Political news

• Tory MP Ben Bradley 'sorry' for blog post about jobless

  16-01-2018 23:13 via bbc.co.uk
  In 2012 Ben Bradley's blog post criticised what he called a "vast sea of unemployed wasters".
  
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• Recruitment, Brexit and the gender pay gap

  16-01-2018 22:57 via ft.com
  Patrick Jenkins and colleagues discuss the race to recruit the best MBA graduates, talks between City executives and the UK government on Brexit, and Citigroup's attempt to address the gender pay gap
  
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• Donald Trump's Health: 5 Things Revealed By US President's Medical Exam

  16-01-2018 22:07
  Donald Trump’s doctor has said he has “no concerns” about the state of the US president’s mental health, despite recent concerns raised about whether he was fit for duty.Dr Ronny Jackson told reporters that the President scored 30-out-of-30 during a cognitive screening exam requested by Trump himself and more broadly said  the 71-year-old commander-in-chief is in “excellent” health.Here Are 5 Things The Medical Exam Revealed:1. President scored 30-ou
  
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• Donald Trump's Doctor Has 'No Concerns' About US President's Mental Health

  16-01-2018 22:07
  Donald Trump’s doctor has said he has “no concerns” about the state of the US president’s mental health, despite recent concerns raised about whether he was fit for duty.Ronny Jackson told reporters that the President scored 30-out-of-30 during a cognitive screening exam requested by Trump himself.Broadly, the doctor said the 71-year-old commander-in-chief is in “excellent” health - although he could benefit from a lower-fat diet and more exercise, the White H
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn Says Carillion Bosses Should Hand Back Bonuses

  16-01-2018 21:49
  Jeremy Corbyn says bosses at collapsed construction firm Carillion should pay back bonuses they have earned to prevent smaller firms from going bust.The Labour leader said senior managers at the company, which employs 20,000 across the UK, should not be paid salaries because they had run the business in such a way as to put jobs at risk.He told broadcasters on Tuesday evening: “The bonuses should come back.“When there are people who are sub-contractors or small firms that are contrac
  
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• Power shift?

  16-01-2018 21:47 via bbc.co.uk
  What Momentum's election wins might mean for the future of the Labour Party.
  
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• Ben Bradley under fire for urging jobless to have vasectomies

  16-01-2018 21:35 via theguardian.com
  Tory MP and party vice-chair wrote in 2012 that unemployed should not have large familiesA Conservative MP who has been appointed as a party vice-chairman once suggested that unemployed people should opt for free vasectomies rather than continuing to have children they could not afford to support.In a blogpost, Ben Bradley claimed that the country would be soon “drowning in a vast sea of unemployed wasters” if workless families had four or five children while others limited themselve
  
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• Carillion was left with just £29m before going bankrupt

  16-01-2018 21:02 via bbc.co.uk
  Carillion held rescue talks with the government since October in a bid to stave off collapse, says boss.
  
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• Tory MP Ben Bradley Suggests Unemployed People Should Have Vasectomies

  16-01-2018 20:38
  A new Tory MP has apologised after he suggested unemployed people should have vasectomies to cut costs to the taxpayer.Ben Bradley - who is tasked with building the Conservatives’ youth vote - made the comments in a blog post in 2012, unearthed by BuzzFeed News.The Mansfield MP, who was made a party vice-chair in last week’s cabinet reshuffle, wrote that the UK was “drowning in a vast sea of unemployed wasters” because people on benefits were having too many children,&nbs
  
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• Momentum's Christine Shawcroft voted on to Labour disputes panel

  16-01-2018 19:52 via bbc.co.uk
  It comes after Momentum strengthened its grip on Labour's executive committee.
  
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• Tory 'Mutineer' Paul Masterton: 'Happy Clappy' Pro-Brexit Tories Won't Stop Me Standing Up To The Government

  16-01-2018 19:35
  Tory Brexit ‘mutineer’ Paul Masterton has attacked his “happy-clappy” colleagues who cheer “like a seal” whenever leaving the EU is mentioned.Masterton – one of 15 Tories dubbed a ‘Brexit mutineer’ by the Daily Telegraph – told HuffPost UK he was determined to hold the Government to account during the EU Withdrawal process, despite attacks from hostile media and fellow MPs.The East Renfrewshire MP was put on the Telegraph’s front
  
