Political news

• RBS chairman: PFI has been a fraud

  18-01-2018 23:13 via bbc.co.uk
  Royal Bank of Scotland chairman Howard Davies calls the private finance initiative a "fraud".
  
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• Emmanuel Macron Dismisses 'Special' Brexit Deal As 'Hypocrisy' In Blow To Theresa May

  18-01-2018 21:03
  French President Emmanuel Macron flatly ruled out a unique deal on single market access for the UK and warned Theresa May against Brex “hypocrisy”. A joint press conference at Sandhurst was designed to accentuate blossoming Anglo-French relations, with May agreeing more cash to prevent migrants from crossing the channel at Calais and Macron confirming a loan of the Bayeux Tapestry to the UK. But the cordial mood was shattered when journalists raised the spectre of Brexit.Ma
  
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• Tory MP Kemi Badenoch Says Young People Have 'Puritanical' View Of Sexual Harassment

  18-01-2018 21:01
  Young people have a “puritanical” view of what counts as sexual harassment, a senior Tory MP has said.Kemi Badenoch, a vice chairman of the party, also said recent criticisms of the TV show Friends for homophobia showed “something has gone wrong somewhere” in society.“I remember having a discussion with someone and even what we thought was quite liberal is now seen as quite conservative and vice versa. Attitudes that we thought were quite conservative are now seen a
  
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• Emmanuel Macron rejects special access for City after Brexit

  18-01-2018 20:46 via ft.com
  French leader invites UK to ‘be my guest’ in single market if it pays and obeys rules
  
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• NASA Is Testing A Mini Nuclear Reactor To Power Astronauts On Mars

  18-01-2018 20:43
  NASA has confirmed that some initial tests on a revolutionary new nuclear power system designed for Mars were successful, paving the way for a full-scale test of the system in March.Called Kilopower, it is in effect a miniature version of the fission reactors that we see powering thousands of homes around the world today.Unlike those large vast complex sites, the Kilopower produces just 1-10KW of power, enough to power more than your average home.Eventually the plan is to send several of these a
  
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• Anthony Small, Former Boxer Charged, With Terror Offence

  18-01-2018 20:30
  British boxing champion-turned Muslim convert Anthony Small has been charged with encouraging terrorism, police said.The 36-year-old, from south east London, is accused of encouraging acts of terrorism after posting a video on social media in September 2016, according to Scotland Yard.Anthony Small, 36 is due to appear at #Westminster Magistrates' Court on 24 Jan charged with encouraging acts of terrorism https://t.co/buakCrVqw4pic.twitter.com/M57V3eGrZt— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk)
  
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• No top ministers met Carillion in wake of profit alert, records show

  18-01-2018 20:07 via ft.com
  Collapsed contractor still awarded six government contracts in late 2017
  
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• Brexit blow as satellite monitoring centre moves from UK to Spain

  18-01-2018 20:00 via theguardian.com
  European commission moves to ensure complete Galileo satnav infrastructure remains in an EU countryBritain has suffered another Brexit blow after the EU decided to relocate a key satellite monitoring centre from the UK to Spain. The UK won the contract in 2010 to provide the backup monitoring centre for the Galileo satellite navigation system, which was launched by the EU in late 2016 and will eventually involve 30 satellites. Continue reading...
  
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• Police probe British Steel pension fraud claims

  18-01-2018 19:46 via ft.com
  Only half of transfers of retirement cash by Port Talbot workers were suitable, says FCA
  
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• Henry Bolton Could Survive As Ukip Leader Because Party Can't Afford Contest To Replace Him

  18-01-2018 19:38
  Henry Bolton could survive being ousted as Ukip leader because the party cannot afford to hold a contest to replace him.HuffPost UK has learned Ukip’s finances are in such a state that it would struggle to stump up the cash for what would be its fourth leadership contest in 15 months.A well-placed source said a fresh leadership election to replace the under-fire Bolton could cost between £30,000 and £60,000, and it might need to axe staff in order to finance the contest.Accordi
  
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• Entente kept cordiale as May and Macron test relationship

  18-01-2018 19:36 via ft.com
  Franco-British summit skirts Brexit to focus on shared interests
  
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• The Last Five Years Have Been Revolutionary For Mental Illness, But Is Schizophrenia Still Left Behind?

