Political news

• Nicola Jennings on Donald Trump and Jerusalem – cartoon

  26-12-2017 21:56
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• Student leaders criticise Jo Johnson after threat over no-platforming policies

  26-12-2017 21:23
  Higher education minister accused of exaggeration after threatening to fine universities that failed to defend free speech Jo Johnson, the higher education minister, is facing a backlash from students after he threatened fines against universities that failed to defend free speech on campuses.The government was accused of both exaggerating the issue and failing to listen to student concerns, after Johnson set out the policy in a speech on Boxing Day. Continue reading...
  
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• Westfield Stratford Incident Sees One Arrested After Police Called To Disturbance

  26-12-2017 20:35
  One person was arrested after police were called to a disturbance at Westfield Stratford.Videos and images posted to social media showed groups of young people being dispersed by police, with some describing the incident as a “riot”.And goodwill to all men. #SMH@westfieldstrat and @metpoliceuk doing a quick, effective and proportionate responsepic.twitter.com/J9KA4H3ks6— Bilal Mahmood (@bilal_labour) December 26, 2017A Metropolitan Police statement said: “Police were call
  
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• Philip Hammond urged to publish Treasury's Brexit impact studies

  26-12-2017 20:00
  Labour MPs write to chancellor saying public have right to see documents examining range of outcomes of BrexitPhilip Hammond has come under pressure to publish another set of hidden documents relating to how a series of possible Brexit outcomes, including no deal, will impact on the economy.Twenty-five Labour MPs have written to the chancellor demanding that he release the studies, which have so far been kept confidential, after he told a select committee that the work had been done.Continue rea
  
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• Voices From The Frontline Of Climate Change

  26-12-2017 19:45
  Climate change is real and the need for urgent action is personified by the warnings from the Arctic communities who are already being pushed to the brink because of it.But two years on from the Paris Climate Agreement, we are still waiting for the UK Government to demonstrate global leadership and get on track to meet our international targets. We need this to happen urgently.On December 12, I participated in an event in Westminster arranged by the Polar All Party Parliamentary Group featuring
  
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• The Mooch, a crocodile rant and Brenda from Bristol – the year’s best political cameos

  26-12-2017 19:30
  From the voter who had a stern word with Theresa May to the Australian MP who wasn’t going to let gay marriage get in the way of fake croc stats, we salute those who made a brief but significant contribution to the conversationMost MPs would rather face a tricky Newsnight interview than be confronted on camera by a member of the public. When a non-politician forcibly inserts themselves into the scripted daily action of Westminster or Washington, it tends to expose the chancers and hypocrit
  
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• Oxford Street Panic: Police Respond To Reports Of Gunshots But Find Nothing

  26-12-2017 19:20
  Shoppers were left in panic on Oxford Street after reports of gunshots prompted armed police to attend the scene.Photographs on social media showed a smashed window at the House of Fraser store in central London, although it was unclear whether it was this that sparked the panic.Police said that there was no sign of any gunshots or indeed of any laws being broken.Scene at the back of House of Fraseron Oxford Street. Small cordon around smashed window. pic.twitter.com/ihKLFR6Low— James Wate
  
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• Feeling blue over colour of the new UK passport | Letters

  26-12-2017 19:15
  Language and culture determine national identity not passports, says David Craine; Morgan Armstrong wants to choose the colour; and Robert Saunders doubts the benefits of blueBrandon Lewis is wrong when he says replacing the burgundy coloured passport with the blue design will help “restore national identity” (British passports will be navy blue after Brexit, says Home Office, 22 December). Britain never lost its national identity in the EU in the first place. Language and culture ar
  
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• Boxing Day Dip Pictures Show Brits At Their Hardy Best

  26-12-2017 17:12
  Most of us spend the day after Christmas scoffing leftovers and watching terrible television but some Brits are rather more intrepid.As if dealing with hangovers and heartburn wasn’t effort enough on the 26th, around the country, people head to their local body of water for a Boxing Day dip.If the thought doesn’t already have you shivering, strap in folks - it’s going to get chilly.No thank youThe hoses make it even worseFantastic day at Seaburn for the Boxing Day Dip with
  
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• A Labour government might not be as bad as Brexit, claims Heseltine