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• Momentum official replaces veteran chair of Labour's disputes panel

  16-01-2018 19:33 via theguardian.com
  Election of Christine Shawcroft follows Momentum-backed candidates winning NEC seatsSenior leftwing Labour figures have used their new dominance on the party’s governing body to immediately replace the longstanding chair of a key panel that considers disciplinary matters.The vote to remove Ann Black from her role on the disputes panel and replace her with Christine Shawcroft came a day after the balance of power on the national executive committee shifted further in Jeremy Corbyn’s f
  
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• Anglo-French defence co-operation marches on

  16-01-2018 19:30 via ft.com
  Emmanuel Macron’s visit to the UK is a chance to strengthen existing ties
  
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• UK and Japan look at public finance for Wylfa nuclear plant

  16-01-2018 19:18 via ft.com
  Softening of London’s previous refusal to commit funds to new reactors
  
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• Steve Bannon Subpoenaed By Special Counsel Russia Probe

  16-01-2018 18:54
  Steve Bannon has been subpoenaed to testify before a grand jury as part of a special counsel’s probe into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.The New York Times, which cited a person with direct knowledge of the matter in its report, said it marked the first time Special Counsel Robert Mueller has used such a move against a member of Donald Trump’s inner circle.A spokesman for the special counsel declined to comment on
  
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• Matt Damon Expresses Regret Over Sexual Harassment Comments: 'I Should Close My Mouth For A While'

  16-01-2018 18:52
  Matt Damon has admitted his regret over comments he made in relation to the #MeToo movement.The actor has taken heat on a number of occasions recently, after responding to the slew of sexual abuse allegations made against several key figures in Hollywood.First, Matt faced a backlash on social media when he suggested there was a “spectrum” when it came to sexual harassment, admitting he was concerned the issue was becoming “conflated”.Less than a week later, he rubbed
  
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• Kim Kardashian West And Kanye West's Surrogate Has Given Birth To Their Third Child

  16-01-2018 18:30
  Kim Kardashian West and Kanye West have just welcomed their third child, who was born via surrogate.The baby girl was born at 12:47am on 15 January, weighing 7lbs 6oz.“Kanye and I are happy to announce the arrival of our healthy, beautiful baby girl,” Kardashian West wrote on her website.“We are incredibly grateful to our surrogate who made our dreams come true with the greatest gift one could give and to our wonderful doctors and nurses for their special care.“North
  
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• Dying Migrants Too Scared To See A Doctor For Fear Of Deportation, MPs Are Warned

  16-01-2018 18:22
  Seriously ill migrants are too scared to seek medical treatment in the UK for fear of being deported, MPs were warned today.Experts told Parliament’s health select committee that data sharing systems between the NHS and Home Office leave many too scared to see a doctor, leading to people dying from treatable illnesses and pregnant women missing out on vital care.Marissa Begonia of Voice of Domestic Workers, which campaigns for recognition and representation for household workers, was reduc
  
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• France will not allow another 'Jungle' camp in Calais, says Macron

  16-01-2018 18:13 via bbc.co.uk
  France's president vows to prevent another camp as hundreds of migrants continue to gather in Calais.
  
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• This Mum Is Using Her Voice To Battle A 'Hidden Disability'

  16-01-2018 18:11
  Mother-of-one, Marsha Howe, has lived with sickle cell all her life. In order to survive her “hidden disability” she undergoes what is known as a blood exchanges, where her sickle cell blood is “exchanged” for regular blood.In the UK, the condition is common in people from an African or Caribbean family background. However, only three percent of donors who gave blood in the last 12 months are of black or Asian heritage, despite these ethnicities making up 1
  
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• Donald Tusk: EU's 'heart still open to UK' over Brexit

  16-01-2018 18:11 via bbc.co.uk
  The EU's "heart is still open to the UK" staying in, European Council President Donald Tusk says.
  
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• California Wildfire Survivor Shoots Hoops With The Harlem Globetrotters

  16-01-2018 17:41
  The Harlem Globetrotters honoured a special guest to their game Saturday 13th January.Ten year old Lilly Biagini is an amputee who recently lost her home and her prosthetic legs in the Northern California Wildfires. Lilly has since received new legs.The Globetrotters invited Biagini and her mum to a game in Oakland, California. She sat courtside, learned some tricks on the court with a basketball, danced and took pictures with the players.
  
