Political news

• 5 Times Brexiteers Were Tone-Deaf Over The Irish Border Concerns

  07-12-2017 23:03
  The Irish border has proved to be a major obstacle in progressing Brexit talks, with politicians in EU-member Ireland seeking assurances there will be no return to a ‘hard’ border with Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom.Dublin’s effective veto over a Brexit ‘divorce’ package has meant some of the loudest cheerleaders for quitting the European Union have had to consider how people feel on the other side of the Irish sea.But other people’s fee
  
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• Brexit touted as opportunity for legal sector

  07-12-2017 21:49
  Justice minister tells City lawyers that UK has comparative advantage
  
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• Theresa May battles to hit deadline for deal on Irish border

  07-12-2017 21:28
  Plans for trip to Brussels remain unclear amid negotiations with DUP
  
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• Steve Bell on Brexit and 'regulatory alignment' – cartoon

  07-12-2017 21:21
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• Theresa May poised for early morning dash to Brussels over Brexit

  07-12-2017 21:13
  Work continuing through the night on a post-Brexit border deal that would satisfy the DUP and the Irish governmentMay on her way to Brussels to meet Juncker on Brexit border deal – liveTheresa May is ready to make an early morning dash to Brussels as British negotiators worked through the night to find an agreement with the Democratic Unionist party and Irish government on how to avoid a hard border with Ireland. Related: Theresa May on her way to Brussels to meet Juncker on Brexit border
  
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• Boris Johnson to visit Iran to secure charity worker’s release

  07-12-2017 20:33
  Political furore turns Zaghari-Ratcliffe case into priority for UK foreign secretary
  
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• Boris Johnson set to visit Iran in effort to secure charity worker’s release

  07-12-2017 20:33
  Political furore has turned Zaghari-Ratcliffe case into key priority for foreign secretary
  
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• Gentle George struggles to keep his killer instincts in check | John Crace

  07-12-2017 20:09
  The press gallery lunch was a chance to present his nice side, but he couldn’t resist a side order of recreational violenceOne of the lasting images of election night this year was George Osborne in the ITV studios. As the exit poll was announced, his face first turned to shock and then to undisguised pleasure as he pronounced Theresa May a “dead woman walking”. The longer the night went on, the more jubilant he became. By the time the last few results came in, the former chanc
  
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• 'I'm Not A Centrist Dad', Ed Miliband Tells HuffPostUK's Commons People Podcast

  07-12-2017 19:32
  Ed Miliband has declared he’s “not a Centrist Dad” and praised Jeremy Corbyn for mobilising young voters and proving his doubters wrong.In an interview for HuffPost UK’s Commons People podcast, the former Labour leader joked that the label – applied to middle-aged fathers who patronise Corbyn followers – could not be applied to himself.Dad-of-two Miliband, who now hosts his own weekly ‘Reasons To Be Cheerful’ podcast, also revealed:Miliband sa
  
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• Review of the year – Politics Weekly podcast

  07-12-2017 19:25
  Heather Stewart and Anushka Asthana are joined by Anand Menon, Angela Smith, Chris Wilkins, John Crace and a live studio audience to discuss a turbulent year in British politics It’s been another extraordinarily eventful year in British politics. In this extended edition we review the key political turning points of 2017 including the snap election, the triggering of article 50, Theresa May’s deal with the DUP, the Corbyn surge and the inauguration of Donald Trump. Joining Heather St
  
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• Coveney stands firm on Irish Brexit position

  07-12-2017 19:15 via bbc.co.uk
  Talks to end an impasse continue, with the European Council chief set to address the issue on Friday.
  