  26-12-2017 15:56
  The Conservative peer said Labour might abandon Brexit, and leave the Tories ‘holding the baby’Michael Heseltine, the Tory grandee and former deputy prime minister, has suggested a Labour government led by Jeremy Corbyn could be less damaging than Brexit.The peer made the claim, which is remarkable for a senior Conservative, in an interview for the Limehouse podcast about liberal and EU politics, as he was pressed on how catastrophic he believes Brexit will be for the UK. Continue re
  
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• Nick Clegg 'To Receive Knighthood In New Year's Honours List'

  26-12-2017 15:41
  Former Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg is set to receive a knighthood in the New Year’s honours list, according to reports.The honour is in recognition of his five years serving as deputy prime minister in the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition under David Cameron, according to senior party sources cited by the Daily Mail.However the move is likely to be controversial as Clegg was a prominent Remain campaigner in last year’s EU referendum and has been an outspoken critic of Brexit, th
  
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• For sale: tiny Scottish island, home to six people

  26-12-2017 15:16 via ft.com
  A community buyout bid for Ulva has won political backing, but not everyone is convinced
  
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• Police Officer And Another Person Killed In Christmas Day Collision

  26-12-2017 15:09
  A police officer and another person have died after a collision on Christmas Day.South Yorkshire Police said that emergency services were called to reports of a collision at around 8.15pm on the A57 in Sheffield.A marked BMW3 series police car was responding to an incident when it collided with a silver Citroen C3, travelling in the opposite direction.Did you see fatal collision on A57 in Sheffield? - https://t.co/HJX3RGkZdG— SouthYorkshirePolice (@syptweet) December 26, 2017 The 46-y
  
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• Lewis Hamilton Apologises After Being Accused Of 'Publicly Shaming' Young Nephew For Wearing A Dress

  26-12-2017 15:05
  Oh dear Lewis. You’ve just opened a can of worms... pic.twitter.com/fpsiNeOZrd— Nabeela (@JustNabz) December 25, 2017Lewis Hamilton has apologised after facing criticism for telling his young nephew: “Boys don’t wear princess dresses.” The Formula One driver shared a video of the young boy wearing a pink and purple dress to his Instagram account, telling the camera: “I’m so sad right now, look at my nephew.“Why are you wearing a princess dress
  
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• Lewis Hamilton Accused Of 'Publicly Shaming' Young Nephew For Wearing A Princess Dress

  26-12-2017 15:05
  Oh dear Lewis. You’ve just opened a can of worms... pic.twitter.com/fpsiNeOZrd— Nabeela (@JustNabz) December 25, 2017Lewis Hamilton has come under fire after telling his young nephew: “Boys don’t wear princess dresses.” The Formula One driver shared a video of the young boy wearing a pink and purple dress to his Instagram account, telling the camera: “I’m so sad right now, look at my nephew.“Why are you wearing a princess dress,” he asks
  
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• The Guardian view on capitalism without capital | Editorial

  26-12-2017 14:46
  An idea whose time has come: Over the holiday season the Guardian is examining themes that have emerged to give shape to 2018. Today we look at intangible economiesNo country is governed by a Capitalist party, although there is no shortage of capitalism on the planet. There have been Socialist parties for socialism, Liberal parties for liberalism and Communist parties for communism. Yet acolytes of the most powerful model of all are reluctant to brand themselves with its name. One reason is that
  
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• Brexit: German minister sees model for Turkey and Ukraine

  26-12-2017 14:16 via bbc.co.uk
  Germany's foreign minister says Turkey and Ukraine could benefit from a "smart" EU deal with the UK.
  
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• British Woman Laura Plummer Jailed For Three Years In Egypt Over Drug Smuggling Claims

  26-12-2017 14:15
  A British woman accused of smuggling drugs into Egypt has been jailed for three years, her family has said.Shop worker Laura Plummer from Hull, was arrested on 9 October after she was found to be carrying 290 tramadol tablets in her suitcaseThe painkiller is legal in the UK but banned in Egypt.Plummer’s family said she was taking the tablets for her Egyptian partner Omar Caboo, who suffers from severe back pain.They described the 33-year-old woman as “naive”.MP confirms Hull wo
  
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• Brexit’s economic hit can be limited, says ‘Project Fear’ chief

  26-12-2017 13:50 via ft.com
  ‘There is still all to play for,’ says former Treasury head Nick Macpherson
  