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• Airbnb Lets You Pay Less Up Front

  16-01-2018 17:27
  If you’re feeling the January blues and in need of a holiday, then AirBnb’s latest feature could be the answer you (and your bank account) were looking for.In a bid to capture customers struggling to accommodate travel in their monthly budget, the brand has launched a ‘Pay Less Up Front’ option, where you can stagger payments on your rental. Although AirBnb often offers cheaper alternatives to standard hotels, the brand cited research that found as many as 1 in 10 Brits a
  
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• John Worboys Release: Government Shouldn't Interfere, Says Parole Board Chair

  16-01-2018 17:26
  The chairperson of the Parole Board has warned against “political interference” in its decisions, following an outcry over the impending release of black cab rapist John Worboys.Nick Hardwick delivered a staunch defence of the organisation after it faced intense criticism for directing one of Britain’s most notorious sex offenders be freed after a decade behind bars, the Press Association reported.It has emerged Worboys was denied a move to an open prison two years before
  
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• Can Lobsters Feel Pain? Switzerland Bans The Cooking Of Live Lobsters

  16-01-2018 17:15
  Switzerland has taken the decision to ban the cooking of live lobsters in boiling water, citing an animal rights argument.  The lobsters must now be knocked unconscious before boiling them, so they do not feel pain. 
  
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• Iceland Pledges To Plastic Free, Here's What Their Rivals Are Doing To Follow Suit

  16-01-2018 16:58
  Your food shop may never be the same again. The phase-out of single-use plastics in supermarkets has begun.Now that Iceland have pledged to be the first retailer in the world to make their own-brand products plastic-free by 2023, people have begun asking about their competitors too. So it seems inevitable that others will soon do the same.HuffPost UK asked Britain’s other major supermarkets what they were doing to address Britain’s plastic problem.WaitroseToday, Waitrose announc
  
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• Iceland Pledges To Be Plastic Free, Here's What Their Rivals Are Doing To Follow Suit

  16-01-2018 16:52
  Your food shop may never be the same again. The phase-out of single-use plastics in supermarkets has begun.Now that Iceland have pledged to be the first retailer in the world to make their own-brand products plastic-free by 2023, people have begun asking about their competitors too. So it seems inevitable that others will soon do the same.HuffPost UK asked Britain’s other major supermarkets what they were doing to address Britain’s plastic problem. WaitroseToday, Waitrose a
  
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• 15 Things You Only Know If You're Obsessed With Nut Butter

  16-01-2018 16:41
  It’s finally happened, 2018 is the year where peanut butter is set to overtake jam as Britain’s’ favourite breakfast spread, according to new research.In what has been described as part of a backlash against sugary foods, and the humble nut butter being acknowledged as a healthier alternative (apart from if you eat and entire tub, obvs), it is finally time for everyone else to realise what we’ve known all along: nut butter is the answer to all the world’s probl
  
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• Terror trial: Big Ben among terror targets, court hears

  16-01-2018 16:39 via bbc.co.uk
  A British man who was "fascinated" by so-called Islamic State targeted UK landmarks, court hears.
  
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• Watch As Tory MP Falls Asleep During Commons Debate On Brexit

  16-01-2018 16:37
   Brexit might be getting a bit boring for most people, but you would think MPs would at least manage to stay awake while it’s debated.But it seems that for Conservative MP Sir Desmond Swayne, the allure of catching some winks was just too much to resist in the Commons this afternoon.The MP for New Forest West let himself slip off to the Land of Nod while Tory veteran Ken Clarke was discussing the Charter for Fundamental Rights.Unfortunately for the 62-year-old, he was seated right beh
  
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• A Humpback Whale Tucked Me Under Its Fin And Saved Me From A Lurking Tiger Shark

  16-01-2018 16:34
  It went like this… I entered the water to film two humpback whales that appeared to be very “chilled out”. I needed skin samples and tail fluke ID’s. I have spent the past 28 years underwater with whales and with a go pro in hand and on this day I carefully slid over the side of the boat. Because I had brain surgery a year and a half ago, I am not allowed to dive anymore. I have severe epilepsy and ended up with an aneurysm needing surgical intervention.I was at the surf
  
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• Should private or public firms run public services?

  16-01-2018 16:33 via bbc.co.uk
  The moodbox, an unscientific test with a box and balls, is used to find out what the man and woman in the street think of the public and private sectors.
  