  18-01-2018 18:22
  Five years ago the Schizophrenia Commission published a ground-breaking report called Schizophrenia - The Abandoned Illness. It revealed a complex and dysfunctional system that could not deliver quality treatment or support for people with schizophrenia with shocking consequences, including the fact that people with schizophrenia on average die up to 20 years earlier than those without, largely down to avoidable health complications. The report also set out a series of practical recommendations
  
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• One Year On From Trump's Inauguration We Want To Fight The Racism He Spouts

  18-01-2018 18:22
  So Donald Trump has cancelled his planned visit to Britain in February. He blamed the deal Barack Obama cut on the building of the US embassy. But we all know that Trump is running scared of the scale of protest his visit would ignite.Millions of ordinary people were outraged by Theresa May’s offer of a state visit to Donald Trump. Trump has overstepped every line of acceptable political practice. That’s why if he comes to Britain at any point he will undoubtedly face one o
  
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• Brigitte Bardot Faces Backlash Over Criticism Of Actresses In #MeToo Movement

  18-01-2018 18:19
  Veteran film actress Brigitte Bardot has taken heat for comments about the #MeToo movement, after accusing those who’ve spoken out against harassment in Hollywood “hypocritical”.In an interview with Paris Match magazine, Brigitte controversially claimed that the “vast majority” of those who have involved themselves in the movement are “hypocritical”, “ridiculous” and “uninteresting”, due to her belief “there are many actress
  
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• Brexit Briefing: 'I Just Want EU Back For Good'

  18-01-2018 18:01
  The EU Withdrawal Bill cleared its final Commons hurdle last night with little controversy.Indeed, the main highlight from the debates this week was Brexit-backing MP Sir Desmond Swayne falling asleep as the pro-EU Ken Clarke gave a speech.Sir Desmond blamed his power-nap on a 5.30am swim in the Serpentine, but some felt he faked the whole thing to mock Clarke.During a two-hour voting period, the Government saw off all the amendments, and the Bill was sent up to the Lords with a Commons majority
  
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• We Need To Talk About Traumatic Abortions

  18-01-2018 17:51
  Content warning: this blog contains graphic descriptions of abortionRecently in /r/relationships (a Reddit forum where people can ask for personal advice), there was a post by a woman seeking support after a traumatic abortion. The post has now been removed, but it’s been preying on my mind. The responses by a large portion of users to her requests for help were frankly awful. They accused her of being a troll pro-life account, and insisted that her description of her experience was comple
  
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• Esther McVey's First Priority Must Be Fixing Employment And Support Allowance

  18-01-2018 17:43
  Can you pick up a pound coin? Or put a pen in your top pocket?Well good news, you’re well enough to work - just like thousands of people with the most severe conditions. That is, according to the Department for Work and Pensions’ broken test for sickness benefit Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).ESA is a lifeline for anyone who is too unwell to work as a result of their condition. It’s designed to fully replace a person’s income, so getting access to it is essential
  
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• Yvette Cooper Blasts Britain's Track Record On Refugees As France Talks Tough On Calais

  18-01-2018 17:42
  Britain must honour its agreement to bring hundreds of unaccompanied child refugees to Britain, having “dragged its feet”, a senior MP said, as France urges Britain to do more to deal with migrants living rough in Calais.Emmanuel Macron is urging Theresa May to take in more migrants from among those who have gathered around the Calais camp, as they meet to discuss the Le Touquet Treaty, a British-French agreement that allows both countries to operate border control in the other.As Ma
  