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• Brexit’s economic hit can be limited, says former Treasury head

  26-12-2017 13:50 via ft.com
  ‘Still all to play for,’ says architect of report dubbed ‘Project Fear’ by Leave camp
  
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• Brexit damage can be limited, says former Treasury head

  26-12-2017 13:50 via ft.com
  Architect of ‘Project Fear’ calls on government to ‘look forwards not back’
  
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• George Osborne Says He Was 'Not Keen' On An EU Referendum

  26-12-2017 13:47
  George Osborne has admitted he was “gloomy” ahead of the referendum on leaving the European Union.The former chancellor, who is now editor of the Evening Standard newspaper, said was “not keen” on holding a vote on the UK’s membership of the EU.Osborne, who campaigned for a Remain vote, told BBC Radio Four’s Today programme: “I was not keen on having a referendum in the first place but I chose to be part of the collective decision-making of the
  
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• Police Launch Murder Investigation After Man's Body Discovered On Country Lane In Rochdale On Christmas Morning

  26-12-2017 13:36
  Police have launched a murder investigation after a man’s body was found on a country lane in Rochdale on Christmas morning. The victim has yet to be formally identified after being discovered on Dyehouse Lane at around 8.15am yesterday (Monday). According to the Manchester Evening News, police divers have arrived at the scene this morning, with the body found near a river. A Home Office post mortem is set to take place in the next 24 hours to determine the cause of death, G
  
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• George Osborne admits he was ‘gloomy’ before Brexit vote

  26-12-2017 13:34 via ft.com
  Former chancellor says he was against holding referendum on EU membership
  
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• Symbolic victories over Brussels will not help Britain’s workers

  26-12-2017 13:25 via ft.com
  Fatigue and burnout are to blame for making people less productive
  
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• Nick Clegg to be knighted in New Year honours, say reports

  26-12-2017 12:54
  Lib Dem former deputy PM rumoured to be set to receive reward in move that could anger Brexit supportersThe former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg is to receive a knighthood just months after losing his seat as an MP, according to reports.The Liberal Democrat politician, who served as deputy prime minister in coalition with the Conservatives for five years, will be rewarded in the Queen’s list of New Year honours. Continue reading...
  
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• Syrian Refugee Doesn't Let Losing A Leg Stop Her Playing Football

  26-12-2017 12:49
  Saja, 12, saw friends die and lost her leg when she fled Aleppo three years ago. Now she calls her other leg “my most precious possession”.Walking on her crutches, she still plays football, walks to school every day and dreams of being a gymnastics coach.“When I play football, I don’t feel like I’ve lost anything at all,” she says.  This Christmas, HuffPost UK has teamed up with Unicef to appeal for donations to help children affected by th
  
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• Christmas Day Ratings 2017: 'Mrs Brown's Boys' Beats 'Strictly Come Dancing' To Top Viewing Figures

  26-12-2017 12:48
  ‘Mrs Brown’s Boys’ has come out on top of the Christmas Day ratings this year. Brendan O’Carroll’s Irish sitcom attracted the most viewers - with the exception of The Queen’s Speech - with an average of 6.8million viewers. ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ followed closely behind, with 6.5m seeing Katie Derham win the Christmas special. The BBC ballroom show had to settle for second place in the ratings this year, having topped the o
  
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• HMS St Albans: Royal Navy Frigate Spends Christmas Day Shadowing Russian Warship In The North Sea

  26-12-2017 12:29
  A Royal Navy crew spent Christmas Day escorting a Russian warship through the North Sea near UK waters.The 190-strong company aboard the HMS St Albans set sail on December 23 to monitor the Russian Admiral Gorshkov frigate and tracked its progress through what the Royal Navy called areas of national interest on Monday, the Press Association reported. The Navy said there had been a recent “upsurge” in Russian units travelling through UK waters, with defence secretary Gavin Willia
  
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• George Osborne hints at return to politics and says he opposed EU vote

  26-12-2017 12:18
  Former chancellor says he was not keen on decision to hold last year’s referendum and was pessimistic about the likely resultGeorge Osborne has hinted that he is open to making a political comeback, as he spoke of his opposition to holding the EU referendum and gloom about the prospects of remain winning.The former chancellor, who now edits the Evening Standard, said he could not have run to be leader of the Conservative party after strongly campaigning to stay in the EU, partly because he
  
