Political news

• Theresa May appeals to investors to tackle internet hate

  24-01-2018 23:45 via ft.com
  Be prepared to sell stocks in tech groups that host extremist content, PM tells Davos
  
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• Theresa May appeal to investors to tackle internet hate

  24-01-2018 23:45 via ft.com
  Be prepared to sell stocks in tech groups that host extremist content, PM to tell Davos
  
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• Guest At Men-Only Presidents Club Dinner Said He Was Glad Daughter Wasn't There, Waitress Claims

  24-01-2018 23:44
  Hostesses at the controversial men-only dinner held by the Presidents Club were considered “play things” for men to “gawp at” and touch, a waitress has said.The woman, aged in her 20s, claimed some of the women who then went to an after-party were treated by a number of men there as if they were sex workers.Speaking anonymously to ITV News, she described how she had been made to feel very uncomfortable during the evening and was shocked by the behaviour of some of th
  
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• Presidents Club to close after harassment scandal

  24-01-2018 22:01 via ft.com
  Politicians, business leaders and beneficiaries line up to denounce fundraising event
  
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• Mark E Smith, Frontman Of 'The Fall', Dies Aged 60

  24-01-2018 21:57
  The Fall singer Mark E Smith died aged 60 at home on Wednesday morning, the band’s manager Pam Van Damned said.A statement on the band’s Twitter account said: “It is with deep regret that we announce the passing of Mark E. Smith.“He passed this morning at home. A more detailed statement will follow in the next few days. In the meantime, Pam & Mark’s family request privacy at this sad time.”Last year the band were forced to cancel a string of shows due
  
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• Pressure mounts for release of Carillion risk assessments

  24-01-2018 21:32 via ft.com
  Labour retries Brexit manoeuvre to try and force release of government papers
  
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• Presidents Club Co-Chair David Meller Donated £3,250 To Michael Gove's Leadership Campaign

  24-01-2018 20:49
  The co-chair of the disgraced Presidents Club was a donor to Michael Gove’s leadership campaign - and gave more than 65,000 to the Tory party as a whole.David Meller, who was on Wednesday forced to quit as a non-executive director of the Department for Education’s board, gave £3,250 to the former Education Secretary’s failed bid to replace David Cameron in 2016.Meller was lined up to be finance chief for Gove’s ill-fated leadership campaign, which ended with him pul
  
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• How One Woman Faced Disturbing Levels Of Harassment Working In Restaurants And Bars

  24-01-2018 20:33
  An explosive Financial Times report of the Presidents Club Charity Dinner, self-billed as “the most un-PC event of the year”, has revealed how “tall, thin and pretty” women were recruited as hostesses to serve big names in business.Undercover reporter Madison Marriage detailed how the women were groped, subjected to lewd comments and invited to the attendee’s bedrooms.However in November, we reported on everyday experiences of sexual harassment a
  
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• Presidents Club Chair David Meller Donated £3,250 To Michael Gove's Leadership Campaign

  24-01-2018 20:15
  The co-chair of the disgraced Presidents Club was a donor to Michael Gove’s leadership campaign - and gave more than £65,000 to the Tory party as a whole.David Meller, who was on Wednesday forced to quit as a non-executive director of the Department for Education’s board, gave £3,250 to the former Education Secretary’s failed bid to replace David Cameron in 2016.Meller was lined up to be finance chief for Gove’s ill-fated leadership campaign, which ended with
  
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• Brexit was a ‘mistake, not a disaster’, says Cameron

  24-01-2018 20:14 via ft.com
  Former UK leader says leaving EU ‘turned out less badly than we thought’
  
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• Brexit ‘a mistake, not a disaster’, says Cameron

  24-01-2018 20:14 via ft.com
  Former UK leader says leaving EU ‘turned out less badly than we thought’
  
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• How One Woman Faced A Disturbing Amount Of Harassment Working In Restaurants And Bars

  24-01-2018 19:47
  In November, we reported on women’s everyday experiences of sexual harassment at work.After an explosive Financial Times story about how women were treated a all-male charity event where they were hired to entertain prominent men, we re-publish the story of one woman who faced a disturbing amount of incidents working in restaurants and bars.Natalia Ribbe-Szrok has worked in restaurants and bars in London and New York and has had a number of disturbing incidents both here and across the Atl
  
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• Presidents Club to close after FT exposes harassment at event