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• Yvette Cooper Blasts Britain's Refugee Track Record As France Talks Tough On Calais Situation

  18-01-2018 17:42
  Britain must honour its agreement to bring hundreds of unaccompanied child refugees to Britain, having “dragged its feet”, a senior MP said, as France urges Britain to do more to deal with migrants living rough in Calais.Emmanuel Macron is urging Theresa May to take in more migrants from among those who have gathered around the Calais camp, as they meet to discuss the Le Touquet Treaty, a British-French agreement that allows both countries to operate border control in the other.As Ma
  
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• Nick Grimshaw Hails Brits Critics Choice Winner Jorja Smith As Best 'British Voice Since Amy Winehouse'

  18-01-2018 17:41
  Having been won the Brits Critics Choice Award, Jorja Smith is about to be catapulted into the public eye, but it seems she’s already got one big fan in Nick Grimshaw.The Radio 1 Breakfast show host has hailed the ‘Let Me Down’ singer as his “favourite British voice since Amy Winehouse”.Speaking to HuffPost UK on an episode of ‘BUILD’ about this year’s Brits nominations, Grimmy admitted he is tipping her and rapper J Hus for big things in 2018.&nbs
  
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• When Is Household Debt A Problem?

  18-01-2018 17:40
  Recent years have seen growing concern about the amount of unsecured debt held by UK households. On the Bank of England’s measure, the total size of this sort of debt – which includes credit card debt, unsecured loans from banks, and car finance debt – has been growing at around 10% per year in last few years, and now stands at over £200 billion. Lots of this debt is held by a relatively small group of households – 10% of households have debts of £10,000 or mo
  
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• Royal Bank Of Scotland Accused Of 'Largest Theft Anywhere, Ever,' By Labour MP Clive Lewis

  18-01-2018 17:40
  Royal Bank of Scotland was accused of “the largest theft anywhere, ever” because of its treatment of struggling small businesses.Labour MP Clive Lewis made the dramatic claim during a debate in the Commons on how the bank’s global restructuring group (GRG) operated.MPs heard GRG “was more like an abattoir” where firms were taken apart, as well as suggestions this was part of an “intended and co-ordinated strategy”.It comes as a shocking internal memo use
  
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• European Investment Bank lending in UK falls sharply

  18-01-2018 17:31 via ft.com
  Brexit uncertainties spook project promoters and throw up legal complications
  
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• Leadsom criticised for letting MPs delay parliament refurb decision - Politics live

  18-01-2018 17:29 via theguardian.com
  Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen, including Theresa May’s press conference with Emmanuel Macron 4.29pm GMT There has been some speculation among the political classes in the Irish Republic that Leo Varadkar might go for broke this Spring and call a general election. The theory is that the Taoiseach who leads a minority coalition might gain encouragement from the next major opinion poll on the state of Irish parties at the end of January and consider
  
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• Westminster repair works in doubt as MPs get vote on £4bn cost

  18-01-2018 17:27 via theguardian.com
  Motion allows for a review to be conducted on whether there is a need for ‘comprehensive works’A £4bn restoration of the crumbling Palace of Westminster could be kicked into the long grass after the government said MPs would get a vote this month on whether the cost of the repairs could be justified.Andrea Leadsom, the leader of the House of Commons, said MPs would be asked to vote on a motion authorising the repairs to go ahead but with a review before the end of 2022 on wheth
  
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• Meghan Markle Wears Welsh Jeans Brand Hiut Denim During Cardiff Visit

  18-01-2018 17:19
  Prince Harry’s bride-to-be may still only just be coming to terms with her newfound Meghan Markle effect, but she’s already harnessing it to shine a spotlight on local talent.Markle was spotted wearing Dina skinny fit high waist jeans from Welsh brand Hiut Denim Co. while visiting Cardiff Castle with her fiancé on 18 January.She may be following in the Duchess of Cambridge’s footsteps, as her future sister-in-law is known to use her appearances to support
  
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• Rosena Allin-Khan on Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh

  18-01-2018 17:18 via bbc.co.uk
  An MP describes meeting people who had been gang-raped, seen their husbands murdered and their babies thrown on to a fire.
  