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• The Government Must Not Let Its Animal Welfare Bill Alienate The Rural Community

  26-12-2017 11:40
  Hunting has long been an obsession of the political classes, the late Tony Banks called it “a totemic issue for the Labour Party” no less, but in recent years a whole range of animal rights issues have been the subject of endless digital campaigning. It is almost impossible to navigate through social media without coming across demands for new bans, protections or laws related to everything from circus animals to shooting grouse. Some of these campaigns have some basis in improv
  
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• How To Responsibly Dispose/Recycle Your Old PlayStation, Xbox One, TV And More

  26-12-2017 11:40
  Boxing Day is finally upon us and along with it comes the excitement of setting up some new all-powerful gadget that was gifted to you on Christmas Day.With 4K TVs, the Xbox One and Sony’s PlayStation 4 all likely to be found under trees and a good number of us looking to take advantage of the Boxing Day sales it begs the important question: What do we then do with our old gadgets?If it’s not being handed down to a younger sibling or child then the likelihood
  
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• Britain Officially Had A White Christmas After All Thanks To Snow Flurries In Cumbria

  26-12-2017 10:53
  Forecasters may have been skeptical about the UK’s chances of a snowy December 25, but last-minute flurries meant that 2017 went down in the history books as a white Christmas after all. Despite a mild Christmas Day for most of us, with temperatures reaching 12.6C in parts of Cornwall, “light snow” was reported by the Met Office in Spadeadam in Cumbria. Forecasters said that rain was also turning to snow in parts of southern Scotland, making it a white Chris
  
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• Warnings of post-Brexit price rises unless UK can copy EU trade deals

  26-12-2017 10:29
  British Retail Consortium says everyday products such as food and clothing could rise when UK leaves the blocConsumers face rising prices after Brexit unless Britain can replicate trade deals negotiated by the EU with dozens of other countries, the British Retail Consortium has warned.The BRC’s chief executive, Helen Dickinson, said the cost of everyday products from food to clothing would go up if the UK lost the preferential arrangements it enjoys as a member of the EU. Continue reading.
  
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• Universities Could Face Fines Over 'Failures To Protect Free Speech'

  26-12-2017 10:08
  Universities must be places that “open minds, not close them”, Jo Johnson will warn during a speech in Birmingham today. Students must be able to challenge controversial opinions, according to the universities minister, who says there are dangers to shielding students from differing views under the banner of “no-platforming” or “safe spaces”.Under government plans, universities that fail to protect free speech could face fines.The Press Association report
  
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• Boxing Day Hunts: Fox Hunting Opposition At An All Time High, Poll Finds

  26-12-2017 09:27
  Opposition to fox hunting is at an all-time high, news figures released today reveal, as hunts prepare to gather for Boxing Day meets across the country.Polling carried out by Ipsos MORI and commissioned by the League Against Cruel Sports showed that 85% of the public are in support of keeping the ban on fox hunting - up from last year’s figure of 84%.People living in rural areas are also against the the legalisation of blood sports, with 81% of people backing the fox hunting ban, accordin
  
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• Countryside Alliance Warns Tory Party It Risks Losing Heartlands In 'Naive' Push For Animal Rights

  26-12-2017 09:17
  The head of the countryside’s most powerful campaign group has said the Conservative government risks losing the support of rural voters as he warns Michael Gove of “naivity” over the super-viral stories and campaigns fuelling the new Tory animal welfare agenda.Writing for HuffPost UK, Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance, has urged Tory ministers not to “take the support of voters in the countryside for granted” as the Environment Secretary leads
  
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• My Brother Martyn Seized Every Moment - This Christmas, We All Should Too

  26-12-2017 09:03
  This year, on 15 December, my younger brother Martyn was supposed to turn 30, but didn’t. He, along with 21 other innocent people, was murdered by an Islamic extremist, who detonated a home-made bomb in the lobby of the Manchester Arena.Everything changed in that instant, and the next few weeks were as difficult as any I’ll ever experience. The way the city rallied together was nothing short of incredible. I received more messages of support than I could possibly ever reply to. I wat
  
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• Voter ID trials 'could disenfranchise older people'