  24-01-2018 19:35 via ft.com
  Politicians, business leaders and charities line up to express dismay at revelations
  
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• UK politicians express ‘revulsion’ over Presidents Club reports

  24-01-2018 19:30 via ft.com
  MP says women were treated as ‘bait’ at elite London charity dinner
  
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• Trade Minister Reveals Government Couldn't Cope If Existing EU Deals Are Reopened

  24-01-2018 19:22
  A Trade Minister has let slip the Government would be unable to cope if countries with EU trade deals wanted to renegotiate them with the UK before Brexit.International Trade Minister Greg Hands admitted to MPs that if all those countries which currently have an agreement with the EU wished to reopen talks to get a better deal, the UK would struggle to carry out negotiations.The Government is under pressure to lock-down trade deals with more than 65 countries which the UK is set to lose after Br
  
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• Elton John Announces Retirement From Touring After 50 Years

  24-01-2018 19:15
  Elton John has announced his retirement from touring, after 50 years of performing around the world.The ‘Rocket Man’ superstar revealed the news on Wednesday (24 January), explaining that he will go on one, final (three year!) tour, which starts this September.Speaking at a press conference in New York, where he was being interviewed by Anderson Cooper, he said: “The announcement is that I am not going to be touring any more apart from the one that starts this September.”
  
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• David Davis is so far through the looking-glass, he's beyond help | John Crace

  24-01-2018 19:09 via theguardian.com
  He’s free to change his mind on any details of Brexit any time he likes, select committee discoversIt could have been a scene from The Office. One in which David Brent had been summoned to HQ for a performance appraisal. One where he died on his feet while believing he was nailing it. Only for David Brent read David Davis.The Brexit secretary smiled broadly as he began his latest appearance before the select committee. He was feeling the love already. The chairman, Hilary Benn, chose to pu
  
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• Cameron caught on camera calling Brexit a 'mistake, not a disaster'

  24-01-2018 18:55 via theguardian.com
  Former prime minister says Brexit has ‘turned out less badly than we first thought’ David Cameron has called Brexit a “mistake, not a disaster” in unguarded comments caught on camera at the World Economic Forum in Davos.The former prime minister said leaving the EU had not been as catastrophic as predicted. Speaking to the steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal, Cameron said the process of leaving the EU was “still going to be difficult”. Continue reading...
  
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• UK justice minister urges going ‘back to basics’ to improve prisons

  24-01-2018 18:52 via ft.com
  Comments contradict report blaming Liverpool jail’s problems on lack of resources
  
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• Presidents Club, Charity At Centre Of Lurid Harassment Claims, To Close Down

  24-01-2018 18:52
  The Presidents Club, the charitable trust that hosted a men-only charity gala where women hostesses were allegedly sexually harassed, is to close down.“The Trustees have decided that the Presidents Club will not host any further fundraising events,” a spokesman told Bloomberg News.“Remaining funds will be distributed in an efficient manner to children’s charities and it will then be closed.”At the event, two undercover Financial Times reporters posed as ho
  
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• UK Treasury accused of taking soft line on Amazon

  24-01-2018 18:05 via ft.com
  Revenue official made comment when tech group was being pressed about VAT evasion
  
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• How To React When Someone Comes Out

  24-01-2018 17:54
  Coming out is so much more complicated than you could even begin to wonder if it’s something that you have never done. For me, coming out as Bisexual was to the four most important people in my life; my best friend of all time, my sister, my parents. Everyone from there has been pretty easy. But coming out, or being out, is a process, not just one event.‘Tell me your coming out story?’‘Which one?’~ Below Her MouthIt’s not coming out to one person, then everyon
  
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• How Having A Transgender Parent Changed Me

  24-01-2018 17:53
  I honestly never thought I’d write about this anywhere but in the privacy of my own diary. It’s obvious from the title what the content of this blog will be and I know even before I’ve written anything substantial, that this could be seen as controversial and some people might not like what I have to say.To those people I have to say, I really don’t care. This blog post is based on MY experiences and MY life and anything you can say to the contrary really doesn’t ma
  
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• To Give Or Not To Give? It’s A Question Many Of Us Grapple With Every Day