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• Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe: Boris Johnson To Press For Her Release In Iran This Weekend

  07-12-2017 19:12
  Boris Johnson is expected to make a visit to Iran this weekend to press for the release of jailed British mother Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe.Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who her family says is in a fragile mental and physical condition, has been held in one of Iran’s most brutal prisons for almost two years on what supporters say are on trumped-up charges of spying.They say the dual British-Iranian citizen was only in the country on holiday with her daughter visiting her parents.Her plight, however, w
  
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• The Blairite ‘centrist dads’ rediscovering the political middle

  07-12-2017 19:06
  Brexit and an appetite for an alternative British party lie behind this fringe activity
  
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• UK nuclear sector vows to cut construction cost by 30%

  07-12-2017 18:51
  Government warms to the idea of public financing for nuclear power
  
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• Best Smart Home Gadgets

  07-12-2017 18:50
  The term “smart home” has been thrown around a lot recently but the simple truth is that whether we like it or not, our homes are becoming more connected.With so many companies and gadgets all vying for a space in your living room it can be daunting to work out how to proceed in a way that doesn’t then give you a massive headache in six months when you find out the next thing you buy is compatible with anything else in your home.Well thankfully we’re here to help. Here ar
  
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• Surge in UK arrests illuminates terror threat

  07-12-2017 18:29
  Home Office reports unprecedented number of Islamist attacks in Britain
  
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• George Osborne accuses Theresa May of being 'against the future'

  07-12-2017 18:22
  Former chancellor says if Tory party presents itself as anti-modern then many in the country will be ‘anti-us’The former chancellor George Osborne has accused Theresa May of failing to defend the Conservatives’ economic record and of presenting her party as “against the future” in June’s general election campaign.Speaking to journalists in Westminster, Osborne, who was sacked by May last year and left parliament to become the editor of the Evening Standard, re
  
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• Uber Has Sheffield Licence Suspended, Council Announces

  07-12-2017 18:17
  Uber has had its licence to operate in Sheffield suspended following an earlier ban in London. The suspension will come into force on December 18, Sheffield City Council has confirmed, saying the decision was made last Friday.Uber has expressed frustration over the council’s decision, saying they had attempted to resolve an administrative matter concerning its licence before the council took action over it. An Uber spokesperson told HuffPost the company had informed the council o
  
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• David Davis Has 'Duty To Understand' Brexit Risks, Warn Union Bosses

  07-12-2017 18:04
  Union chiefs have written to David Davis after the Brexit Secretary revealed the Government failed to carry out any economic impact assessments of leaving the EU.The TUC’s Frances O’Grady has said she was “dismayed” by Davis’ admission and she felt the Government had so little information ministers were effectively negotiating “blindfolded”.Davis was accused of being in contempt of Parliament after told MPs the 58 sectoral assessments - demanded by MPs -
  
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• J.K. Rowling Finally Breaks Silence Over 'Fantastic Beasts' Johnny Depp Casting Controversy

  07-12-2017 18:02
  J.K. Rowling has finally spoken out about the decision to cast Johnny Depp as Grindelwald in the ‘Harry Potter’ spin-off series, ‘Fantastic Beasts’.The author has previously come under fire for her silence on the topic, particularly as she regularly uses her Twitter page to speak out over feminist issues.Many fans of the wizarding series having been critical of the decision to cast Depp, following negative headlines surrounding his personal life in the past two years.Fina
  
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• Christmas Is Killing The Planet - There Is Another Way

  07-12-2017 18:02
  The concentration of carbon in our atmosphere is at an all-time high. There has never been more plastic in our oceans and environments. And the destruction of nature and habitats in remote locations far away from us continues unabated, due to our insane appetite for consumption culminating in December each year. Research after research has, in fact, confirmed that none of this relentless over-consumption is making any of us happier, but is, in fact, having the opposite effect, linking to increas
  
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• Boris Johnson rejects claims he had to back down from telling EU to 'go whistle' over 'Brexit bill' – as it happened

  07-12-2017 17:59
  Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen, as Theresa May tries to reach agreement on the UK-EU Brexit dealLunchtime summary 4.59pm GMTWe are in a position where we still need to find a way forward but, let me be very clear, the core issues that Ireland got agreement on at the start of this week are not changing. 4.53pm GMTHere are some fuller quotes from the George Osborne speech. I’m using the copy from the Press Association.The essential question is going
  
