Political news

• Universal Credit: Labour Unveils Plan To Force Ministers To Publish Secret Impact Reports

  04-12-2017 23:17
  Theresa May is facing fresh pressure over Universal Credit after Labour unveiled plans to force ministers to publish secret reports on detailing the controversial policy’s impact on the poorest.In an Opposition Day motion on Tuesday, Jeremy Corbyn’s party will seek to stage a binding Commons vote to release the documents which the Government refuses to publish.The Department for Work and Pensions drafted five “Project Assessment Reviews” between 2012 and 2015 to alert civ
  
  Read more

• Supreme Court Allows Full Enforcement Of Donald Trump's Travel Ban

  04-12-2017 22:41
  The Supreme Court is allowing the Trump administration to fully enforce a ban on travel to the United States by residents of six mostly Muslim countries.The justices, with two dissenting votes, said Monday that the policy can take full effect even as legal challenges against it make their way through the courts. The action suggests the high court could uphold the latest version of the ban that Trump announced in September.The ban applies to travelers from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Ye
  
  Read more

• Donald Trump's 'Muslim Travel Ban' Condemned By Jeremy Corbyn As Supreme Court Gives Go-Ahead

  04-12-2017 22:41
  The Supreme Court is allowing the Trump administration to fully enforce a ban on travel to the United States by residents of six mostly Muslim countries.The justices, with two dissenting votes, said on Monday that the policy can take full effect even as legal challenges against it make their way through the courts.The action suggests the high court could uphold the latest version of the ban that Trump announced in September.The ban applies to travelers from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and
  
  Read more

• Irish PM says he is 'disappointed' UK backed off a deal it had approved - as it happened

  04-12-2017 22:01
  Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen, including Theresa May’s meeting with Jean-Claude Juncker intended to conclude phase one of the Brexit talks and MPs debating the EU withdrawal billArlene Foster’s statement in fullTheresa May’s statement in fullJean-Claude Juncker’s statement in fullLeo Varadkar’s press conference - Summary 9.01pm GMTI am closing this liveblog now. Thank you so much for joining us and thanks to all those who
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Fashion Awards 2017: A Night Of The Fiercest Back Posing Of The Year

  04-12-2017 21:41
  With the holiday season in full swing, it’s safe to say that glitter and sequins won at the 2017 Fashion Awards,Arguably the fashion event of the year, the red carpet turn out at the Royal Albert Hall, on Monday 4 December, did not disappoint in the style department.The red carpet arrivals’ recurring theme was overly fabulous posing - namely in the form of the classic strut-stop-turn back pose.Hailey Baldwin led the pack in a fierce LBD from Topshop.The back features of Izabel G
  
  Read more

• Martin Rowson on British efforts to get a Brexit-Irish border deal – cartoon

  04-12-2017 21:34
  Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• What Is Going On With Brexit After 'No Deal' On The EU 'Divorce'?

  04-12-2017 21:30
  Theresa May went to Brussels on Wednesday in order to seal a deal to take the UK a big step closer to quitting the European Union. Everyone thought it was a formality. It wasn’t.As it was confirmed there was no agreement on the Brexit ‘divorce’ settlement, here’s where everyone stands after a day of high political drama: What is the issue with the Irish border?The Irish border - specifically the border between EU-member Ireland and the British region of Northern Irel
  
  Read more

• Analysis: How The DUP Ruined Theresa May's Big Brexit Breakthrough Lunch

  04-12-2017 21:01
  In Brussels, as in life, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Theresa May wants the big prize of the EU finally talking about a post-Brexit trade deal. The cost comes in the shape of hard cash, citizens’ rights and a fudge for Northern Ireland. After a strange day of political anti-climax, the big question remains whether hardline Tory Brexiteers and the DUP think the last of those compromises is a price worth paying.With so much riding on the outcome, it wasn’t a surprise th
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Van Driver Marek Zakrocki Told Police He Would 'Kill A Muslim' Before Ploughing Into Curry House

  04-12-2017 20:50
  A van driver who told police he was going to “kill a Muslim” before ploughing into a curry house on the anniversary of the Brexit vote has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and assault.According to police, 48-year-old Marek Zakrocki downed two bottles of wine on June 23 before going on a drunken rampage around north-west London, shouting about “white power”.Following an argument with his wife - who he admitted to assaulting in court - the Harrow resident warned that he
  
  Read more

• Alignment question at heart of Britain’s Brexit dilemma

  04-12-2017 19:56
  Pledge to keep regulations aligned with EU throws political allies into disarray
  