  24-01-2018 17:52
  Homelessness has been hitting the news recently, sparking a national debate around the question we get asked most often. Should we give money to homeless people on the streets, or not?Earlier this week, Gloucester City Council posters appeared, suggesting not all rough sleepers are homeless and urging people to “think” before handing over change.Critics claim the posters were designed to make the public “suspicious” of homeless people and to believe that many rough s
  
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• Why Do More And More Young People Support Corbyn? One Word: Carillion

  24-01-2018 17:51
  Not too long ago, the Government claimed that things were getting better. Our economy was improving, and Brexit wasn’t going to be detrimental to us, but rather an opportunity.Then the Carillion crisis happened.Now granted, Carillion’s collapse is a sign of a much deeper problem which can’t be linked necessarily to Brexit, yet it is very frustrating for myself and many others to see such a cataphoric collapse considering the rhetoric coming out of the Government in recent years
  
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• May faces Eurosceptic rebellion over Brexit transition plan

  24-01-2018 17:50 via ft.com
  Leading backbencher Jacob Rees-Mogg says proposal would leave UK as ‘vassal state’
  
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• The Healing Power Of Sport

  24-01-2018 17:39
  Sport can do incredible things. It can convince people who’ve always been told they’ll never achieve, that anything is possible. It can inspire people who’ve never left the sofa that running 5k might just change their lives. Perhaps most importantly, it can bring us together, and show the world the true meaning of equality. Sex, race, sexuality, religious beliefs: between the lines of a court, a pitch or a course, we are truly equal.Working in sport I’ve seen examples of
  
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• Duchess Of Cambridge Learns About Mental Health Issues Affecting New Mothers

  24-01-2018 17:38
  The Duchess of Cambridge has discussed the mental health issues affecting new mothers and their babies, in a meeting with academics and scientists today [Wednesday 24 January].At least 20% of women are affected by mental health problems, including postnatal depression or psychosis, during pregnancy or the first year following the birth of a child, according to the team at King’s College London’s Maurice Wohl Clinical Neuroscience Institute.The researchers, who are currently developin
  
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• David Cameron Caught On Camera Claiming Brexit Not The 'Disaster' He Predicted

  24-01-2018 17:37
  The man who called the EU referendum says what he really thinks about Brexit... In the corridors of the @wef​, @David_Cameron​ is overheard speaking with business and political leaders from around the world - and they're all asking about Brexit. #WEF18pic.twitter.com/z1pcbUJ87A— 5News (@5_News) January 24, 2018
  David Cameron has been overheard saying Brexit is not a “disaster” and has turned out “less badly” than he thought it would.The former prime mini
  
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• A Network Of Water Fountains Will Be Rolled Out In London To Cut Down On Single-Use Plastic

  24-01-2018 17:36
  Twenty drinking fountains are set to be rolled out throughout London as part of a City Hall pilot scheme to reduce the use of single-use plastic bottles, according to a report by The Guardian. This will allow people to refill their water bottles instead of buying single-use plastic bottles.In addition, over February and March a bottle-refill initiative, which will encourage businesses to make tap water available to the public, will be rolled out over five areas of the city.These initiatives are
  
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• The Arctic Is Diminishing And World Leaders Must Take Notice

  24-01-2018 17:14
  It might seem crazy to camp in the snow when the world’s elite descend on this sleepy alpine village for annual World Economic Forum meeting, but camping is what we’re doing. While it’s true that scientists can’t afford hotels in Davos at this time of year, that’s not the only reason we’re camping.We’re here to sound the alarm to the WEF on Arctic change. The Artic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet and this has significant consequences f
  
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• Finsbury Park Mosque: Van Driver Was Smiling During Alleged Terror Attack, Court Hears

  24-01-2018 17:11
  A man accused of carrying out a terror attack at Finsbury Park did not stop smiling after ploughing a van into worshippers, a court has heard.Darren Osborne, of Glyn Rhosyn in Cardiff, deliberately mowed down Muslims outside two mosques in north London shortly after 12.15am on June 19 last year, prosecutors have alleged.Witnesses saw the white vehicle accelerating as it approached the group, leaving them “splattered all over the place” and killing one, the jury at Woolwich Crown Cour
  
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• Phil Neville Is England Women's New Head Coach, But Is He The Right Person For The Job?

