Political news

• 'Tell Us What You Want!' Italian Minister Cranks Up Pressure On May Over Brexit

  15-12-2017 22:54
  The EU is still not clear what Britain wants from Brexit, according to a top Italian politician who has urged Theresa May to spell out her plans.Italy’s Europe Minister Sandro Gozi, who spent ten years working for the European Commission before being elected to the Italian parliament, told HuffPost UK Theresa May needs to be clearer in her demands and the “ball is in the British court.”His words were echoed by Ireland’s Europe Minister Helen McEntee, who told HuffPost UK
  
  Read more

• Donald Trump Praises FBI Graduates Just Hours After Trashing Bureau

  15-12-2017 22:12
  Donald Trump has given a confusingly mixed message to the FBI, lamenting the “very disgraceful” sactions of the organisation before travelling to address new graduates and telling them he’s a “a true friend and loyal champion”.Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Friday morning, the President said people are “very, very angry” at what he sees as political bias amongst agents investigating the Russia allegations under special counsel Robert Mu
  
  Read more

• Brexit Briefing: Done - EU Have Been

  15-12-2017 21:06
  You can sign up for this briefing by clicking here, and you’ll receive it straight to your inbox every Thursday afternoon.If you like what you read, make sure you subscribe to our Commons People podcast here for even more analysis about what goes on in Westminster. 1) Done, Done, On To The Next OneStage one of the divorce/trade/ratification triathlon is over.Theresa May earned applause from EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday as the divorce section of the Brexit negotiat
  
  Read more

• City lobbying group debated drowning out Brexit dissent

  15-12-2017 20:58
  TheCityUK suffered ‘growing concern’ on ideas that might undermine key messages
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Theresa May to back Brexit compromise to quell rebellion over date

  15-12-2017 20:36 via theguardian.com
  To avoid second Commons defeat, PM will throw weight behind amendment giving MPs power to amend deadline if EU27 agreeTheresa May is ready to throw her weight behind a Brexit compromise from Conservative MPs in order to quell a growing rebellion over the government’s attempt to enshrine the date of Britain’s EU departure in European law. The prime minister will support an amendment that leaves the Brexit deadline in place but gives MPs the power to push it back if the EU27 agree, in
  
  Read more

• May’s Brexit challenges multiply as Phase 2 begins

  15-12-2017 19:53
  EU says it will only nail down details of full trade deal once UK has left bloc
  
  Read more

• The Guardian view on the Brexit talks: nothing to applaud in Brussels | Editorial

  15-12-2017 19:29 via theguardian.com
  The EU and the UK have agreed to talk about their future relationship. Parliament should take back control of the processThere is one respect – but only one respect – in which the European council’s decision on Friday about the Brexit process should be welcomed. The council, consisting of the 27 EU member states, has now agreed that enough progress has been achieved in phase one of the talks between the EU and the UK to move on to phase two. Sufficient agreement on the departur
  
  Read more

• The Guardian view on Ryanair’s model: a union-friendly company? | Editorial

  15-12-2017 19:29 via theguardian.com
  It is wrong to assume that collective bargaining is incompatible with a modern economyThe decision by Ryanair’s chief executive, Michael O’Leary, to suddenly reverse decades of policy and recognise pilot unions for the first time is a good thing. For Mr O’Leary, who has never complained about being seen as a foul-mouthed bully, it is a welcome recognition that bulldozing your way through workers’ rights to make money doesn’t always work. Rather than attempt to break
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Dark rumours in Westminster over Tory whips’ behaviour

  15-12-2017 19:23 via theguardian.com
  Allegations include misdemeanour lists of troublesome MPs and pressure on those threatening to step out of line on BrexitDark rumours have been circulating around Westminster this week about the government whipping operation, with talk of misdemeanour lists to keep troublesome MPs in line, and alleged attempts to put pressure on those threatening to rebel on Brexit.
  The Conservative party was forced to deny the suggestion that one politician had been reduced to tears by “bullyboy tactics&r
  
  Read more

• Martyn Hett Tribute Revealed On What Would Have Been Manchester Bombing Victim's 30th Birthday

  15-12-2017 19:16
  The brother of Manchester Area attack victim Martyn Hett has revealed a tribute to him that says “Be more Martyn”, on what would have been his 30th birthday.He was one of 22 people killed in the May 22 bombing and was a social media star known for his obsession with Coronation Street, his pop culture writing and helping his mother’s knitting go viral.On Friday, seven months after the attack, his elder brother Dan posted pictures of flowers he laid at a bench that has been place
  
  Read more

• Brexit: Move to head off another Tory rebellion

  15-12-2017 19:01 via bbc.co.uk
  Theresa May looks set to avoid another defeat after proposed changes to Brexit bill, the BBC understands.
  