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• Anna Soubry on new Boris Johnson Brexit bus NHS claims

  16-01-2018 16:33 via bbc.co.uk
  People have been "conned" by claims on the side of a bus about extra money for the NHS, says Anna Soubry MP.
  
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• How Belgium, Germany, Iraq, Somalia, US and Antarctica cope

  16-01-2018 16:32 via bbc.co.uk
  Looking at how countries, or less defined areas, can function without an elected government.
  
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• Making Poverty History Is The Best Job In Government

  16-01-2018 16:31
  Poor old Penny Mordaunt, says Ian Birrell in The Times. He seems to think that she’s got the worst job in government but I disagree. While other new Cabinet Ministers struggle with crises they inherit from their predecessor, she’s been given a political and policy platform to secure her own place in history.On Channel 4 News this week, the UN World Food Programme explained that our generation is facing the worst humanitarian crisis since World War Two: battling the threat of four sep
  
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• Why Are We So Happy To Eat Meat Without Thinking About Death?

  16-01-2018 16:30
  Millie is on a journey to find out more about where our food is coming from; part of which follows piglet to plate. Read more about it here.On a wintery walk just before Christmas my dog came bounding up to me, tail wagging with delight and a tiny little skull in her mouth. She was so pleased with her find, but before she could crunch her way through it, I prized it out of her mouth. I gazed in wonder at this little skull for the rest of my walk, with it sitting perfectly snugly in the palm of m
  
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• Why Are People So Happy To Eat Meat Without Thinking About Death?

  16-01-2018 16:30
  Millie is on a journey to find out more about where our food is coming from; part of which follows piglet to plate. Read more about it here. On a wintery walk just before Christmas my dog came bounding up to me, tail wagging with delight and a tiny little skull in her mouth. She was so pleased with her find, but before she could crunch her way through it, I prized it out of her mouth. I gazed in wonder at this little skull for the rest of my walk, with it sitting perfectly snugly in the pal
  
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• Am I Faking It? Thoughts On Having An Invisible Illness

  16-01-2018 16:30
  I look perfectly well.I can get out of bed. I shower, I wear clean clothes. I apply make up. I smile and chat and laugh.But I’m not ok, I’m far from it. I was severely depressed in March of this year. My medication had been lowered and it wasn’t working as it used to. I was left feeling like I was on the edge of a precipice, and I was barely clinging on. At the time of writing, my medication has been reviewed and increased, and I’m feeling more stable, more like myself. B
  
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• Five Things Every Stay At Home Dad Knows...

  16-01-2018 16:29
  It started with a sixth sense. I could feel she was there - just in my blind spot, hovering.I turned to discover a lady, of indeterminate age (somewhere between 70 and deceased) watching me with a growing amount of displeasure. Not knowing what to say, I smiled. She didn’t reciprocate, instead she chose to tut.I took this as my cue to vacate the supermarket aisle - so I began to push the pram away. This, it would seem, was the wrong thing to do. The lady grabbed my arm. “He won&rsquo
  
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• Carillion Leaked Internal Memo Orders Staff To Stay Silent

  16-01-2018 16:17
  Worried staff at collapsed construction firm Carillion have been warned not to speak to media and to keep their concerns and questions private, a leaked internal memo reveals.Bosses issued the directive to the firm’s 20,000 UK staff just minutes after news of the company’s collapse was reported on Monday.“Do not speak to the media and be careful not to share any information on social media as this will be unhelpful to all of us,” the memo, obtained by HuffPost UK, states.
  
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• Ford Announces Huge $11bn Investment In Electric Cars

  16-01-2018 16:14
  The Ford motor company has announced that it will be doubling its current investment into electric vehicles to a whopping $11bn and has promised that it will offer some 40 hybrid and electric cars by 2020.According to Ford it will offer 16 fully-electric cars and 24 hybrids by the self-imposed deadline.Rather than building new models, Chairman Bill Ford confirmed that the company’s approach would be to electrify current vehicles.“We’re all in on this and we’re taking our
  
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• L'Oreal Features Hijab-Wearing Amena Khan In 'Game Changing' New Hair Campaign