  Read more

• Met police chief condemns former officers over Damian Green claims

  04-12-2017 19:41
  Cressida Dick says Neil Lewis and Bob Quick were wrong to discuss allegations that porn was found on minister’s computer in 2008Former officers who have spoken publicly about allegations that pornographic material was found on a computer belonging to the first secretary of state, Damian Green, could face prosecution, the Metropolitan police commissioner has said.Cressida Dick said officers’ duty of confidentiality continued after they left their posts. The alleged material, said to b
  
  Read more

• Nicola Sturgeon calls for 'special' Brexit deals

  04-12-2017 19:30 via bbc.co.uk
  Nicola Sturgeon says there is "no good reason" why Scotland should not get a "special" Brexit deal if one is struck for Northern Ireland.
  
  Read more

• Brexit: Irish PM Leo Varadka 'surprised and disappointed'

  04-12-2017 19:28 via bbc.co.uk
  He says Brexit negotiations could have moved on to trade but the UK changed its mind on the border.
  
  Read more

• DUP leaves May hanging over Brexit border question

  04-12-2017 19:19
  Unionist leader Arlene Foster appeared to be blindsided by compromise with Dublin
  
  Read more

• DUP leave May hanging over Brexit border question

  04-12-2017 19:19
  Unionist leader Arlene Foster appeared to be blindsided by compromise with Dublin
  
  Read more

• Vijay Mallya never ‘intended to repay’ Indian bank loans

  04-12-2017 18:28
  India in UK court fight to secure extradition of tycoon over collapse of Kingfisher Airlines
  
  Read more

• Brexit deal falls through over Irish border dispute

  04-12-2017 18:15
  Theresa May’s Northern Ireland allies scupper draft pact
  
  Read more

• Why Is The Government Still Failing To Protect Assistance Dog Owners From Frequent Taxi And Minicab Refusals?

  04-12-2017 17:51
  It will soon be Christmas again, and many of us are gearing up for the hectic weeks of shopping, Christmas parties, the anticipation and planning, and then, finally, the quality time spent with friends and families. Most of us look forward to this time of the year.For guide dog owners however, Christmas can throw a year-round problem into sharp relief. Often, they rely on taxis and minicabs to go about the same festive activities as everyone else, but far too often they face embarrassment, humil
  
  Read more

• This Is What Life Is Like When You Need More Than One Organ Transplant

  04-12-2017 17:47
  “The operation saved my life, I was about six hours from death,” says great-grandfather Steve Syer, 75, who has needed to undergo not one, but two, different emergency organ transplants during his lifetime.The first was a heart transplant in 1984, after he suddenly developed viral cardiomyopathy - the cause of 45% of heart transplants - an operation he was told could give him five years more. If he was lucky.In 2016, more than three decades later and continuing to defy all
  
  Read more

• m

  04-12-2017 17:47
     
  
  Read more

• 700,000 More Children And Pensioners Are Living In Poverty, Charity Reveals

  04-12-2017 17:47
  Hundreds of thousands more children and pensioners are living in poverty as rates have begun rising for the first time in two decades, a new report has revealed.The Joseph Rowntree Foundation says progress on tackling hardship is at risk of unravelling, with 400,000 more youngsters and 300,000 more elderly people now living in poverty than in 2012/13.The charity says since that year there has been continued increases in poverty across both age groups and very little progress made in reducing pov
  
  Read more

• Next Has Twitter Outraged Over Its 'Cringeworthy' And 'Offensively Twee' Slogan Tees

  04-12-2017 17:43
  Next has been called out on Twitter for selling slogan T-shirts and sweatshirt for couples who supposedly exemplify “relationship goals.”Journalist Nooruddean Choudry brought the high street fashion label’s slogan offering to Twitter’s attention when he shared the images with his 93K followers. Many were unimpressed by the photos featuring slogan tees that Choudry deemed to be “offensively twee.”Fair play to Next, for creating clothing so incred
  
  Read more

• Ireland chaos: Brexit will either break May now or it'll break her later

  04-12-2017 17:40
  
  May has three choices and all of them are disasterous
  
  Read more

• I'm Working To Prevent Drownings So My Son's Death Will Not Be In Vain

  04-12-2017 17:38
  It was about 2pm on Christmas Eve when I noticed a police car about 50 yards up our street. About five minutes later there was a knock at the door, my wife answered and it was two police officers asking for me. I couldn’t think what they would want. Their faces were very serious, so I was in a bit of a panic. I took them in the back room, and that’s when the male officer said, “We’ve found a body in the River Wear at Fatfield, Washington and we think it’s your son&r
  