  Read more

• Philip Hammond opens London forex markets to China banks

  15-12-2017 18:55
  Initiative part of chancellor’s trip to Beijing to build trade relationship
  
  Read more

• Anna Soubry receives messages calling for her to be hanged as a traitor

  15-12-2017 18:21 via theguardian.com
  One of 11 Conservative MPs who defied government whips over Brexit says she is worried for her staff who see abusive messages firstAnna Soubry, one of the 11 Conservative MPs who defied government whips this week when the government suffered its first Commons defeat over Brexit, has received multiple messages saying she should be hanged as a traitor.Messages received by Soubry’s office – usually seen first by her parliamentary staff – also feature abuse, with one Facebook messa
  
  Read more

• Look Who's Taking Back Control

  15-12-2017 18:17
  For democrats on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, this has been a good week. And Lord knows, we haven’t had many of those over the past few months.When I say democrats, by the way, I mean both democrats with a small d and Democrats with a capital D. So let’s take them one by one.First, the small d democrats at Westminster who still believe in the old-fashioned theory that parliament’s job is to hold the executive to account. Thanks to eleven principled Conservative rebels, tha
  
  Read more

• 14 Successful Creatives Share The One Style Piece That Makes Them Feel Empowered

  15-12-2017 18:16
  When looking back at 2017, it’s not just the conversations, smells and colours we remember but what we put on our bodies also.Our favourite style pieces are sentimental and can feel like a second skin. Comforting, protective and reassuring, they propel us to go on to do great things and be our best selves.We asked successful creatives to name the one item that made them feel empowered this year and why they can’t wait to rock it next year.If you don’t have such an item in
  
  Read more

• Hake With Chorizo And Olives

  15-12-2017 18:11
  I love Christmas - wrapping the presents; the ritual of decorating the tree, a process which in our house usually extends to smothering the entire ground floor of the house with garlands and glitter; collecting the turkey from the farm; making the stuffings, the pigs in blankets, cranberry sauce and all the other essential elements of our family Christmas dinner; setting the table with bits and pieces of inherited and precious silver and glassware (I don’t much enjoy polishing these but he
  
  Read more

• You Can Inspire Girls To Code Without Pandering To Stereotypes

  15-12-2017 18:10
  The gender imbalance in tech is well known. And plenty of people have answers — ‘hire more women’ being the most obvious…As it stands, 4% of gaming programmers are women. As are seven of the of the world’s top 100 tech billionaires. In 2015, women held 57% of all professional occupations, but only 25% of all computing occupations. The only place where women get involved in coding on anything like an equitable basis is in teaching it.The culture remains
  
  Read more

• How To Ask For An End Of Year Pay Rise

  15-12-2017 18:10
  The end of year review is looming and so too is the one conversation you dread the most! But the need to ask for a pay rise is becoming more and more common.A recent poll* of 2,000 workers found that more than half had never asked their boss for more money and a fifth of those surveyed by employment law specialist Slater & Gordon said they feared that they could be handed their P45 for requesting a raise.So, what is the best way to ask for a raise?As with all ‘difficult’ conversa
  
  Read more

• Steelworkers Need Support As Pension Deadline Looms

  15-12-2017 18:08
  Steelworkers up and down the country are in need of answers.130,000 steelworkers, current and former, are facing a December 22nd deadline to choose the future of their pensions.They can either let their pensions slide into the Personal Protection Fund, the “lifeboat” for those whose company pension schemes have collapsed, or move into the new British Steel Pension Scheme.For 40,000 workers, there is a third option. Legislation in 2015 meant workers from the age of 55 can withdraw the
  
  Read more

• Can It Be Possible To Find Strength After Infidelity?