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• Hammond Is Wrong To Place Blame On Disabled Workers

  07-12-2017 17:54
  The Chancellor Philip Hammond claimed yesterday that problems with the UK’s productivity could in part be explained by a supposed increase in the numbers of disabled people being employed. As a disabled person and an employee of a charity that supports disabled people, I found this comment astonishing, derogatory and a perfect example of why there are so few disabled people in work.The numbers tell a very different story to the one we heard yesterday. According to recent figures, only 47.6
  
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• £72,500 social care cap to be scrapped, MPs told

  07-12-2017 17:53 via bbc.co.uk
  Labour accuses the government of "a waste of taxpayers' money" over plans to consult on a cap.
  
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• Post-Brexit Choices For Environmental Protection

  07-12-2017 17:52
  Britain is at a crossroads with Brexit, and nowhere is that more prominent than when it comes to the natural environment and animal welfare. Do we improve our environmental and animal protections and safeguard nature, or do we burn them in a “bonfire of red tape” to secure trade deals with Donald Trump?Do we bring in tough new laws that recognise animals as sentient beings deserving of legal protection, or do we deregulate so that we can swap our battery caged eggs for their chl
  
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• Doner Be Silly, The EU Is Not About To Ban Kebabs

  07-12-2017 17:48
  Over the weekend, we saw near uproar in parts of the media over a supposed plot by the Brussels bureaucrats to ban kebabs. Screaming headlines in various newspapers would have had us believe that EU Supremo Jean Claude Juncker and his officials were hatching a secret plot to banish one of our favourite late night snacks.Whilst I can just about manage to ignore most of the fake news we see written about the EU, I cannot let this one go. Like many others, I love a good kebab. If the EU was about t
  
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• The TV Election Debates May Have Swung Over A Million Votes

  07-12-2017 17:47
  In an era of political disillusionment, finding ways to bring politicians closer to the public is not just desirable but essential for the health of our democracy. It is fair to say that TV debates are becoming an established way of doing that in the UK.From Cleggmania in 2010, to the seven-party platform of 2015 and the Question Time special of 2017, millions tune in to see party leaders put forward their ideas with passion and energy - and to see them held to account.TV debates are a way of ge
  
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• Time For Some Independent Thinking In Wales

  07-12-2017 17:46
  There’s no denying it, I get misty eyed whenever I drive through sublime rural Shropshire and Herefordshire especially on crisp winter mornings. Elgar’s ‘Nimrod’ still has the ability to move me. There is, frankly, much that I love about England, the English and their own complex and diverse culture. Historic cities, exquisite countryside, music, entertainment, their contribution to medicine, the trade union and suffragette movements...Like so many of the sons and daughte
  
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• Why Is Anyone With A Brain Surprised That Citizens' Rights Are Still A Brexit Stumbling Block?

  07-12-2017 17:44
  Bored of the Brexit negotations?Just want those pesky talks over so that you can get on with your life?Then imagine being one of the 1.2million British people living in Europe, or one of the 3.3million EU citizens in the UK and watching a load of men and women in grey suits haggle over whether or not you get to carry on living and working the way you did before Brexit.As one of the 4.5million whose life is actually being expropriated, I can assure you that my main emotional states do include bor
  
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• The Global Compact On Migration Is Not About Sovereignty

  07-12-2017 17:44
  Trump scored easy political points this weekend with the anti-immigrant and anti-globalist crowds when he withdrew from negotiations for the UN Global Compact on Migration. The Global Compact does not violate US sovereignty but that does not matter if Trump can win points by trashing it.Late Saturday, Nikki Haley announced the US was withdrawing from a UN conference on migration and on Sunday Rex Tillerson held a press conference rationalising why the US could not participate in negotiations for
  
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• Pakistan? No, home is south London, Sadiq Khan tells BBC reporter

  07-12-2017 17:43
  Mayor sets the record straight after being asked by a journalist whether his visit to Pakistan felt like ‘coming home’Sadiq Khan had a quick response when asked by a BBC reporter whether his visit to Pakistan was “like coming home”, replying: “No, home is south London, mate.”The mayor of London, on a visit to Pakistan and India, smiled when asked the question but was keen to set the record straight.Continue reading...
  