  Read more

• European Union And United Kingdom Say No Brexit Divorce Deal Yet As DUP Casts Doubt On Northern Ireland Border Plan

  04-12-2017 17:31
  There has been no agreement on the Brexit “divorce deal” in talks in Brussels, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has said.Juncker said there would be further talks later this week and he was “very confident” of making sufficient progress in time for the December 14 summit of the European Council.Speaking alongside Theresa May on Monday afternoon, Juncker said the delay was “not a failure” but rather the “start of the very l
  
  Read more

• European Union And United Kingdom Say No Brexit Divorce Deal Yet As DUP Casts Doubt On Nothern Ireland Border Plan

  04-12-2017 17:24
  There has been no agreement on the Brexit “divorce deal” in talks in Brussels, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has said.Juncker said there would be further talks later this week and he was “very confident” of making sufficient progress in time for the December 14 summit of the European Council.Speaking alongside Theresa May in Brussels on Monday afternoon, Juncker said the delay was “not a failure” but rather the “start o
  
  Read more

• Elon Musk Will Send A Tesla To Mars That's Blaring David Bowie Because Why Not

  04-12-2017 17:20
  Elon Musk has many traits, and arguably the most admirable of these is that he’s a man of his word.When the Tesla owner says he’s going to do something there’s a remarkable chance that it will probably happen.So when the inventor and entrepreneur tweeted at the weekend that the first test launch of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket would contain a Midnight Cherry (red for a red planet) Tesla Roadster bound for Mars, many wondered if this was actually a joke.Falcon He
  
  Read more

• Where To Find Sensitive Santa's Grottos In The UK, For Kids Who Have Special Educational Needs

  04-12-2017 17:17
  Meeting Santa might be the highlight of Christmas for many kids, but for children with special educational needs (SEN) the bustling atmosphere can be a stressful.Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be this way: shopping centres and venues across the UK are creating adaptable grotto experiences to ensure no child has to miss out.Some of these venues have specific “quieter” hours for children and others reduce the amount of festive-themed characters around the
  
  Read more

• Britain Needs To Truly Understand The Coming Robot Revolution

  04-12-2017 17:13
  In the 2016 London Assembly elections, I was shortlisted to go to the first round of candidate selections for Lewisham and Greenwich. One of the key aspects of my pitch was to turn London from one of the most toxic environments in terms of air quality to one of the best cities in the world, specifically by removing all diesel vehicles from London by 2021. One of those attending in the audience asked me, “take a taxi driver with their own vehicle, how are you going to convince them to do th
  
  Read more

• Why A DNR Tattoo Shouldn't Ever Be Used For Lifesaving Healthcare Decisions

  04-12-2017 17:12
  Recently, medical professionals were stumped when an elderly gent presented to America’s Miami University Hospital drunk and in a bit of a state. No next of kin could be found, and no patient identification was to hand. For all intents and purposes, he was a John Doe. A very poorly, very unstable John Doe. During the course of his medical review, a very important tattoo was discovered etched onto his chest: Do Not Resuscitate, along with a blurry signature.Would doctors and nurses charged
  
  Read more

• Cuts To Women's Refuges Are A Measure Of Our Country

  04-12-2017 17:11
  I was a police officer for over 20 years and I have seen the terrible consequences of domestic violence particularly where women have lost their lives. These were women who couldn’t escape or perhaps hoped things might get better. For them it was too late but for thousands of others it is not - these victims need to have a safe refuge to go to stay alive.In my time in the police we did get better at dealing with domestic violence and we needed to because, at times, police have not dealt wi
  
  Read more

• Now the Brexiters surprise us with their realism

  04-12-2017 17:10
  Leavers have found the negotiations chastening, but their commitment to exit remains sharp
  
  Read more

• 'Celebrity Big Brother' 2018: All-Female Series Launch Confirmed As Channel 5 Marks 100 Years Of Women's Suffrage

  04-12-2017 17:08
  ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ bosses have confirmed plans for an all-female series launch to celebrate 100 years since women won the right to vote.Channel 5 is planning a season of programming around the milestone anniversary, and the latest series of their reality show also set to salute women’s suffrage.In what is being billed as a “celebratory, surprising and insightful” series of ‘CBB’, female housemates from the arenas of politics, performing arts and the
  
