Political news

• 'Celebrity Big Brother' 2018 Line-Up: Ann Widdecombe And Rachel Johnson Lead Contestants In All-Female Series

  02-01-2018 23:34
  Former Conservative MP Anne Widdecombe and Boris Johnson’s sister Rachel led a cast of all-female contestants who entered the ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ house on Tuesday (2 January) night.The latest series of the reality show launched with a twist that saw only women enter the famous house to celebrate 100 years of women’s suffrage in the UK.The line-up boasts a more eclectic mix of personalities than previous Channel 5 series, with Ann and Rachel joined in the house by famo
  
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• Labour Warns Stamp Duty Cuts Will Fuel Surge In House Prices As Theresa May Says 16,000 Have Already Benefitted

  02-01-2018 23:31
  Labour has warned home ownership will be further out of the reach of first-time buyers thanks to the Conservative plan to cut stamp duty as Theresa May hailed the “immediate impact” on 16,000 people who have already benefited from the changes.In the Budget, the Government attempted to woo younger voters by scrapping the tax for first-time buyers of homes worth less than £300,000.Treasury officials claimed it would save a million people an average of £1,600. But the announ
  
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• 'McMafia' Episode 2 Review: The 10 Questions We're Asking As James Norton's BBC Drama Continues

  02-01-2018 23:00
  We’d barely had time to catch our breath from the first episode of ‘McMafia’ before the second instalment hit the ground running just 24 hours later.There was no messing around as the James Norton drama delved further into the dark gangster underworld on Tuesday (2 January) night, featuring distressing scenes of people trafficking, two people falling from building roofs and one gruesome moment that saw someone’s fingernail ripped out.We’ve now managed to get out hea
  
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• Ben Jennings on rail season-ticket price hikes – cartoon

  02-01-2018 22:23 via theguardian.com
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• Chris Grayling says he is not 'shirking' by visiting Qatar

  02-01-2018 21:45 via bbc.co.uk
  The transport secretary defends his decision to travel to Qatar on the day rail fare rises hit.
  
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• Liverpool Arena Fire: Photos Released Showing Damage Caused By Blaze

  02-01-2018 20:49
  Images have been released showing the destruction caused by a 1,000C inferno that engulfed a Liverpool car park on New Year’s Eve.Rows of destroyed vehicles can be seen in the photographs released by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service on Tuesday.It comes after a huge fire broke out in the seven-storey building at the Liverpool Echo Arena after a Land Rover burst into flames.It is believed that 1,400 vehicles were destroyed.A cordon remains in place around the car park which is expected to
  
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• Chris Grayling's soft-shoe shuffle reveals rotten state of UK rail system | Nils Pratley

  02-01-2018 20:48 via theguardian.com
  Transport secretary should be required to set out the hit to public purse from his ministerial manoeuvre on East Coast lineJanuary’s howl of outrage over train fares carries extra force this year because it comes after a ministerial manoeuvre that illustrates the rotten state of the rail franchising system.That manoeuvre, of course, was Chris Grayling’s soft-shoe shuffle last November that will see Stagecoach and Virgin relieved of the East Coast franchise in 2020 on terms that look
  
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• NHS Extends Suspension Of All ‘Non-Urgent’ Operations As Winter Crisis Deepens

  02-01-2018 19:53
  Struggling hospitals have been told to continue the suspension of all non-urgent surgery until the end of January amid fears of a winter NHS meltdown.The National Emergency Pressures Panel, which is chaired by the NHS’s top doctor Sir Bruce Keogh, said the NHS has been under “sustained pressure” over Christmas and needs to free up doctors and nurses to deal with the sickest patients.It said “high levels of respiratory illness”, a rise in the number of flu cases
  
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• May backs Davis in Brexit role despite his ‘frustration’

  02-01-2018 19:45 via ft.com
  PM affirms support after secretary was sidelined by top civil servant
  
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• Finsbury Park Murder: Kasim Lewis Charged After Iuliana Tudos Killed On Christmas Eve

  02-01-2018 19:27
  A man has been charged with the murder of pub worker Iuliana Tudos in Finsbury Park on Christmas Eve, police have said.Kasim Lewis, 31, has been charged following his arrest on Monday, the Metropolitan Police said.He will appear in custody at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, 3 January, police said.This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Check back for the fullest version. Follow HuffPost UK on Twitter here, and on Facebook here.
  