  24-01-2018 16:54
  Any top level appointment in the world of sport is likely to spark debate, but the announcement of Phil Neville as England women’s head coach has caused more controversy than most.Just hours after his appointment was announced, Neville was accused of sexism after a series of tweets he posted dating back to 2012 went viral. The 41-year-old swiftly deleted his account and has since issued an apology, saying the tweets do not represent “a true and genuine reflection of either [his]
  
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• Mum Addicted To Prescription Drugs For 22 Years Shares Heartbreaking Story To Encourage Others To Seek Help

  24-01-2018 16:42
  A woman who spent 22 years of her life addicted to prescription medication and painkillers has shared her story in the hope it will encourage others to get help. Nicki Hari, 49, from Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, tells HuffPost UK that having her tonsils removed at the tender age of 14 spiralled into an addiction which saw her stashing pills around the house - even in her children’s bedrooms - because she lived in fear of coming off them.Today (Wednesday) public health minister Ste
  
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• Ex-MPs’ Expenses Chief Sir Ian Kennedy Hits Out At ‘Squalid Vendetta’ After Commons Blocks New Appointment

  24-01-2018 15:50
  The man who led the crackdown on the House of Commons expenses scandal has accused MPs of a “squalid vendetta” after they blocked his appointment to a new job.Sir Ian Kennedy, former head of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), hit out following a vote by MPs to prevent him from joining the board of the Electoral Commission watchdog.The Commons voted by 77 to 46 to refuse a motion endorsing Kennedy for the new job, a four-year post which would have come with a sa
  
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• Burns Night Menu Recipes You Need To Know, From Haggis To Cranachan

  24-01-2018 15:46
  Get ready to embrace your inner Scot because 25 January marks Burns Night, the annual celebration commemorating the birth of Scottish poet Robert Burns.Whether you were born and bread in Scotland, or you’re choosing to claim you’re one eighth Scottish for the day, Burns Night is a great excuse for expanding your culinary repertoire.No Burns Night party would be complete without a traditional Burns Supper, so we spoke to top chefs to gather the recipes and tips you need.HaggisHaggis i
  
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• Loneliness Is A Problem For Students Too, Especially Those Who Are Blind And Disabled

  24-01-2018 15:44
  For many students, going to university is the time of their lives. After working hard during sixth form, university is a chance to meet new people, gain some independence, study a subject you’re passionate about and experience a seemingly endless array of nightlife.However, for some, this is not the reality of the university life they had once dreamt of. Through no fault of their own, blind students and those with disabilities are often affected by a problem that is having an increasingly
  
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• Two Years On Giulio Regeni's Death Still Matters

  24-01-2018 15:29
  Dumped half-naked in a ditch by a motorway on the outskirts of Cairo. That is how Cambridge PhD student Giulio Regeni was discovered two years ago. He was murdered. His body showed signs of extreme torture, riddled with burns, cuts, bruises and broken bones. The one aspect of the whole incident not disputed has been the manner of his death. In short: horrific.The road to justice for Giulio, holding his killers to account and understanding how someone who simply went abroad to do field research o
  
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• PMQS: Theresa May Dodges Invitation To Meet Brain Cancer Suffering Tessa Jowell To Discuss New Treatments

  24-01-2018 15:22
  Theresa May today dodged an invitation to meet with a former Labour Cabinet Minister suffering with a brain tumour to discuss improving cancer treatment.Baroness Tessa Jowell was diagnosed with brain cancer in May 2017, and today called for patients to be allowed to opt for innovative treatments in other countries.At Prime Minister’s Questions this afternoon, May was asked by Labour MP Sarah Jones if she would meet with the former Culture Secretary to hear her concerns directly.The Prime M
  
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• David Meller Sacked From Government Position After Presidents Club Scandal

  24-01-2018 15:19
  David Meller, who attended the Presidents Club charitable trust fundraiser at the centre of allegations of sexual harassment, has been sacked from his government position.The businessman was asked to step down from his role as non-executive director on the board of the Department of Education after allegations of unacceptable behaviour at the event were revealed in the Financial Times, minister Anne Milton told the Commons on Wednesday.Politicians from all political parties have condemned organi
  
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• David Meller resigns from government role after men-only dinner

  24-01-2018 15:19 via ft.com
  Joint head of Presidents Club was on the board of Department for Education
  
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• Putting The Con In Consultants

  24-01-2018 15:15
  Whether it’s public of private sector, for decades now management consultants have been paid a fortune to give advice on how to cut costs. But more often than not the biggest savings are made by the outsourcing or privatisation of particular parts of an organisation. In the public sector as we have seen it can be building, cleaning or maintaining schools or hospitals, upgrading rail infrastructure, managing facilities in prisons, supplying food to schools and even facility management of Ar
  
