Political news

• Presidents Club furore claims Labour scalp as party ejects peer

  25-01-2018 23:42 via theguardian.com
  Lord Mendelsohn effectively sacked from party frontbench by Labour leader Jeremy CorbynLabour peer Jonathan Mendelsohn has been effectively sacked from the party’s frontbench after he attended the men-only Presidents Club dinner, where “hostesses” were allegedly sexually harassed and groped.A Labour spokesman said on Thursday: “Jeremy Corbyn has this evening asked Lord Mendelsohn to step back from the frontbench as he attended the Presidents Club dinner, and he has agreed
  
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• UK Free To Strike Trade Deals During Brexit Transition, David Davis Will Insist

  25-01-2018 23:34
  Britain will be free to negotiate trade deals as soon as ‘Brexit day’ strikes, despite still having to follow EU rules, David Davis will insist on Friday.In a keynote speech in Middlesbrough, the Brexit Secretary is expected to spell out the Government’s aims for an “implementation period” after leaving the bloc in March 2019.Though the UK will effectively follow the regulations of the single market and customs union, it should also be allowed to open negotiations w
  
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• UK Free To Strike Trade Deals During Brexit Transition, Claims David Davis

  25-01-2018 23:34
  Britain will be free to negotiate trade deals as soon as ‘Brexit day’ strikes, despite still having to follow EU, David Davis will insist on Friday.In a keynote speech in Middlesbrough, the Brexit Secretary is expected to spell out the Government’s aims for an “implementation period” after leaving the bloc in March 2019.Though the UK will effectively follow the regulations of the single market and customs union, it should also be allowed to open negotiations with ot
  
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• Leading Tories at odds over Brexit

  25-01-2018 23:14 via bbc.co.uk
  The backbencher criticises ministers' tone as the chancellor seeks "modest" economic change.
  
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• Labour Peer Lord Mendelsohn 'Sacked' From Party’s Front Bench After Attending Sleazy Presidents Club Dinner

  25-01-2018 23:12
  Labour peer Lord Mendelsohn has been effectively sacked from the party’s front bench after attending the controversial Presidents Club dinner.The party’s spokesman on business and international trade in the House of Lords was probed by officials after it emerged that he had been on the guest list.A Labour Lords spokesperson said: “Jeremy Corbyn has this evening asked Lord Mendelsohn to step back from the frontbench as he attended the Presidents Club dinner, and he has agreed to
  
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• PM 'appalled' at gala groping claims

  25-01-2018 22:51 via bbc.co.uk
  The prime minister says she will continue to work to ensure women are "accepted and respected as equals".
  
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• Kay Burley Called A 'Munchkin' By Ex-US Ambassador John Bolton As He Defends Trump Against 'Slippery Fish' Accusation

  25-01-2018 21:33
  A former US ambassador has resorted to calling Sky News presenter Kay Burley a “munchkin” after the journalist suggested Donald Trump was a “slippery fish” during a tetchy live TV interview.John Bolton made repeated personal attacks on the broadcaster as the ex-Ambassador to the United Nations was quizzed over the UK-US “special relationship” and potential trade deals after the US President and Theresa May met in Davos on Thursday.Burley suggested to Bolton th
  
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• Jacob Rees-Mogg Blasts Government Over Shift To 'Soft' Brexit

  25-01-2018 21:23
  Jacob Rees-Mogg is leading a Tory backbench Brexiteer charge against Philip Hammond over his softening tone on quitting the EU.The arch-Eurosceptic had demanded a fundamental shift in tone from ministers on Brexit, saying “close alignment” is unacceptable.It came as the Chancellor delivered a speech at the World Economic Forum which appeared to take a softer approach - something No 10 was forced to clarify. Rees-Mogg, who as head of the European Research Group (ERG) has the
  
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• Theresa May and Donald Trump seek to smooth UK-US relations

  25-01-2018 21:07 via ft.com
  Leaders meet for 40 minutes at World Economic Forum in Davos
  
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• Bank of England probes ‘regifting’ of access to Mark Carney

  25-01-2018 21:07 via ft.com
  Tea with bank chief was originally won at Lord Mayor’s Appeal function
  
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• President Trump predicts 'tremendous increase' in UK-US trade

  25-01-2018 21:02 via bbc.co.uk
  The US president rejects "false rumours" of differences, insisting he and Theresa May "like each other a lot".
  