  16-01-2018 16:08
  L’Oreal has become the first major international brand to cast a woman in a hijab in a hair campaign, explaining that hair care is of interest to everyone, whether you choose to show your hair in public, or not.Blogger and model Amena Khan, who also worked with the French brand on their 2017 collaboration with The Prince’s Trust, wrote on her Instagram that this was a “game changing” new project.“You have to wonder – why is it presumed that women that don&rsqu
  
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• Carillion Collapse: 2,000 Apprentices 'Left In The Lurch,' Says Angela Rayner

  16-01-2018 16:06
  As many as 2,000 young apprentices were “left in the lurch” by Carillion’s collapse, Angela Rayner has told HuffPost UK.The Shadow Education Secretary said it was “imperative” the Government intervenes to find placements for the scores of apprentices cut adrift by the failed outsourcing and construction giant.Carillion - which employs around 20,000 people - went into liquidation after issuing a major profits warning last year.It has public sector or public/private p
  
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• How To Make The Most Of The Breakfast Buffet While Travelling On Business

  16-01-2018 16:00
  You may not think it, but it's absolutely possible to stick to your healthy diet when you're travelling on business. We're living in a time of accessible healthy choices and the breakfast buffet at your hotel is a great example of the abundance of healthy foods on offer.I believe it's important for each individual to try different things in the morning and see what works for them. I'll tell a client to consider the day ahead when thinking about the best food choices to make when they're travelli
  
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• Does MP Sir Desmond Swayne nod off in Ken Clarke's speech?

  16-01-2018 15:44 via bbc.co.uk
  Sir Desmond Swayne seems very relaxed during his colleague's speech on the EU Withdrawal Bill.
  
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• Wayward Wallaby Flees Police Over Sydney Harbour Bridge

  16-01-2018 15:37
  A wayward wallaby disrupted downtown traffic by bounding across the Sydney Harbour Bridge early Tuesday morning, with police in hot pursuit.The startled wallaby hopped across the bridge’s eight lanes of traffic an hour before sunrise then turned onto an expressway toward the Sydney Opera House.A pursuing police car with flashing lights videoed the animal’s steady bounding before a police officer captured him and wrangled him into a horse float.Veterinarian Larry Vogelnest said the wa
  
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• Top Tips For A Great Veganuary

  16-01-2018 15:34
  The chances are your cupboards are already full of plant-based items, even without you knowing it. Peanut butter, yeast extracts, jams and marmalades, baked beans, dried pasta, rice, almost all bread, many types of gravy granules, vegetable stock cubes, chopped tomatoes, oven chips and hash browns, coconut milk, lots of curry pastes, many breakfast cereals, herbs, spices, tomato ketchup and HP sauce, mustard and pickles, olive oil and vegetable oils, soy sauce, fruit juice, tea and coffee, lots
  
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• I Ran For Labour's NEC To Bring People Together And Get Jeremy Corbyn Into Number Ten

  16-01-2018 15:22
  On Monday, I nipped out of my workplace at lunchtime to check my phone.Sifting through an avalanche of over 700 unread notifications on my Twitter, I discovered to my elation that with 68,388 votes, I had topped the ballot in Labour’s National Executive Committee elections.My comrades and fellow Centre Left Grassroots Alliance-backed candidates, Jon Lansman and Rachel Garnham, were not far behind me in votes, and both were successfully elected.From the bottom of my heart, I wholeheartedly
  
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• UK still has time to change its mind about Brexit, says EU chief Donald Tusk - Politics live

  16-01-2018 15:01 via theguardian.com
  Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happenWhat Donald Tusk told MEPs about Brexit 2.01pm GMT Anna Soubry, the Conservative former business minister and diehard pro-European, told the Daily Politics earlier that she was “surprised and disappointing” that Boris Johnson has chosen to resurrect the claim about Brexit saving the government £350m a week. She said:This is not going to be extra money that will be going to our NHS ….I’m very d
  
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• Why I Admire Gwyneth’s 'Give It A Go' Attitude To Her Second Marriage

  16-01-2018 14:57
  After the “conscious uncoupling” (i.e. separating) announcement a few years ago, we are probably quick to cringe at Gwyneth Paltrow’s choice of words. So, when last week she said she was going to “give [marriage] a go” again, maybe we rolled our eyes a bit and thought the words told us everything we needed to know about typical celebrity flippant-ness towards the union.But I don’t think anyone approaches marriage without a big, heavy dose of seriousness. Start
  
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