  15-12-2017 18:05
  I have often worked with clients who were completely unaware how much work would go into regaining their partners trust after they cheated on them. Cheating on your partner can be the lowest from of disrespect that a person can inflict on someone they say that they care about. This form of betrayal can be very difficult for the other person to move on from – especially when they know that the person they love has willingly inflicted pain.Whether you choose to stay with them or not –
  
  Read more

• Christmas Is The Excuse Awkward Brits Need To Tackle Loneliness

  15-12-2017 18:00
  This week, the Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness publishes its final report – a call to arms for action on loneliness. The work of the Commission this year has been illuminating, highlighting an issue that Rachel Reeves MP has called the ‘sixth social evil’.The Campaign to End Loneliness, a proud member of the Commission, was started in 2010. Back then, loneliness was not widely discussed. It’s devastating health impacts were little understood. And seven years on, the epide
  
  Read more

• Britain's Rise In Homelessness Should Shame Us All

  15-12-2017 17:57
  Every night it’s the same. I walk towards the station and see them, either lying by the side or trudging around. On the District Line sometimes they’ll be there, plastic cups in hand, ashamed faces. When I come out of the station, by the entrance of the station they stand, pleading expressions. After that I walk for 10 minutes and I don’t see them again. But as I pass a bus stop another person is there, asking, always. She’s been there for maybe over a year and I’m
  
  Read more

• Four Easy Ways To Help Your Local Food Bank

  15-12-2017 17:56
  A jam-packed calendar of festive parties and extravagant Christmas shopping leaves most people with a dwindling bank balance by the end of December. However due to the recent roll out of Universal Credit, inflation, benefit cuts and the increasing cost of living in the UK, an alarming number of people have found themselves facing food poverty and in desperate need of emergency food supplies. Along with rising food prices, the cold weather means that vulnerable people often have to choose between
  
  Read more

• Leading women

  15-12-2017 17:55 via bbc.co.uk
  The government wants more women on the boards of public bodies - what challenges do they face?
  
  Read more

• Running out of wriggle room: what do future Brexit talks promise for UK?

  15-12-2017 17:54 via theguardian.com
  A transition period with no power, delays to trade deals and no taking back control of anything: phase-two talks don’t offer much to look forward toAs the door shuts on the first phase of departure talks, EU leaders have declared six rigid parameters for second-phase talks that could prove to be an even tighter squeeze for Brexiters itching to take back control next year:Continue reading...
  
  Read more

• As Mayor I Am Determined To End Rough Sleeping In London

  15-12-2017 17:33
  Rough sleeping is the sharpest end of the housing crisis and it’s shameful that in London – one of the richest cities in the world - there are still more than 8,000 Londoners who feel they have no choice other than to sleep rough on our streets.I am determined to do everything in my power as Mayor to help Londoners off the streets. Our new focus on this issue over the last year-and-a-half is already showing progress – working with local councils and charities, we have seen the
  
  Read more

• As Mayor I Am Determined To End Rough Sleeping In London - Here Is How You Can Help

  15-12-2017 17:32
  Rough sleeping is the sharpest end of the housing crisis and it’s shameful that in London – one of the richest cities in the world - there are still more than 8,000 Londoners who feel they have no choice other than to sleep rough on our streets.I am determined to do everything in my power as Mayor to help Londoners off the streets. Our new focus on this issue over the last year-and-a-half is already showing progress – working with local councils and charities, we have seen the
  
  Read more

• Britain faces serious questions on its defence capability

  15-12-2017 17:29
  In an age of cyber warfare, the UK’s international military role is more uncertain
  
  Read more

• Buried By Brexit: 8 Stories You May Have Missed Including Increased Homelessness And Prison Suicides

  15-12-2017 16:53
  In a week that saw Theresa May finally convince the European Union to move onto phase two of the Brexit talks as well as suffer a humiliating Commons defeat at the hands of her own backbenchers - you could be forgiven for missing some of the other important stories. Here are seven things that may have been buried by Brexit.1. High Court Rules Removal Of Homeless EU Citizens Is UnlawfulFigures released on Thursday showed a sharp rise in homelessness in England in the three months to Sep
  
  Read more

• Katie Piper Announces She Has Given Birth To Her Second Child With Sweet Instagram Snap

  15-12-2017 16:46
  Katie Piper has given birth to her second child.The 34-year-old, who is already mum to three-year-old Belle with her husband Richard Sutton, announced the news in an Instagram post on 15 December.“We’ve been blessed with the safe arrival of a baby girl,” she wrote alongside a photo of herself holding her newborn’s hand.“Our family is now complete.”Posting a photo of her clutching her bump, she wrote: “I’m so excited to tell you
  
  Read more

• Brexit: Theresa May says agreement is "important step" on the road to Brexit

  15-12-2017 16:44 via bbc.co.uk
  Theresa May says the agreement to begin the second phase of talks is an "important step on the road" to Brexit.
  