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• Jacob Rees-Mogg On Collision Course With Chancellor Over 'Soft' Brexit Speech

  25-01-2018 20:52
  Jacob Rees-Mogg is leading a Tory backbench Brexiteer charge against Philip Hammond over his softening tone on quitting the EU. The arch-Eurosceptic had demanded a fundamental shift in tone from ministers on Brexit, saying “close alignment” is unacceptable. It came as the Chancellor delivered a speech at the World Economic Forum which appeared to take a softer approach - something No 10 was forced to clarify.  Rees-Mogg, who as head of the European Research G
  
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• Backbench Tory Revolt Over Chancellor's 'Very Modest' Brexit Speech

  25-01-2018 20:52
  Jacob Rees-Mogg is leading a Tory backbench Brexiteer revolt against Philip Hammond over his softening tone on quitting the EU. The arch-Eurosceptic has demanded a fundamental shift from ministers on Brexit, saying moves toward “close alignment” were unacceptable. It came as the Government was forced to clarify its position when the Chancellor delivered an eyebrow-raising speech at the World Economic Forum advocating a “very modest” approach.  Rees-Mog
  
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• Theresa May risks unrest by paving way for Donald Trump visit

  25-01-2018 20:37 via theguardian.com
  Prime minister orders officials to make plans for visit by the US president later this year after pair meet at DavosTheresa May has taken the gamble of inviting Donald Trump to make his controversial visit to Britain later this year after a meeting between the prime minister and the US president at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Related: Davos 2018: UK and US 'finalising details' of Trump visit to Britain this year - live updatesContinue reading...
  
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• Tory MPs considering coup against May as frustration builds

  25-01-2018 20:35 via theguardian.com
  Both Brexiters and MPs focusing on domestic issues increasingly unhappy with leadershipConservative MPs are considering another attempt at ousting Theresa May if the local elections go badly, as disillusionment with her leadership bubbles up among backbenchers once again.A string of MPs have told the Guardian that criticism from Nick Boles, a former minister, of her “timidity and lack of ambition” has struck a chord within the parliamentary party, especially among those who believe s
  
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• Theresa May’s salvo puts Big Tech on alert for crackdown

  25-01-2018 20:26 via ft.com
  Signs of policy shift as ministers look at regulation of cyber space
  
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• Violent crimes reported in England and Wales rise 20%

  25-01-2018 20:13 via ft.com
  Offences involving knives and firearms on the increase, latest statistics show
  
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• Sexual Harassment: What You Can Do To Counter It At Work

  25-01-2018 20:13
  Maria Miller, who chairs the Womens and Equalities Committee, said she use of NDAs has become “incredibly prevalent in many employment situations in a way they were never designed to, with very few rules in place”.Below, Katie Mahoney, an employment lawyer at Doyle Clayton, sets out what amounts to sexual harassment in law and what people in situations like the Presidents Club hostesses can do about it, even if they have signed some form of NDA and their employment is precarious.1. W
  
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• Ex-MP Tessa Jowell gets standing ovation after cancer speech

  25-01-2018 20:10 via bbc.co.uk
  Ex-MP Tessa Jowell makes an emotional speech in the House of Lords.
  
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• Tessa Jowell: former Labour MP delivers moving speech on brain cancer diagnosis – video

  25-01-2018 19:57 via theguardian.com
  Tessa Jowell, the former culture secretary, has given a moving speech in the House of Lords about her brain cancer diagnosis. Her address, which received a standing ovation, called for peers to support the Eliminate Cancer Initiative Continue reading...
  