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• Why You Should Avoid Ridiculous London Hype And Go To The Pub Instead

  07-12-2017 17:40
  I actually enjoy living in London. It’s one of the best cities in the world; let’s not forget this. It has incredible history, it has character, it has pockets of charm. Pollution is reducing at a lovely gentle rate, which means you can walk around London all day and your bogies won’t turn as black as they used to (apparently this happens, I mean I’ve never checked, it happened to a friend, why would you even ask me about that?). It’s a multi-cultural dream; hardly
  
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• Philip Hammond Was Utterly Wrong About Disabled Employees Negatively Impacting Productivity

  07-12-2017 17:32
  I had to go to over 50 interviews before I got my job. It was hard and upsetting but I knew why. I have a learning disability, which means I faced a lot of employers who did not know anything about learning disabilities and when they heard the word ‘disability’, they doubted my ability to work.I’m not alone, only 5.8% of people with a learning disability known to social services are in a full time job. And that number keeps getting lower.So when I heard that Philip Hammond had
  
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• Once Again, Labour Are Spreading Fake News About Universal Credit

  07-12-2017 17:31
  Labour are once again putting out fake news about Universal Credit, this time alleging that the slowed rollout of Full Service is somehow skipping over prominent Government MPs’ constituencies. Towards the end of a week in which Labour have been passionately pushing out falsehoods – in Parliament, on social media and to the constituents.What complete rubbish.DWP have slowed the pace of rollout for Universal Credit so we can implement the improvements announced during the Budget. This
  
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• Symptoms Of Kidney Cancer After Nile Rodgers Reveals He Had Surgery

  07-12-2017 17:14
  Nile Rodgers has revealed he recently underwent surgery to remove a cancerous growth on his kidney but now his “prognosis is 100% recovery”.Writing on his blog, the CHIC singer said doctors discovered the growth while he was in hospital receiving treatment for E.coli.The 65-year-old, who was previously successfully treated for prostate cancer, said: “Unlike my reaction to my first Big-C diagnosis seven years ago, I was more relaxed, analytic and calm. I was surrounded by profes
  
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• Council of Europe accepts UK compromise on prisoner voting rights

  07-12-2017 17:04
  Deal to allow a small number of prisoners to vote brings to an end a 12-year standoff between Strasbourg and LondonA small number of prisoners – probably around 100 – will be given the right to vote after a British compromise offer to marginally extend the franchise was accepted on Thursday by the Council of Europe.The deal, crafted by the justice secretary, David Lidington, brings to an end an embittered 12-year standoff between Strasbourg and London over the enforcement of judgment
  
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• Brexit Briefing: Where Do EU Begin With That?

  07-12-2017 17:01
  Where to start with this week in the world of Brexit? A deal on the Northern Ireland was ready to be signed, about to be sealed, but someone forgot to deliver it to the DUP.When the draft agreement did eventually reach Belfast, Arlene Foster scribbled Return to Sender on the envelope and posted it back to London.Fosters main quibble with the deal was it would have lead Northern Ireland leaving the EU on different terms to the rest of the UK.Downing Street and Brussels had seemingly agreed that N
  
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• Royal Navy cheers arrival of biggest and most expensive warship

  07-12-2017 16:58
  HMS Queen Elizabeth cost £3bn and will become the focus of UK navy’s fleet
  
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• George Osborne Says Labour Would Be 20 Points Ahead In Polls If It Weren't For Jeremy Corbyn

  07-12-2017 16:30
  Former chancellor George Osborne says Labour would be 20 points ahead in polls and “on the cusp of power” if Jeremy Corbyn were not leader.The Evening Standard editor told a Commons press gallery lunch he believed the Islington MP remained the party’s biggest obstacle to winning an election - while lamenting the state of the Conservative government.He said: “If the party was led by a more moderate social democrat, of even middling ability, they would now be 20 points ahea
  
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• Terrorists have nowhere to hide, says defence secretary

  07-12-2017 16:23 via bbc.co.uk
  British armed forces will "bring destruction" to jihadists, says Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson.
  