  Read more

• Pharma’s reach for post-Brexit harmony on medicines

  15-12-2017 16:38
  Phase 2 talks confirmed at EU summit; Brexit’s generation of incompetents
  
  Read more

• EU news: Brexit, Farage, Juncker wiretap claims and Arnie

  15-12-2017 16:26 via bbc.co.uk
  A swipe from Nigel Farage at Theresa May, plus claims of wire-tapping when Jean-Claude Juncker was the Luxembourg PM.
  
  Read more

• Treasury wants to regulate virtual currency Bitcoin

  15-12-2017 16:21 via bbc.co.uk
  Some MPs believe the government should help bring digital currencies into the mainstream, and say this could have advantages for public services.
  
  Read more

• Emergency Homeless Shelters In London To Now Open On The First Day Of Sub-Zero Temperatures

  15-12-2017 16:01
  Emergency homeless shelters will now open in London on every day of sub-zero temperatures as part of a push by Sadiq Khan to combat rough sleeping.Under the previous policy, brought in under Boris Johnson, three consecutive days of freezing temperatures had to be forecast before the emergency shelters opened their doors. “As Mayor, I am investing in services right across the capital and doing everything within my power to tackle this issue,” Khan said.“But the government a
  
  Read more

• 10 Women Share Powerful Stories Of Self-Love

  15-12-2017 16:01
  Women from all walks of life have shared the compelling stories behind their journeys to self-acceptance.Harnaam Kaur, who rocks a beard as a result of living with PCOS, Fatemah Dhanji, who has been subjected to horrific racism for wearing a hijab, and Joanné Dion, who was bullied because she has albinism, are just some of the women who spoke about how they learned to love themselves.The 10 incredible women feature in a campaign called ‘In Our Skin’, which was commissioned by
  
  Read more

• A year of stasis for British politics

  15-12-2017 15:58
  If 2016 was the first album, the past 12 months were the follow-up that failed to move the needle
  
  Read more

• Why 'Youthquake' Is Oxford's Word Of The Year

  15-12-2017 15:55
  In 1965, the then editor of Vogue Diana Vreeland wrote of an ‘exuberant tremor coursing through America’. Her article detailed with excitement the ways in which the British youth were changing the face of fashion and music: it was headlined ‘Youthquake’.Five decades on, those tremors are just as exuberant, but their source has shifted. This year they turned political, charting the awakening of a generation felt by many to have been hitherto overlooked and powerless. If in
  
  Read more

• Madrid offers sun and sanctuary to businesses escaping Brexit

  15-12-2017 15:54 via theguardian.com
  As Britain prepares to leave the EU, there is acknowledgement that some of the City of London’s losses could be this city’s gainsBarely had the results of the EU referendum sunk in when a doctored photo of the famous banner that hangs from Madrid’s Cibeles palace began doing the rounds on social media. The “refugees welcome” sign that adorns the offices of the city council had been mischievously prefixed with a single word: British.Eighteen months on, despite enduri
  
  Read more

• Commons Inquiry Into Fake News To Hold First Public Evidence Session

  15-12-2017 15:53
  A Commons committee is to hold its first public evidence session as part of an inquiry into fake news.The digital, culture, media and sport select committee, chaired by Conservative MP Damian Collins, will hear from a panel of experts in Parliament on Tuesday.They will explore the role that artificial intelligence and algorithms play in the dissemination of misinformation, and ways in which misinformation can be tackled, hearing from representatives from the Oxford Internet Institute and the Uni
  
  Read more

• Listen - Theresa May in Brussels

  15-12-2017 15:48
  Jim Brunsden and George Parker report from the European summit on how the UK prime minister was received and what happens next in the Brexit negotiations.
  