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• Possible ‘criminal offences’ committed at Presidents Club dinner

  25-01-2018 19:31 via ft.com
  Attorney-general says harassment victims should feel able to come forward despite NDAs
  
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• God's Own Country's Josh O'Connor Urges Film Bosses To Continue Supporting Queer Cinema

  25-01-2018 19:25
  Bafta Rising Star nominee Josh O’Connor has urged film bosses to continue to support queer cinema, following the huge commercial success of ‘God’s Own Country’. The actor, who played Johnny Saxby in the film, believes it has helped break down barriers about LGBT+ stories being told on screen. Speaking to HuffPost UK on an episode of ‘BUILD’, Josh reflected on a huge year for queer cinema, which also saw ‘Call Me By Your Name’ and ‘B
  
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• Universal credit rollout poses ‘risk’ to public spending

  25-01-2018 19:24 via ft.com
  OBR says welfare reform may not save as much as hoped
  
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• Hammond’s soft Brexit speech provokes Tory backlash

  25-01-2018 19:18 via ft.com
  Conservative backbench anger poses new questions about Theresa May’s leadership
  
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• New counter-extremism tsar Sara Khan faces calls to quit

  25-01-2018 19:03 via bbc.co.uk
  Sara Khan says she will stand up for shared values but critics question her independence.
  
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• Tory minister declines John Humphrys interview over pay comments

  25-01-2018 18:54 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: Tracey Crouch did not appear on Today programme after leaked Carrie Gracie jokeA Conservative minister refused to be interviewed on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme after John Humphrys made light of a colleague’s fight for equal pay, it can be revealed.The Guardian understands that the stand taken by Tracey Crouch has been followed by a number of other female MPs, who are using informal parliamentary networks to encourage a potential boycott. Continue reading...
  
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• Johnson 'descendant of Basel mummy'

  25-01-2018 18:53 via bbc.co.uk
  A Swiss woman who died in 1787 after contracting syphilis is identified as an ancestor of the politician.
  
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• Octavia Spencer Reveals How Jessica Chastain Helped Her Fight For A Better Salary

  25-01-2018 18:42
  Octavia Spencer has praised her ‘The Help’ co-star Jessica Chastain, revealing the actress fought to ensure she was paid well for an upcoming project they are both working on.The two women will reunite in a comedy film and Octavia explained how the ‘Interstellar’ star reacted when she learnt about the disparity between what women of colour and white women are paid in Hollywood. Speaking at the Sundance Film Festival’s Women Breaking Barriers panel event, Octavi
  
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• Some Online Retailers Are 'Awash' With Real Fur Mislabelled As Fake, According To Humane Society International

  25-01-2018 18:41
  Following an investigation that found real fur mislabelled as fake in major high street retailers, including Tesco and Boots, Humane Society International (HSI) has said the problem is even more wide-spread online.“The amount of fake faux fur for sale is truly shocking,” Harriet Barclay, media and campaigns manager at the animal welfare group, told HuffPost UK.“Our investigation shows that mislabelled fur can be found in trusted retailers on the high street, but we ha
  
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• Brexit Briefing: David Davis Has Changed His Mind

  25-01-2018 18:40
  2018 needs to be a “year of decision” after 2017’s “year of division”, the Director-General of the CBI insisted on Monday.Unfortunately for Carolyn Fairbairn, it seems the decisions that have been taken aren’t going her way.In a much trailed speech on Brexit, Fairbairn called on the Government to rethink its opposition to leaving the customs union with the EU after Brexit.Her argument is simple: the trade the UK would secure from being outside the customs unio
  
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• Tessa Jowell Applauded By Lords For Moving Speech On Cancer Fight

  25-01-2018 18:29
  Baroness Tessa Jowell was given a standing ovation in the House of Lords after making a moving speech about her battle with cancer.The former Labour cabinet minister, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour last year, led a debate on making vital treatments available to all patients on the NHS and was applauded for more than a minute by Peers across the house.She spoke movingly about her own life-limiting experience, which began when she suffered two unexpected, violent seizures while on her way t
  
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• What Gives A Life Meaning Is Not Only How It Is Lived, But How It Draws To A Close

  25-01-2018 18:26
  This blog is an unedited version of the speech delivered by Dame Tessa Jowell to the House of Lords on innovative cancer treatment and the NHS on Thursday 25 JanuaryI would like to thank all those noble lords, and friends and colleagues who have shown me such support since I learned I had a brain tumour. Today is not about politics but patients: patients and the community of carers who love and support them.What is it that patients and carers feel that they need?It is, of course, about the
  
