parked on a driveway in the Elmdon area of Solihull, West Midlands.The boxes are designed to receive a signal from the car key insi
  
  Read more

• Sunday Show Round Up: Irish Border Dispute And Justin Welby On Christian's Backing Trump

  26-11-2017 15:09
  Andrew Marr typically gives a long, meandering introduction to the weather during his show, but it was a different type of forecast that was of interest today.The Institute for Fiscal Studies’ Paul Johnson was on the show to remind us that no matter how depressing the recent growth forecasts are, in reality, it’s probably much worse than that. The Office of Budget Responsibility is usually over-optimistic in its projections, not pessimistic, he said.The latest incarnation of Barry Ga
  
  Read more

• Irish border: Brexit difficulties for business

  26-11-2017 13:53 via bbc.co.uk
  London and Dublin have clashed over what will happen to the border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic - something the EU says needs to be resolved if Brexit negotiations are to move onto trade next month.
  
  Read more

• 'Strictly Come Dancing': Aljaž Škorjanec Hits Back At Kristina Rihanoff's Claims Routines Are Overproduced

  26-11-2017 13:34
  ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ professional Aljaž Škorjanec has hit back at Kristina Rihanoff’s claims the show’s routines have become overproduced. The former pro-dancer recently went on record to say she believes the BBC ballroom competition now favours “crazy productions” over actual skill, with the use of props and storytelling. Aljaž has now responded, admitting he sees the criticism as “sad” as he belie
  
  Read more

• Watch As John McDonnell Uses Robert Peston's Own Book To Justify Labour's Spending Plans

  26-11-2017 13:18
  John McDonnell turned the tables on ITV’s Political Editor today by using the journalist’s recently published book to justify Labour’s spending plans.The Shadow Chancellor quoted from Robert Peston’s “WTF” as he explained why Labour would borrow an additional £250billion to invest in the UK – despite the country already being in £1.8trillion of debt.Peston was heard to mutter “Yeah I know what’s going to happen now” as McDon
  
  Read more

• Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe's Husband Blasts Iranian State TV For Prejudicing Case With Re-Heated Claims

  26-11-2017 13:10
  The husband of jailed British mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe has accused Iranian media of prejudicing his wife’s case after re-airing allegations against her. The TV programme showed pictures of a BBC pay stub and an email from 2010 showing Zaghari-Ratcliffe once worked to train Iranian journalists.The 38-year-old is serving a five-year prison sentence for allegedly planning the “soft toppling” of Iran’s government.Her husband, Richard Ratcliffe, condemned the
  
  Read more

• Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe Case Sees Iranian State TV Air More Claims

  26-11-2017 13:10
  Iranian state TV has aired more allegations against detained British mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.The TV programme showed pictures of a BBC pay stub and an email from 2010 showing Zaghari-Ratcliffe once worked to train Iranian journalists.The 38-year-old is serving a five-year prison sentence for allegedly planning the “soft toppling” of Iran’s government.Her husband, Richard Ratcliffe, said that the report was intended to increase pressure on the British government which i
  
  Read more

• The Archbishop of York ends his protest over Robert Mugabe

  26-11-2017 13:09 via bbc.co.uk
  The Archbishop of York had not worn one for 10 years as a symbolic protest over Robert Mugabe.
  
  Read more

• 'I'm A Celebrity': Amir Khan And Rebekah Vardy Slammed For 'Irresponsible' Comment On Men Crying

  26-11-2017 12:35
  Amir Khan and Rebekah Vardy have been branded ‘irresponsible’ by ‘I’m A Celebrity’ fans after they shared some controversial views on men crying.The pair came in for criticism when said they didn’t like seeing men express emotion, claiming it showed “weakness”.Their comments came after Iain Lee returned to camp in a tearful state having been put through a hellish Bushtucker Trial.“I don’t like seeing men cry,” Amir
  
  Read more

• Liam Fox: No 'Final Answer' On Irish Border Until Brexit Trade Talks Begin

  26-11-2017 12:31
  The row over the UK’s post-Brexit border with Ireland intensified today as politicians from both countries set out contrasting views just weeks before a crunch summit.The UK is pushing for phase one of the Brexit negotiations to be concluded at a meeting in Brussels in December – including the issue of how to operate the Northern Ireland/Ireland border.But in an interview with The Observer on Sunday, Ireland’s EU Commissioner warned Dublin would “continue to play tough to
  