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• May insists on students being included in migration statistics

  02-01-2018 18:53 via ft.com
  Cabinet fears of losing Commons vote fails to dislodge prime minister
  
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• Labour Shadow Minister Andy McDonald Has Had A Miserable Day On The Trains While Protesting Rail Fares Hike

  02-01-2018 18:50
  Britain’s rail network was the backdrop to farcical scenes on the day Britons faced inflation-busting ticket price rises as Labour’s trains chief attempted to join protests. On Tuesday, Shadow Transport Secretary Andy McDonald denounced the privatised rail system outside King’s Cross station in London at the start of the day, and then took the train to Stevenage to meet others protesting against the spike.However, his onward Virgin Trains East Coast train to Leeds, where h
  
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• Bankers work around the clock to iron out EU finance reforms

  02-01-2018 18:36 via theguardian.com
  New MiFID II rules seek to apply lessons from financial crisis and aim to force banks to report details of trillions of euros in transactionsBankers will work through the night to iron out last-minute hitches before Wednesday’s launch of a major change to European Union financial markets that aims to apply lessons from the financial crisis nearly a decade ago.The new rules are already a year late due to their complexity, with regulators having to issue 11th-hour guidance to banks and finan
  
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• Secrets of the House of Lords dining room: ‘It’s like entering a priestly sacred chamber’

  02-01-2018 18:23 via theguardian.com
  Retired peers will now be allowed the privilege of returning to parliament to eat in the Lords’ exclusive restaurant. Open to the public for only a couple of weeks a year, what’s it like to eat there?Pity the poor peer who once endured a pork escalope in one of the House of Lords’ restaurants. “It was uneatable,” he complained to the Lords’ chairman of committees. “Tough and dry, and clearly cooked for hours before. It really was a disgrace.” Anoth
  
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• The Guardian view on renewing Europe | Editorial

  02-01-2018 18:07 via theguardian.com
  An idea whose time has come: Over the holiday season the Guardian has been examining themes that have emerged to give shape to 2018. In today’s concluding piece we look at why the world will need the EU more than everIt is tempting to think of the European Union as being like the Roman god Janus – a two-faced creature who either smiles or frowns, succeeds or fails. It is especially tempting, perhaps, for Britons. The next 12 months may well be this country’s last full year insi
  
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• By Committing To Help Tackle Loneliness, Labour Can Make A Difference To Society Even Though We Are Not Yet In Government

  02-01-2018 17:52
  There is little doubt that in the past few year politics has become enthused with new energy, new ideas and the potential for new ways of shaking up the business as usual approach to running our society.Admittedly not all of this has been positively channeled. Like most people, I’ll confess that the spectacle of Donald Trump and his strange behaviour, throwing out a daily diet of racism and misogyny, is a sight I could well do without. But we must not let the relentless negativity of Conse
  
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• 'Celebrity Big Brother' 2018 Line-Up: All The Contestants Rumoured To Be Enterting

  02-01-2018 17:49
  We already know that ‘Celebrity Big Brother’ is going to be female-centric when it returns on Tuesday (2 January) night, in what Channel 5 has claimed is a commemoration of 100 years since women were given the vote here in Britain.We’ve already seen photos of the house, and we know Boris Johnson’s sister Rachel is definitely taking part, so all that’s left now is to meet the rest of the contestants.As ever, Channel 5 is keeping its cards pretty close
  
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• Chris Grayling criticised over Qatar trip as rail fare rise prompts protests – as it happened

  02-01-2018 17:47 via theguardian.com
  Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happenNo 10 lobby briefing - SummaryLunchtime summaryAfternoon summary 4.46pm GMT4.38pm GMT These are from Channel 4 News’s Michael Crick.Jeremy Corbyn has formally dropped his policy of not nominating new Labour peers. His office has, I'm told, "engaged" with the latest process of peerage nominations. Expect 2-3 Labour nominees in the imminent list of new peers.When he stood for leader Corbyn said he wouldn't nominate any
  
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• No Trousers Tube Ride 2018: More Than 100 People Are Preparing To Strip Off On London's Underground

  02-01-2018 17:46
  If you spot someone wandering the Underground in their knickers on Sunday 7 January, don’t panic. They’re not living their worst nightmare: it’s deliberate. They will be one of more than 100 Londoners partaking in the annual No Trousers Tube Ride.The tradition began in 2002 as New York’s No Pants Subway Ride. Run by a group called Improv Everywhere, it consisted of just 7 people.  Now the latest event from the British equivalent has already garner
  
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• The Biggest Hair Trends of 2018, According To Six Leading Stylists