  26-12-2017 09:00
  Pilots making people show ID at May’s local elections could affect older people who are less likely to have passports or driving licencesTrials to make people show identification before they can vote could unfairly affect older people who are less likely to possess photo ID or have access to other documents, the Labour party and charities have warned.The proposal to counter voter fraud by making people show ID will be piloted in five parts of England for the local elections in May, ministe
  
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• Those responsible for the horror of the Grenfell Tower fire must face trial | David Lammy

  26-12-2017 09:00
  If the people who let this fire happen are not brought before a court, there will be no justice for victims and families• David Lammy is Labour MP for TottenhamI will never forget the sight that met me as I emerged from Latimer Road tube station that day. A vision of hell. A smouldering, charred tower of death rising into the west London sky, surrounded by streets that were plastered with missing person signs, left by the bereft and the brokenhearted. Related: Grenfell survivors deceiv
  
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• Westminster failings fuelling Cornish 'crisis of democracy’

  26-12-2017 08:00
  Local political leader Dick Cole warns Cornwall will lose out financially due to Brexit, and accuses London of overlooking social problems in the countyCornwall is facing a political crisis because of reforms to local democracy, the failure of Westminster to understand the needs of the far south-west of Britain and Brexit, one of the UK’s longest-serving party leaders is warning.Dick Cole, who is celebrating 20 years as the leader of the Cornish party Mebyon Kernow (MK), said he feared Cor
  
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• Government admits 'losing' thousands of papers from National Archives

  26-12-2017 07:00
  Documents on the Falklands, Northern Ireland’s Troubles, and the infamous Zinoviev letter among those ‘misplaced’, leaving historians suspiciousThousands of government papers detailing some of the most controversial episodes in 20th-century British history have vanished after civil servants removed them from the country’s National Archives and then reported them as lost.Documents concerning the Falklands war, Northern Ireland’s Troubles and the infamous Zinoviev let
  
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• Labour criticises Boxing Day rail shutdown despite Tory promises

  26-12-2017 01:01
  Andy McDonald, shadow transport secretary, criticises Conservatives after analysis finds only three out of 29 rail franchises will be running servicesLabour has criticised the government’s failure to improve rail services on Boxing Day, despite promises to transform the service when the Conservatives were in opposition.
  An analysis of rail franchises shows that this year, only three out of 29 will be running any form of services, and those that are operating will be severely limited. It me
  
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• Jo Johnson to tell universities to stop 'no-platforming' speakers

  26-12-2017 01:01
  Higher education minister says institutions that fail to protect freedom of speech could be finedUniversities could face fines for failing to uphold free speech if their student unions do not give a platform to speakers such as Germaine Greer and Peter Tatchell, the higher education minister has said.Jo Johnson said some student campaigners were trying to stifle debate as he confirmed plans to allow the newly created Office for Students (OfS) to fine or suspend institutions that fail to protect
  
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• 'EastEnders' Spoilers: S Club 7's Hannah Spearitt Opens Up About Soap Role

  26-12-2017 01:01
  Former S Club 7 singer Hannah Spearitt has opened up about her forthcoming stint in ‘EastEnders’. The star is joining the BBC soap in a guest role as the wealthier sister of Karen Taylor, Kandice. Ahead of her first appearance on Wednesday’s (27 December) episode, Hannah admitted her storyline is perfectly pitched between the drama and suspense of the Branning family Christmas episodes, and the Aidan McGuire plot that will take centre stage at New Year. Speaking
  
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• Brexit studies were 'being prepared' a year before Davis said they didn't exist

  26-12-2017 01:00
  Response to Freedom of Information request reveals Brexit department claimed to be preparing impact assessments in November 2016David Davis’s department said last year that it was preparing “an assessment of the impact of exit on over fifty sectors of the economy”, undermining his recent claim that the Brexit impact studies do not exist.The comment was made in a Freedom of Information response from November 2016, suggesting that work was underway on the documents more than a ye
  
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• Asylum offices 'in a constant state of crisis', say whistleblowers

  26-12-2017 00:40
  Two whistleblowers claim Home Office departments delay asylum applications for profitStaff in the Home Office’s asylum directorate are undertrained, overworked and operating in a “constant state of crisis”, two whistleblowers have claimed, as applicants endure long waits to have their case dealt with due to internal pressures. The Home Office staff have also told the Guardian that asylum case workers are making poor decisions about applications because they are under pressure t
  
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