  Read more

• The Best Solutions To The Northern Ireland Brexit Border Debacle

  04-12-2017 17:07
  Claims that Northern Ireland could remain a member of the customs union and the single market as part of the UK’s European Union exit deal have prompted a series of exasperated attempts at making fun of the latest twist in the Brexit debacle. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has said it will not accept any agreement that “separates” Northern Ireland from the UK, but that hasn’t stopped people on social media trying to come up with solutions - both to make it happe
  
  Read more

• 5 Futuristic Cars That Want To Revolutionise The Way We Travel

  04-12-2017 16:43
  The 2017 LA Auto Show is one of the biggest car shows in the world and this year car manufacturers have come out with some truly bizarre ways for us to get from A to B.With Tesla showing us that electric is becoming the mainstream car makers have gone to extreme lengths to show their utopian vision of the future.From electric 4X4s that wouldn’t be seen dead next to a touchscreen to bizarre self-driving offices that let you catch up on work during the daily commute, we’ve got the weir
  
  Read more

• I'm An Aid Worker In Sana'a And No One Is Safe

  04-12-2017 16:31
  No one is safe in Sana’a at the moment. I can hear heavy shelling outside now and know it is too imprecise and too pervasive to guarantee that any of us are safe. Over the past two days, the capital has endured relentless bouts of intensive gunfire and artillery shelling from all sides— bullets and shelling from Saleh loyalists and Ansar Allah fighters, airstrikes from the Saudi-led coalition. The aerial bombardment continued last night, intensifying further today with more attacks o
  
  Read more

• Richard Hammond Gets Schooled After Saying He Doesn't Understand Why LGBT+ People Come Out Publicly

  04-12-2017 16:29
  Richard Hammond has ben given a lesson from the LGBT+ community, after claiming he doesn’t understand why people come out publicly.The ‘Grand Tour’ presenter said he believes it’s “old fashioned” to “make a big deal out of” a person’s sexuality, as he attempted to defend a controversial joke he made earlier this year.While speaking about the fact he joked that his dislike of ice cream had “something to do with being straight”, Ric
  
  Read more

• How The Closed Minds Of The DUP On Sex, Secularism, Brexit And The Irish Border Could Change The Face Of Ireland’s History Books And Statues

  04-12-2017 16:29
  Arlene Foster’s book collection is unlikely to contain very much that is racy, republican or feminist. I doubt you’d find James Baldwin, Brendan Behan, Germaine Greer, Audre Lorde or Oscar Wilde in unholy alliance upon her shelves, or even a great deal of British comedy, music and multiculturalism. No place either for a minor poet named Bobby Sands, once MP for Arlene’s heartlands – Fermanagh & South Tyrone - so famously and unfairly castigated by Winston Churchill as
  
  Read more

• ‘The Simpsons’: Apu Voice Actor Hank Azaria Responds To Claim The Character Promotes Racial Stereotyping

  04-12-2017 16:26
  ‘The Simpsons’ voice actor Hank Azaria has responded to discussions about whether popular Apu Nahasapeemapetilon promotes racial stereotypes, following the release of documentary ‘The Problem With Apu’.Made by comedian Hari Kondabolu, the film explores the “one-dimensional” Kwik-E Mart worker through interviews, as Hari speaks to famous Indian and Indian-American actors about racial-stereotyping and whether they find Apu offensive.Hank - a white
  
  Read more

• Loneliness Felt Like a Prison; Volunteering Set Me Free

  04-12-2017 16:25
  International Volunteers Day is here and it’s making me think about the way that volunteering can really foster a sense of connection to your community. That feeling of being able to help someone in need is really special. It’s something I experienced first-hand when I started volunteering with the British Red Cross aged 16. As the years went on, I helped to deliver first aid training and emergency response support, as well as spending time pursuing my own dream of training to become
  
  Read more

• The Rugby League World Cup: The Good, the Bad and the Future

  04-12-2017 16:22
  It will have come as no surprise to many that, on Saturday morning UK time, Australia lifted the Paul Barriere Trophy. Indeed, you would have been hard pressed to find anyone, at any point, who would have betted against them but let us address the tournament as a whole.The GoodThe playersWhilst the final was a much more attritional affair, we have seen some scintillating skills throughout the tournament. The quality of play has, at times, been exceptional. Coupled with that has been the on field
  