  02-01-2018 17:41
  For many, the new year will mean an opportunity to switch up their looks - especially when it comes to hair. We caught up with some of the UK’s leading hair professionals (from salon owners to international stylists) to get a heads-up on the the most head-turning looks of 2018.Here are the hair trends you need to know about this season. The ShaveThe shaved look may be a staple for the likes of Adwoa Aboah, but Kieron Lavine, an international hair stylist whose
  
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• Transport secretary ‘running scared’ as he flies out of UK on day of rail fare hike

  02-01-2018 17:33 via theguardian.com
  Labour and Lib Dems criticise Chris Grayling for attending meetings in Qatar amid biggest annual fare rise for five yearsThe transport secretary, Chris Grayling, has been accused of dodging his responsibilities after he left the UK for Qatar on the day much-criticised rail fare increases came into force.A Downing Street spokesman said Grayling, who has been tipped to lose his post in a possible new year reshuffle, was in Qatar to meet various ministers and business leaders for two days and would
  
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• Gym Buddies: Hitting The Gym Today?

  02-01-2018 17:29
  Get this delivered to your inbox as part of our daily Gym Buddies newsletter.HelloToday is most people’s first day back at work. All I can say is: yikes.In December, our office was a sea of chocolate wrappers and mince pie crumbs. Now, with our waistbands a little tighter, the conversation has switched from whether we’ve got all our Christmas shopping done to whether we’re going to the gym after work.A word of warning: the gym will be hectic today (and for the rest of the
  
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• Brexit: Starmer to force vote on UK's adoption of EU charter of rights

  02-01-2018 17:29 via theguardian.com
  Shadow Brexit secretary says Tories have failed to prove essential rights will be protected by UK law after BrexitKeir Starmer has torn into the government’s “woefully inadequate” analysis of how the EU charter of fundamental rights will be covered by British law after Brexit, warning that essential protections will be lost.The shadow Brexit secretary said Labour would force a vote on the issue this month at the next stage of the EU withdrawal bill, as the government was still
  
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• Probe After Carlini Shifnal Restaurant Chef Laura Goodman ‘Boasts Of Spiking A Vegan’

  02-01-2018 17:27
  An investigation has been launched after a Shropshire restaurant chef apparently boasted about “spiking a vegan,” prompting death threats against her.Laura Goodman, who co-owns Carlini restaurants in Shifnal and Albrighton with her partner Michael Gale, sparked outrage after leaving comments on The Boring Group, on Facebook on 30 December.One said: “Pious, judgemental vegan (who I spent all day cooking for) has gone to bed, still believing she’s a vegan.”On the same
  
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• Why I Left The Amish Community And My Family Behind

  02-01-2018 17:25
  The way I assessed my situation, I had only two options left. For too long, I’d lived in fear of my father’s violence that could be triggered by something as simple as the wrong tone of voice or silence when he wanted an answer. So I’d finally reported the abuse to a county social worker, but she needed permission to intervene from someone who was of legal age, and I was still eight months away from turning 21. Now I’d just heard from the social worker that my mother had
  
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• 'Torn Between Two Worlds' - Why I Left The Amish Community And My Family Behind

  02-01-2018 17:25
  The way I assessed my situation, I had only two options left. For too long, I’d lived in fear of my father’s violence that could be triggered by something as simple as the wrong tone of voice or silence when he wanted an answer. So I’d finally reported the abuse to a county social worker, but she needed permission to intervene from someone who was of legal age, and I was still eight months away from turning 21. Now I’d just heard from the social worker that my mother had
  
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• University job backlash because I'm a Tory - Toby Young

  02-01-2018 17:15 via bbc.co.uk
  Journalist handed universities watchdog role says backlash is due to him being an "outspoken Tory".
  
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• Gym Buddies #2: Hitting The Gym Today?

  02-01-2018 17:01
  Get this delivered to your inbox as part of our daily Gym Buddies newsletter.HelloToday is most people’s first day back at work. All I can say is: yikes.In December, our office was a sea of chocolate wrappers and mince pie crumbs. Now, with our waistbands a little tighter, the conversation has switched from whether we’ve got all our Christmas shopping done to whether we’re going to the gym after work.A word of warning: the gym will be hectic today (and for the rest of the
  
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• UK looks to join Pacific trade group after Brexit

  02-01-2018 17:00 via ft.com
  Ministers insist geography no restriction in informal talks with members of weakened TPP
  
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• Pret Will Now Give You 50p Off Your Coffee If You Bring A Reusable Cup