  Read more

• UK Weather Sees Mercury Drop Below Freezing As Forecasters Issue Ice Warning

  26-11-2017 12:06
  Parts of Britain woke to another icy morning on Sunday after biting temperatures hit overnight.The mercury dipped to minus 2C in some places, while others barely managed to get above freezing.Forecasters warned of the risk of ice, especially on untreated roads and pavements, and issued a yellow “be aware” weather warning for the length of the western side of Britain.Some places are waking up to a #frost this morning and there will be some #icy patches too, especially around #wintry s
  
  Read more

• Labour Party Staff Member 'Died Suddenly And Unexpectedly'

  26-11-2017 11:39
  A Labour party member has “died suddenly and unexpectedly”, reportedly after being suspended over alleged misconduct involving pornography.The male staff member worked at Labour Party HQ in Victoria and was not well known to the public, Sky News reported.The broadcaster said it understood the death happened shortly after the man learned he was being investigated. The facts in his case had not been established, it said.Labour has not commented on those claims, releasing a statement on
  
  Read more

• 'Strictly Come Dancing' Stars Chant For Mollie King And AJ Pritchard To Kiss In Biggest Hint Yet They're Dating

  26-11-2017 10:48
  Mollie King and AJ Pritchard have faced on-going speculation they are dating during their time on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, but their co-stars have dropped the biggest hint yet the rumours could be true. Their fellow celebrities and pro dancers awkwardly chanted for them to kiss live on air during Saturday’s (25 November) show. The pair had just impressed the judges with their Quickstep routine to a reworked version of Rihanna’s ‘Umbrella’, which pick
  
  Read more

• Leeds Crash In Stolen Car Sees Five People, Including Three Children, Killed

  26-11-2017 10:42
  Five people, including three children, have been killed after a stolen car crashed into a tree in Leeds on Saturday night.West Yorkshire Police said the deceased were all males. The youngest was 12, two were 15 and the remaining two were men aged 24 and 28. The accident, involving a Renault Clio, happened on Stonegate Road in the Meanwood area of the city, the force said.Five people killed, including three children, after stolen car collided with a tree on Stonegate Road in #Leeds last nigh
  
  Read more

• Philip Hammond Had The Chance To Change Course On This Social And Economic Disaster

  26-11-2017 10:07
  The Budget presented by Chancellor Phillip Hammond was the confirmation that seven years of misery under Conservative austerity have been for nothing. Official figures, released at the same time from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), are devastating for this government’s claim to economic competence. Growth is down, and is now the lowest of major developed economies in the G7. Productivity growth, the fuel for wider economic growth, is the worst since it has been since the Indust
  
  Read more

• Philip Hammond Had The Chance To Change Course On This Social And Economic Disaster - He Failed

  26-11-2017 10:05
  The Budget presented by Chancellor Phillip Hammond was the confirmation that seven years of misery under Conservative austerity have been for nothing. Official figures, released at the same time from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), are devastating for this government’s claim to economic competence. Growth is down, and is now the lowest of major developed economies in the G7. Productivity growth, the fuel for wider economic growth, is the worst since it has been since the Indust
  
  Read more

• Davina McCall Announces Split From Husband Matthew Robertson After 17 Years

  26-11-2017 09:47
  Davina McCall has announced she has split from husband Matthew Robertson after 17 years of marriage. The former ‘Big Brother’ host confirmed the news in a statement (via The Sun), admitting it has been a “difficult time”.  “I am very sad to say that Matthew and I have separated,” she said. “Our amazing children are our number one priority, above everything else so therefore we ask for as much space and respect from the media as possib
  
  Read more

• Ireland's European Commissioner Urges May To Change Course On Border Brexit Plan

  26-11-2017 09:43
  Theresa May has faced fresh pressure over her plans to deal with the Northern Irish border after Brexit, as Ireland’s European Commissioner urged her to change course.Phil Hogan said the problems around the border - one of the key obstacles blocking talks on a UK-EU trade deal after the country leaves the bloc - could be solved by remaining in the customs union and single market, or allowing Northern Ireland to do so.His comments came after the Prime Minister’s DUP allies issued a wa
  
  Read more

• UK to launch new plans for regulating drones

  26-11-2017 01:17
  Government’s draft ‘Drone Bill’ meant to prevent snooping, disruptions
  
  Read more

• Privacy and safety curbs on drones proposed

  26-11-2017 01:17
  Bill aims to curb snooping and protect aviation after 70 near-misses in 2016
  
  Read more

• Drones face clampdown in anti-snooping and safety laws

  26-11-2017 01:17
  Draft bill will give police the power to ground and seize drones
  
  Read more

• Philip Hammond falls victim to Brexit fall-out – cartoon

  26-11-2017 01:05
  Chris Riddell on the budget – and animal welfare Continue reading...
  
  Read more

Follow @political_UKnws on Twitter!