  Read more

• Honduras: A Familiar Story

  04-12-2017 16:21
  As far back as 1823, the Monroe Doctrine was delivered to Congress, laying the groundwork for the US to be, as Brian Loveman claims, “a presumptive regional arbiter” in Latin America for years to come. It’s fair to say the United States’ involvement in the continent has been a lengthy, messy affair.The USA likes to vary the way it intervenes around the continent - whether it be involvement in civil wars, funding Contras, heavily funding opposition to the left, or simply d
  
  Read more

• Factionalism In Labour Shows No Sign Of Stopping

  04-12-2017 16:20
  The Labour Party is a broad church as it’s so often said but that really isn’t a good thing if you want peace. It’s a family dinner where every extended relative comes along and it’s an evening of bickering, whilst you’re telling yourself that ultimately they’re family.Sometimes the factionalism can lead to a dislike of different MPs even if they’re Labour. We all have our preferences and dislikes. But it was generally considered that if there was an MP
  
  Read more

• Why Work Experience Is More Important Than Ever Before For Young People

  04-12-2017 16:16
  In all my years working in recruitment and career coaching – particularly with students, graduates and young people – there’s one thing that I bang on about almost constantly: how vitally important it is that young people get some work experience under their belts before they enter the jobs market.I’m not the only one to feel this way.A survey of UK business leaders last month found that 93% of  them want compulsory work experience reinstated in schools, five years a
  
  Read more

• Hammond’s Budget: A Missed Opportunity To Help Our Children?

  04-12-2017 16:15
  Now that the initial fanfare that greeted the Chancellor’s Budget has subsided, and the column inches containing speculation and immediate reaction have become today’s fish and chip paper, it seems the perfect time to review the measures contained in Hammond’s little red box.Before the Budget was announced, I asked whether the Chancellor would be writing a child-friendly budget. Would he include, for instance, measures to boost youth savings? Were we about to see the ring-fenci
  
  Read more

• MEPs say UK has conceded on Ireland border in Brexit talks

  04-12-2017 15:38
  Draft agreement seen by MEPs said to commit to ‘continued regulatory alignment’ between Northern Ireland and the Republic after BrexitThe British government appears to have bowed to the Republic of Ireland’s demand that Northern Ireland will stay aligned with key EU laws and regulations after Brexit so as to ensure that a hard border does not return to the island. Related: Britain concedes on Irish border, senior MEP says after Barnier meeting - Politics liveContinue reading...
  
  Read more

• I'm a Celebrity … I did the right thing, says evicted Kezia Dugdale

  04-12-2017 15:14
  Former Scottish Labour leader defends reality TV show appearance but admits she will face criticism on her return homeKezia Dugdale, the former Scottish Labour leader, has insisted she did the right thing appearing on I’m a Celebrity after becoming the second contestant to be evicted from the programme.Speaking from Australia after being voted out by viewers, Dugdale acknowledged that her appearance on the TV reality show was a “big gamble” and she would face heavy criticism wh
  
  Read more

• Mum Will Take Toilet Selfie Every Day Until Christmas To Campaign For Better Disabled Toilets

  04-12-2017 14:45
  Forget chocolates or beauty products, one mum is creating an advent calendar with a difference this December to “tackle stigma around pee, poo and periods”.Sarah Brisdion’s ‘toilet advent calendar’ will see her take a selfie on the loo every day until Christmas Eve to raise awareness of the lack of toilet and changing facilities for disabled people.The mum to seven-year-old twins Hadley, who has cerebral palsy, and Erica, says she believes toilet stigma contributes
  
  Read more

• Safe Maternity Care – A Medico Legal Perspective

  04-12-2017 14:43
  Having a baby is normally one of the most joyous times of life. However, in some cases things can go wrong leading to the devastating situation of a stillbirth, neonatal death or the child sustaining life long serious injuries.In either case, the consequences are devastating for parents and their families. Faced with the loss of a child, particularly where there has been no concern prior to labour and delivery, the grief can be overwhelming and the need for answers paramount. Where a child susta
  
  Read more

• Footage Of Cow Chewing Plastic Net On Scottish Beach Highlights Tragic Reality Of Ocean Pollution

  04-12-2017 14:43
  The cow eventually managed to bring the net back up. But, as Major points out in the video she recorded of the experience, it’s only a matter of time before that cow, or one of the other animals on the beach, finds “another tasty bit of fishing net”.It’s predicted there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans by 2050 unless we stop producing so much of it.“It’s not just the animals out in the oceans that are affected by this stuff,” says M
  
  Read more

Follow @political_UKnws on Twitter!