  02-01-2018 16:46
  For most people today is their first day back at work in the new year, and the January blues are looming large. Not only do our bank accounts look worse for wear after Christmas, but we’re all feeling underslept after that early alarm.So what could be better than the promise of cheap coffee (not to mention a little feel good factor), which is exactly what Pret A Manger is promising customers who bring their own cup to stores from today.Starting on the 2 January, everyone who brings a reusa
  
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• Pregnant Celebrities 2018: Find Out Whose Babies Are Due This Year

  02-01-2018 16:24
  It can be hard to keep track of which celebrities are currently expecting babies, so we’ve rounded them up so you can keep up to date.Some celebs choose to reveal they are expecting with an announcement on social media, whereas others keep quiet until their baby bump is visible.   From Khloe Kardashian to Eva Longoria and Coleen Rooney, you can find all the famous mums- and dads-to-be in the gallery below.And don’t forget to keep checking back as we’ll be updatin
  
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• Gym Buddies: New Beginnings

  02-01-2018 16:20
  HelloI have mixed feelings about New Year’s Day. On one hand I hate the thought of having to get out of my PJs and start acting like a responsible adult again, but on the other today is about new beginnings and endless possibility for the year ahead.This is why we’re launching Gym Buddies, a digital fitness community to help you achieve your goals, whatever they may be. We’ll be sending daily newsletters (sign up here) filled with motivation to help you stay on track, advice on
  
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• Gym Buddies #1: New Beginnings

  02-01-2018 16:20
  Get this delivered to your inbox as part of our daily Gym Buddies newsletter.I have mixed feelings about New Year’s Day. On one hand I hate the thought of having to get out of my PJs and start acting like a responsible adult again, but on the other today is about new beginnings and endless possibility for the year ahead.This is why we’re launching Gym Buddies, a digital fitness community to help you achieve your goals, whatever they may be. We’ll be sending daily newsletters (s
  
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• Universities are under attack – time to drag the fight to a higher level | Stephen Curry

  02-01-2018 16:03 via theguardian.com
  For months, universities have been on trial in the court of public opinion. David Willetts’s new book shows them how to respond: with passion and sophisticationYesterday there appeared the latest in a long series of articles that, through the medium of superficial analysis, mounts a damaging attack on Britain’s universities. The piece, published by the BBC, rehearses the debates over tuition fees, student satisfaction, sky-high vice-chancellor salaries, and the universities minister&
  
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• Australian Flu: What You Need To Know After Fatalities Reported In Ireland

  02-01-2018 16:02
  Aussie flu has already taken lives in Ireland. So is it only a matter of time before the same happens across the rest of the UK?Recent media reports told of how the UK could be set for a “deadly flu outbreak”. But most experts agree that while this year’s flu strain of influenza A (H3N2) is particularly nasty, there is no need to panic.Professor John Oxford is one of the UK’s top experts on influenza and the scientific director for Oxford Media Medicine. He told Huff
  
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• UK sees an opening to overtake US and China in driverless cars

  02-01-2018 15:57 via ft.com
  Britain believes research from university-linked start-ups and relaxed regulation will be key
  
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• Here's Why London Travelcards Just Got More Expensive - Despite Sadiq Khan Suggesting He's 'Frozen' Fares

  02-01-2018 15:41
  Sadiq Khan became the target of commuters’ anger this morning after many workers found themselves paying more to travel in London - despite an announcement by the Mayor of a “TfL fares freeze”. Khan tweeted that Londoners “won’t pay a penny more on four million journeys a day” after it emerged that average rail ticket prices are rising across the country by 3.4% from today, the biggest annual increase since 2013.  “It’s a scandal tha
  
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• You're suffering from the rail fare rises - even if you've never caught a train

  02-01-2018 15:17
  
  Natalie Bennett on why trains must be brought back into public hands
  
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• Three big questions on cross-channel customs

  02-01-2018 14:53 via ft.com
  There are huge risks in terms of bureaucracy, gridlock and disrupted supply chains
  
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• Stowmarket Murder: Ex-Ukip Councillor Stephen Searle Charged Over Wife's Death

  02-01-2018 14:42
  A former Ukip councillor has appeared in court charged with the murder of his wife.Stephen Searle, 64, is accused of killing 62-year-old Anne Searle, who was found unresponsive at an address in Stowmarket, Suffolk, at 10.30pm on Saturday.Paramedics attended the address in The Brickfields but she was declared dead at the scene.Suffolk Police said a post-mortem examination was conducted on Sunday and further tests were needed.Ex-Royal Marine commando Searle, of The Brickfields, appeared at Ipswich
  
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• Miss The New Year 'Wolf Moon'? Here Are Some Stunning Photos Of 2018's Biggest Supermoon