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• John Worboys Raped Me And Changed My Life Forever - He Must Not Be Allowed To Hurt Anyone Else

  25-01-2018 18:16
  John Worboys changed my life. What started as an ordinary evening has had consequences for me ever since. The appalling police failures around investigating him and bringing him to justice have been well reported. For me, the experience of not being believed and then going on to discover how many more women he hurt, has been extremely traumatising. It was for that reason that I, together with another woman, brought a human rights challenge against the police to hold them to account for their abj
  
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• Why This Fashion Designer’s Apology For Using The N-Word Is Not Good Enough

  25-01-2018 18:13
  In the midst of Couture Fashion Week, Russian entrepreneur and editor Miroslava Duma shared a photograph of an invitation and card sent from her dear friend, couture designer Ulyana Sergeenko, with the words “To my n***** in Paris”, quoting the Kanye West and Jay-Z song.Duma added a heart emoji to the Instagram story just to put the cherry on top of the prejudice cake. However, both were seemingly completely unaware of how racist they were being. It wasn’t just the card th
  
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• Kym Marsh Carries Baby Archie's Ashes As She Weds Jamie Lomas

  25-01-2018 18:08
  OK! magazineWhen Kym Marsh married actor Jamie Lomas this weekend, there was one person missing - their beloved son Archie who died just after his birth in 2009.Corrie actress Kym made sure their little boy was involved in the ceremony by carrying his ashes in a beautiful white box.In an interview with this week's OK! magazine, which featured Kym and Jamie's star-studded day with extensive interviews and photos, Kym said: "I carry Archie's ashes with me to every special occasion. I like to feel
  
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• An Open Letter To The Sister I've Never Met

  25-01-2018 18:05
  We share the same blood. We also share the same coarse afro hair, almond shaped eyes and brown skin. We share the same father. You are at once intimately familiar to me and yet completely Other. You exist as a genetic paradox; a being with half of my biological make-up who manages to be so totally alien that for 23 years I barely acknowledged your existence. It was only when I opened an old photo book and saw images of you that I realised how little I know you. While I was back home over Christm
  
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• Hosting Refugees Has Such A Positive Impact On My Son

  25-01-2018 18:03
  I asked my son, Joseph, last week whether he wanted a brother or sister. He looked at me with the absolute conviction only four-year olds can muster and said, “don’t be silly Mummy, I’ve got a brother *and* a sister already” (which was news to me). The siblings he meant are a 30-year-old Syrian and a one-year old Eritrean - guests we’ve hosted through Refugees at Home - people he adores, and who have become part of his family.As long as he can remember, we’ve
  
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• Theresa May P45 Prankster Simon Brodkin Reveals Surprising Police Reaction To Famous Stunt

  25-01-2018 18:01
  Simon Brokin made headlines around the world last year, when he famously handed Theresa May a P45 during her speech at the Conservative Party Conference.Now, the prankster has now revealed he had a rather surprising reaction from a police officer after the stunt.Speaking to HuffPost UK on an episode of ‘BUILD’, Simon detailed the aftermath, which saw him whisked off to a police incident room after being pursued by a frenzied bunch of journalists.Admitting he was initially on a h
  
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• Toby Young Was Asked About 'Embarrassing' Past In Interview For Watchdog, Chair Reveals

  25-01-2018 17:46
  Toby Young was asked in his interview for the universities regulator whether there was anything in his past that could be embarrassing if he was appointed to a role on its board, the watchdog’s boss has said.The journalist-turned-free school pioneer quit the Office for Students (OfS) earlier this month and apologised “unreservedly” for a string of controversial comments he had made online in recent years.OfS chair Sir Michael Barber said on Thursday that he had asked Young if t
  
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• Gym Buddies #22: There's No Need To Be Afraid Of Exercise

  25-01-2018 17:37
  Get this delivered to your inbox as part of our daily Gym Buddies newsletter.When it comes to fitness, a lot of the time fear is holding people back. The thought of trying something new or getting out of your comfort zone can be intimidating and off-putting. What if people stare? What if you do something wrong?I used to be one of these people. I put off all sorts of exercise - yoga, spinning, running - because of fear. Now, I love trying new things and I always try to encourage those a
  