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• Don’t Be Fooled Into Thinking Economics Is Not For You

  18-01-2018 17:18
  “Economy” can be a scary and complex word few of us want to discuss. When the economy is talked about by politicians or on the news, it’s laced with jargon about “quantitative easing” and “stock market bubbles”, making it hard to understand how it relates to our lives. Perhaps, therefore, it isn’t surprising that following the UK Brexit vote 45 percent of British people surveyed admitted they did not understand the consequences Brexit would have on
  
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• Northern Ireland parties to meet for fresh power-sharing talks

  18-01-2018 17:17 via ft.com
  London and Dublin in push to break deadlock between DUP and Sinn Féin
  
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• Grenfell councillors face no confidence vote over housing failings

  18-01-2018 17:06 via theguardian.com
  Kensington and Chelsea council members accused of being unfit to manage borough’s homesCouncillors in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) are facing a vote of no confidence over the way they are managing housing in the borough after the Grenfell Tower fire.At a meeting of the council’s Grenfell recovery scrutiny committee on Thursday night, Joe Delaney – a local campaigner and coopted member of the committee – will propose a vote on the conduct of another c
  
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• Did A BBC Breakfast Host Discussing The French President Just Make A Quip About ‘Frogs’?

  18-01-2018 17:04
  I was amazed that Naga Munchetty cracked an amazing Joke following a discussion on French negotiations on @BBCBreakfast Total respect to you Naga pic.twitter.com/uA2SoOwgFD— The Mystery Man (@GuessWhoMan) January 18, 2018
  A BBC Breakfast host raised eyebrows on Thursday by making what some viewers interpreted as a subtle quip about “frogs” during a report about French President Emmanuel Macron’s UK visit.Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt were speaking to Tory MP Tom Tugend
  
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• Emily Maitlis Details Fears Her Stalker Will Never Stop Harassing Her

  18-01-2018 16:56
  Emily Maitlis has spoken of her fears that her stalker will never stop harassing her and compared enduring his intrusions on her life to living with a “chronic illness”.Days after her former friend, Edward Vines, was jailed for almost four years for breaching a restraining order, the Newsnight presenter detailed the stress of being harassed for two decades to BBC colleague Emma Barnett in a “powerful and raw account”.Vines, 47, was first convicted of harassing Maitli
  
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• BBC Breakfast Host's ‘Frogs’ Remark Was Rather Unfortunately Timed

  18-01-2018 16:56
  A BBC Breakfast host raised eyebrows on Thursday by making what some viewers interpreted as a subtle quip about “frogs” during a report about French President Emmanuel Macron’s UK visit.Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt were speaking to Tory MP Tom Tugendhat, chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, about the trip which saw Macron hosted by Theresa May at the British military academy in Sandhurst. May has pledged £44m to strengthen Britain’s border control
  
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• NHS data sharing with the Home Office is putting lives at risk

  18-01-2018 16:47
  
  Vulnerable migrants are too afraid to seek medical help
  
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• This Is The World's Longest Underwater Cave

  18-01-2018 16:42
  A team of explorers have connected two of the largest flooded cavern systems in the world in Mexico on Wednesday, making the new connected system the largest known flooded cave on Earth.The Sac Actun System, now the largest in the world, has a length of 216 miles of flooded cave.
  
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• Stormont: Fresh NI devolution talks announced

  18-01-2018 16:34 via bbc.co.uk
  Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley says there is an opportunity to make progress at Stormont.
  
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• UK forms task force to support small businesses after Carillion collapse

  18-01-2018 16:33 via ft.com
  Group will include representatives from unions, banks, construction industry and government
  
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• Entente cordiale?