  02-01-2018 14:34
  We might have only had two days of 2018 so far, but we’ve already seen one of the biggest lunar phenomenons of the calendar year.On New Year’s Day, the UK was treated to the ‘largest’ full moon of the next twelve months, as it reached the closest point in its orbit with Earth.As we tweet at 5pm on #NewYearsDay, the full moon will be at its closest point to Earth in an orbit, making this the 'biggest' full moon of 2018The first full moon of the year is often called the Wol
  
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• Liam Fox calls for end to 'obsessive' criticism of Brexit

  02-01-2018 14:32 via bbc.co.uk
  Liam Fox says the UK must 'lift its horizons' and focus on global opportunities, ahead of trip to China.
  
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• A Millennial View: Brexit Has Caused An Identity Crisis

  02-01-2018 14:05
  For baby boomers and Generation X, choosing to leave the European Union was a subconscious identity crave fuelled by a misplaced sense of patriotism that has had its definition distorted with each fleeting moment. The intention behind restoring the ‘good old times’ latched on to older voters and drained them of all sensibility.The strange phenomenon that is patriotism (whatever that means) taps into the lust for how things used to be. It’s a nostalgic feeling that cannot co-exi
  
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• Try Veganuary Or Just Keep Meat A Sunday Treat

  02-01-2018 13:59
  Another year over and I’ll bet the number one resolution will be to reconsider diet for fitness and general wellbeing. There has literally never been a better time to try reducing your meat and dairy intake as #Veganuary takes hold.I must confess I am loosely vegan.I’m sure this will result in some horror amidst my vegan community (who are thus far unaware of my flexitarian diet style). But I am genuinely ok with my stance on food and I think it makes the non-vegans more accepting of
  
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• New Year's Day: More Fuzz Than Fizz

  02-01-2018 13:55
  The first day of 2018 - a happily fuzzy sociable kind of a day for us - has concluded with a bright full moon in clear cloudless skies.  Our littlest one and I read books by the light of the moon before settling for a dreamy sleep.  His big brown eyes finally closed as I stroked his head and whispered an echo of our final read: “I love you to the moon, and back” (Guess How Much I Love You, S. McBratney)*.  I then settled our older boy who just needed one more cuddle af
  
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• The man who wakes up at 4am every day to feed the homeless

  02-01-2018 13:52
  
  Stan Robertson was once homeless himself - now he feeds rough sleepers
  
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• Who Shot Mick Carter? 'EastEnders' Fans Share Convincing Theory After Aidan's Heist Goes Wrong

  02-01-2018 13:15
  ‘EastEnders’ fans were left distraught when it appeared Mick Carter was shot at the end of the New Year’s Day episode, but fans have shared a convincing theory about the circumstances surrounding it. Many are certain that returnee Mel Owen (Tamzin Outhwaite) is the real brains behind Aidan Maguire’s botched robbery. The 1 January episode saw the heist plot take centre stage, as Aidan and his team of Phil, Mick, Vincent and Keanu staged a robbery, intercepting a
  
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• Virgin East Coast Forced To Apologise Over 'Sexist' Tweet

  02-01-2018 13:10
  Virgin East Coast has been forced to apologise after a message sent from its Twitter account was slammed as sexist.A customer called Emily Lucinda Cole tweeted to complain about the behaviour of a train manager on her journey: When virgin trains mess up and the older male train manager in the resulting conversation dismisses you with that hideously patronising word women shudder at in contexts such as these: "honey" @virgin_trainsEC.— Emily Lucinda Cole (@EmilyLucindaRC) January 2, 20
  
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• Transport Secretary Chris Grayling Under Fire For Visiting Qatar

  02-01-2018 13:07
  Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has come under fire after it emerged he was on a visit to Qatar on the same day millions of Britons faced inflation-busting rail rises.Labour hit out after Downing Street revealed that the minister was in the Gulf state to meet its Prime Minister, the CEOs of Qatar Investment Authority and Qatar Airways and finance and transport ministers.Average rail ticket prices have risen this week by 3.4% across the UK - the biggest increase to fares since 2013.Protes
  
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• Mums Discuss How To Respond When People Ask: 'Was Your Pregnancy Planned?'

  02-01-2018 13:06
  Telling your friends, family and colleagues that you’re pregnant is an exciting moment.But there’s nothing that dampens the mood more than someone replying to your baby news with the question: “Was it planned?”It might seem like an innocent question - especially if the person asking it is close to you - but it’s not always easy to answer. This is a topic parents on Mumsnet are debating after one woman wrote: “So far have just told parents [
  
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