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• Doomsday Clock: Scientists Say Humanity Is Closer To The Apocalypse Now Than At Any Point Since 1953

  25-01-2018 17:30
  Created and managed by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, the organisation say their decision to move the hands of the Doomsday Clock was made after a thoroughly “grim assessment” of the times we are living in.“As of today, it is two minutes to midnight,” said Bulletin president Rachel Bronson told reporters on Thursday.The full statement read: “The warning the Science and Security Board now sends is clear, the danger obvious and imminent.“The opportunity
  
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• Why You Should Sign Our New Tampon Tax Petition

  25-01-2018 17:18
  After two long years of campaigning and with the support of over 320,000 amazing signers, our tampon tax petition succeeded in 2016 when the UK Government committed to axing tampon tax by March 2019. Last weekend this deadline was extended. We might be stuck with tampon tax until 2022. That is not okay. Our new petition was launched to ensure the sexist 5% ‘luxury’ levy imposed on period products (including tampons and sanitary pads) is axed as soon as possible. Period. You can sign
  
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• Crime statistics: Violent crime and sex offences rising, police figures suggest

  25-01-2018 17:13 via bbc.co.uk
  Reported levels of knife crime, robbery and sex offences are also up in England and Wales.
  
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• Head of UK probe into Russia Brexit meddling attacks Twitter

  25-01-2018 17:09 via ft.com
  Damian Collins accused company of refusing to give ‘straight answers’
  
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• Engineers Create The First 3D Images That Can Hover In Thin Air

  25-01-2018 17:06
  Everyone remembers the iconic moment when Princess Leia was first unveiled in Star Wars as a shimmering spectre of projected light, or when Tony Stark revealed his high-tech workshop.Yet if there’s one technology that has stayed firmly rooted in science-fiction it is the creation of 3D holograms.While we’re still a few years from building our own supersuits, a team of engineers from Brigham Young University have made a remarkable breakthrough by creating a series of truly 3D images t
  
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• New defence review could win extra cash for UK armed forces

  25-01-2018 17:02 via ft.com
  Defence secretary suggests Treasury may re-examine MoD’s £36bn budget
  
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• Best Fish And Chip Shop In UK Revealed: Millers Fish & Chips in Haxby

  25-01-2018 16:46
  A Yorkshire-based fish and chip shop has been crowned the best in the UK.Millers Fish & Chips in Haxby, York, bagged the prestigious accolade as part of the 30th anniversary National Fish & Chip Awards.Nick Miller, 28, who runs the chip shop with his father David, 56, said: “We brought it home for Haxby! I can’t believe we’re the UK’s best fish and chip shop – words can’t describe how this feels.”Burton Road Chippy in Lincoln bagged second place,
  
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• 17 For '17: Danielle Rowley Talks To HuffPost About Her First Months In Westminster

  25-01-2018 16:40
  Born on a council estate in Edinburgh, 27-year-old Danielle Rowley comes from a family of Labour Party activists and hit the doors campaigning as a teenager. After graduating with a journalism degree from the city’s Edinburgh Napier University, Rowley worked for Gordon Brown’s office as a media manager during the Scottish Independence Referendum campaign before moving to work for the housing charity Shelter. But having stood for the Scottish Youth Parliament, her real ambit
  
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• Fresh call to ban 'gay conversion therapy'

  25-01-2018 16:22 via bbc.co.uk
  A Church of England group campaigning for a ban on the controversial "therapy" is given a boost in the Commons.
  
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• Donald Trump Says 'Rumour' He Does Not Like Theresa May Is 'False'

  25-01-2018 16:12
  Donald Trump claimed the suggestion he does not like Theresa May is a “false rumour” and said he and the prime minister are “on the same wavelength in every respect”.The US President told reporters at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday afternoon that the US and UK had “the same ideas” and “the same ideals”.Sitting alongside May following a private meeting, Trump said he had “tremendous respect” for the prime minister and that
  
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