  18-01-2018 16:32 via bbc.co.uk
  BBC deputy political editor John Pienaar looks at the significance of the UK-France summit against the backdrop of Brexit.
  
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• Women In Labour Could Boost Chances Of Avoiding A Caesarean With Bicarbonate Of Soda

  18-01-2018 16:30
  Mums-to-be could have an increased the chance of having a vaginal birth if they are given bicarbonate of soda by medical professionals, a study suggests.Professor Susan Wray, from the University of Liverpool, and a team of researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, gave bicarbonate of soda to 100 women in labour experiencing difficulties, as well as oxytocin.Another 100 women were treated with just oxytocin. The results, published in the journal of Maternal-
  
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• Has Trump Helped Turn The Tide For Women's Equality?

  18-01-2018 16:11
  Donald Trump is not an American president who will be easily forgotten. There are many reasons why, and most of them aren’t exactly positive.Insulting the entire African continent by describing unspecified African nations as shitholes is possibly up there as one of his most hideously memorable moments to date.But perhaps he has, inadvertently, done a greater good for the world in his short time in the White House.Stay with me here.Yes, he appears to shoot off his mouth like a petulant chil
  
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• Why I helped bring the Dutch case over Britons’ EU rights | Jolyon Maugham

  18-01-2018 16:05 via theguardian.com
  This could transform the Brexit fate of UK citizens abroad, and also the negotiations as a wholeSpare a thought for the million-odd UK citizens living in Europe.The Conservative manifesto of 2015 promised to scrap the rules barring those who had lived abroad for more than 15 years from voting. Still, long-term British expats were denied the chance to vote in the EU referendum the following year. Continue reading...
  
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• 2 Sisters chicken supplier 'sent MPs Christmas biscuits'

  18-01-2018 16:04 via bbc.co.uk
  The chicken supplier is being investigated for alleged breaches of food safety and hygiene concerns.
  
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• Everything you need to know about the Brexit endgame in five minutes

  18-01-2018 16:00
  
  Your down-and-dirty guide to the Brexit year ahead, from the fight over transition to the chances of a second referendum.
  
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• Macron meets May amid UK Conservative party tensions over Calais

  18-01-2018 15:58 via ft.com
  British PM agrees to pay £44.5m for tighter border controls in northern France
  
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• Macron meets May amid Tory tensions over Calais

  18-01-2018 15:58 via ft.com
  British PM agrees to pay £44.5m for tighter border controls in northern France
  
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• Daily Politics debate

  18-01-2018 15:45 via bbc.co.uk
  Why are MPs more likely to be male, highly educated and live in the south of England?
  
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• UK government pressed over Carillion pension deficit

  18-01-2018 15:05 via ft.com
  Funding gap nearly doubled from £317m in 2015 to £587m at the end of 2016
  
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• The Duke Of Cambridge Debuts Shaved Head

  18-01-2018 15:02
  The Duke of Cambridge has debuted a new hair ’do - his shortest ever.Prince William sported a newly shaved head, when visiting the Evelina London Children’s hospital to celebrate the national rollout of the ‘Step into Health’ programme, on  Thursday 18 January.The Prince has had close crop for a while, but this is the closest shave he has had to date.The Duke has kept his hair very short since June 2016. Here’s how his (already short) hair looked on Tuesda
  
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• Millennial politicians face up to their online past

  18-01-2018 15:02 via ft.com
  Three prominent UK MPs show the challenges of growing up with social media
  
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• Corbyn on Carillion: we'll end outsourcing 'racket' in rule change

  18-01-2018 15:01 via theguardian.com
  Public sector would become first choice to provide government services, says Labour leader ‘I’m JC’: read the full interview with Jeremy CorbynLabour will call a halt to the “outsourcing racket” exposed by Carillion’s collapse, by tearing up procurement rules to make the public sector the default choice for providing government services, Jeremy Corbyn has revealed.Carillion’s collapse has emboldened Corbyn to press home his message that Labour rejects th
  
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