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• President’s Club Host David Walliams ‘Appalled’ At Alleged Sexual Harassment At Charity Dinner

  24-01-2018 15:14
  David Walliams has said he is “appalled” about alleged sexual harassment at the men-only President’s Club charity fundraiser, which he hosted last week.Senior businessmen who attended the black-tie charity dinner at London’s Dorchester Hotel on Thursday, are said to have inappropriately touched female hostesses and propositioned them for sex, in an undercover investigation by the FT.In a series of tweets, the ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ judge - who is not the
  
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• Great Ormond Street Among Hospitals To Return Presidents Club Donations Amid Lurid Harassment Claims

  24-01-2018 15:12
  Key pointsGreat Ormond Street Hospital and the Evelina London Children’s Hospital will be returning donations from the Presidents Club in light of sexual harassment allegationsDavid Mellor, chair of Presidents Club, steps down from Department of Education boardAdvertising company WPP withdraws support from future fundraisersComedian David Walliams, who hosted the event, says he is “appalled” at the reportsTwo major children’s hospitals have said they will be returning don
  
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• Eurovision 2018: UK Entry Contenders Unveiled - Listen To All The Songs Here

  24-01-2018 15:07
  The six acts competing to represent the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest this year have been unveiled. They include a girlband, a former ‘Voice’ finalist and a ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ child star. Each of the acts will take to the stage as part of ‘Eurovision: You Decide’ on Wednesday 7 February, when the British public will vote to choose the official entry for the May 2018 event, which is being held in Lisbon, Portugal.Take a listen to al
  
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• 5 Vegan Deodorants For An Animal-Friendly Beauty Regime

  24-01-2018 15:01
  Putting on deodorant in the morning is something you tend to do so mechanically, you barely think about it. But if you’re a vegan, you’ll want to give some thought to what product you’re using - as many either contain animal-derived ingredients or have been tested on animals.It’s never been so popular to opt for an animal-friendly option. The year-on-year sales of vegan deodorants on Amazon UK were recently found to have increased by 900%.And this increase in de
  
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• Your Hotmail Address Could Be Affecting Your Insurance Quote

  24-01-2018 14:48
  If you’re one of the few that has loyally stuck with your Hotmail account since the 90s then we have some potentially worrying news.The Sun newspaper has made the claim that insurers are actually penalising you based on the type of email client you use.According to the Sun’s investigation, it was found that when trying to get an insurance quote through Admiral there was a marked increase in the quote given when they used a Hotmail address instead of a Gmail address.Aside from changin
  
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• You Don't Need To Be Clever If You've Got A Good Gut Instinct

  24-01-2018 14:38
  When making a difficult decision we try to use our brains to rationally weigh up the options, but more often than not, we find ourselves simply ‘knowing’ the right thing to do.Many people attribute this ‘gut feeling’ to something other than logic or reason - a strong internal sense that pushes you in a particular direction.Although it might sound like an old wives’ tale, scientists have now found that this ‘gut instinct’ is as essential to our survival a
  
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• James Bulger's Mother Denise Fergus Tells How She Overcame A 'World Of Pain', 25 Years After Son's Murder

  24-01-2018 14:38
  Just days before the 25th anniversary of her toddler son’s torture and murder at the hands of two ten-year-old boys, Denise Fergus has spoken of how writing a book about the tragedy has made her “feel so close to James”.“I have worked so hard over the years not to exist in a world of pain,” she writes in a blog for HuffPost UK today.“I have had to mentally box away so much that I was terrified to dust it all off and delve back into it for the book. But, a
  
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• Nicola Sturgeon Hits Back At Tories Over 'Fake News' SNP Flag Controversy

  24-01-2018 14:27
  Nicola Sturgeon has told Tory MPs to “stop peddling fake news” after a number expressed outrage over reports she had “eradicated” the Union Jack from Scottish Government buildings.Newspapers, including the Telegraph and the Scottish Daily Mail, ran front-page stories on Wednesday claiming the SNP leader had ordered the move in time for the Queen’s birthday.The front page of tomorrow's Daily Telegraph: 'Sturgeon hauls down union flag' #tomorrowspaperstodaypic.tw
  
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