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• Boris Johnson explains 'EU can go whistle' remark

  07-12-2017 16:17 via bbc.co.uk
  Foreign secretary says he was talking about "very extortionate sums" he had seen reported in the summer.
  
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• David Davis: Word games, imaginary impact assessments and the truth everyone was too embarrassed to spell out

  07-12-2017 15:40
  
  The government is using verbal gymnastics designed to illuminate nothing and obscure everything
  
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• Dame Margaret Hodge breached code of conduct over Garden Bridge

  07-12-2017 15:26 via bbc.co.uk
  Dame Margaret Hodge wrongly used parliamentary facilities as part of her review of London's Garden Bridge project.
  
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• UK election authority investigates Jeremy Corbyn backers Momentum

  07-12-2017 15:06
  Leftwing grassroots group under scrutiny over possible breach of campaign finance rules
  
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• 17 From '17: Layla Moran On Her 'Anarchism' And The Demise Of British Politics

  07-12-2017 14:38
  The 2017 General Election saw 92 MPs elected to the Commons for the very first time. In a series of exclusive interviews, HuffPost UK is speaking to new MPs from the Conservatives, Labour, SNP and Lib Dems. This week, it’s Oxford West and Abingdon’s Layla Moran.Layla Moran, a teacher by trade, is on a mission to try and change education policy in the country. The Lib Dem, who recaptured the seat from the Conservatives at the snap election, speaks about inequality, Brexit an
  
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• 'I'm A Celebrity' Fans Call For Dennis Wise To Be Removed Over Iain Lee Bullying Accusations

  07-12-2017 14:32
  ‘I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!’ bosses are facing calls to remove Dennis Wise from the jungle, after viewers accused him of bullying Iain Lee.Fans of the ITV reality series were left outraged after watching an uncomfortable exchange between them, over Iain’s performances in the Bushtucker Trials.During Wednesday (6 December) night’s show, Dennis told Iain he had a “problem” with him doing the latest trial, as he had said “Get me out of her
  
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• Prince Charles admits he lobbied Alex Salmond over Teach First

  07-12-2017 14:31
  Exclusive: Scottish government releases papers showing prince lobbied first minister in 2013 to promote teacher-training charityThe Prince of Wales has admitted he privately lobbied Alex Salmond to promote a charity that wanted to win contracts to train new teachers in Scotland, according to official documents released following a lengthy disclosure battle.Four months after the Scottish government refused to release the unredacted correspondence to the Guardian, ministers have relented and produ
  
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• Don't Worry If You Don't Have A Christmas Tree: Just Make Like These Beauty Gurus And Decorate Your Eyebrows

  07-12-2017 14:22
  We may have spoken too soon when declaring 2017′s weirdest beauty trends, as this new eyebrow style definitely merits a mention.Although some may be grateful for the opportunity to have something else to make festive, the decking-of-eyebrows is perhaps an acquired taste.Regardless, props to these ladies for getting creative with a beauty trend - and doing it with good cheer.The method involves using gel to separate out the eyebrows and make them into peaks, then festoon them with
  
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• Nearly One In Four Civilians Killed In Syria Is A Child, Study In Lancet Global Health Reveals

  07-12-2017 14:19
  Nearly one in four civilian deaths in Syria last year involved a child, a study has revealed, amid warnings that the war is having “a disproportionate lethal impact on civilians, particularly children” and claims war crimes are being committed.Civilians accounted for 71% of the 143,630 deaths in the first six years of the conflict, a report published in Lancet Global Health noted, while 29% were opposition fighters.Since 2011, the proportion of child civilian casualties has incr
  
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• The Lords spell out grim consequences of ‘no deal’ Brexit

  07-12-2017 14:08
  Effects would include loss of 75,000 financial services jobs and rise in food prices
  
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