  Read more

• From Brexit to Biff the dog: the best and worst political Christmas cards

  15-12-2017 15:39 via theguardian.com
  May has played it safe, Corbyn looks like he’s used old copies of Labour’s manifesto, while Ed Miliband channels the FonzEach year as the nights draw in, politicians face a surprisingly tricky seasonal dilemma: for their Christmas card design, do they go safe or wacky?
  Perhaps the least surprising thing about this year’s offerings is that Theresa May has again opted for the former. All three of her designs were created by children in her Maidenhead constituency for a local news
  
  Read more

• Apple Now Sells A Computer That Costs More Than A Brand New Car

  15-12-2017 15:33
  Apple’s new iMac Pro has officially arrived in the UK and along with it the revelation that this is quite comfortably the company’s most-expensive product.It starts at a whopping £4,899, however if you upgraded the iMac Pro to its highest spec and then added both of Apple’s pro editing applications Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro the total cost would be an eye-watering £13,006.To put that into perspective a Ford KA costs £9,795.Now before you think the world has a
  
  Read more

• Vets Urge Companies To Stop Using Flat-Faced Dogs Such As Pugs In Adverts Over Health Concerns

  15-12-2017 15:22
  Vets and animal welfare groups are urging British companies to stop using flat-faced dogs in advertisements following concerns they are fuelling the “welfare crisis” facing these pedigree breeds.Dogs such as pugs, bulldogs and French bulldogs are known to suffer from a range of genetic problems due to their breeding, with problems particularly surrounding their breathing.Experts fear that promoting such breeds to endorse and sell products fuels the health crisis these animals fa
  
  Read more

• Why You Need To Look After Your Sperm - Before It's Too Late

  15-12-2017 15:19
  While not yet threatened with extinction, a man’s place in the modern world has never seemed more precarious.And the reason for this is becoming increasingly clear – the environment in which we live is proving ever more hostile to the health of his sperm.Earlier this year, a study showed the quality of sperm is being degraded by pesticides, hormone-disrupting chemicals, diet, stress, smoking and obesity.This has resulted in a 60 per cent drop in sperm counts in Western countries in j
  
  Read more

• Five 2018 Tech Predictions To Put Money On

  15-12-2017 15:15
  The tech industry is getting into its annual predictions mode, where collective crystal ball-gazing identifies the big trends for the year ahead. Ironically, though, it all gets pretty predictable and you can be sure that cloud, IoT, AI and big data will be right up there in most of the ideas you’ll see.But as far as predictions go, security and data protection are the elephant in the room. We all know organisations will make familiar, predictable security mistakes that they know exist and
  
  Read more

• Pelvic Inflammatory Disease – a Patient’s Guide by Daisy Mae

  15-12-2017 15:11
  Imagine you have just been to a clinic and been told you have PID – Pelvic Inflammatory Disease.You have probably never even heard of the condition. You are probably frightened, and very unhappy.So here are some factors about PID that might help you to understand the condition, and ensure it is properly treated. What is pelvic inflammatory disease? – a simple explanationEven doctors don’t understand PID very well!The name – PID - is pretty nonspecific.This means inflammat
  
  Read more

• Royal Wedding Date Could Be Awkward For Prince William As Prince Harry's Big Day Coincides With FA Cup

  15-12-2017 15:08
  For most football fans the FA Cup final rarely cuts the mustard as an excuse to miss your own brother’s wedding but what if you’re supposed to be presenting the trophy?This is the situation Prince William now finds himself in after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s announcement today they will marry on the 19th May - the biggest day in the domestic football calendar.Isn't Prince William the president of the FA? That is a baller move, Harry.
  The Duke of Cambridge h
  
  Read more

• Simple Actions You Can Take to Give Back This Holiday Season

  15-12-2017 15:07
  One of the most powerful gifts of the holiday season (and beyond) is that feeling you get when helping others! This time of the year carries with it a strong message of kindnesstoward others. For some people this involves their spiritual beliefs,for others, it simply marks the end of a year and a time to take stockand appreciate those around us. Studies have even shown that when we’re generous to others, we feel the same happy rush as if it was us doing the receiving! Here arejust a few ex
  
  Read more

• Stop Pretending That Brexit Will Be Brexit Before The ‘Transitional Period’ Is Over

  15-12-2017 15:06
  The phrase “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” comes to us from someone who knew a bit about the power of language. In fact, he invented many of the terms that help hold our modern reality together.The actual words uttered in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, by one of the star-crossed lovers, were: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose. By any other name would smell as sweet.” Juliet was making the point that it doesn’t matter what surn
  
  Read more

Follow @political_UKnws on Twitter!