Political news

• Vehicle emissions cheats face UK fines in new crackdown

  01-02-2018 23:33 via ft.com
  DfT proposes fresh powers to combat ‘defeat devices’ in wake of Volkswagen scandal
  
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• Car Firms Who Cheat Diesel Emissions Rules To Face ‘Unlimited’ Fines

  01-02-2018 23:30
  Car makers who try to cheat diesel emissions rules could face unlimited fines under tough new measures unveiled by ministers.In a bid to prevent a repeat of the Volkswagen scandal that affected 1.2 million cars in the UK, firms that fit ‘defeat devices’ will be hit with criminal charges and substantial financial penalties.Under the proposals, which would go further than current EU rules, manufacturers who deployed the specialist software to avoid pollution tests would face the full f
  
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• Civil Servants Complicit In 'Orchestration' Of Pro-Remain Conspiracy, Says Jacob Rees-Mogg

  01-02-2018 22:57
  Civil servants are complicit in the “orchestration” of a pro-Remain conspiracy, Tory backbencher Jacob Rees-Mogg has dramatically claimed. The Brexiteer MP has doubled down on allegations he made in the House of Commons and suggested there was “a pattern” in how Treasury staff were operating. His defiant speech at the Mile End Institute in London came as Brexit minister Steve Baker was forced to apologise for airing false claims about think tank boss Charles Gra
  
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• New domestic abuse law 'could change Scotland'

  01-02-2018 22:01 via bbc.co.uk
  MSPs vote by 118 to one to pass a bill to crack down on domestic abuse which "could change Scotland forever"
  
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• UK weighing customs union deal after Brexit

  01-02-2018 22:00 via ft.com
  Move could limit loss of EU trade but represent big climbdown by May
  
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• 'Auntie' Theresa May Meets 'Uncle Xi' Jinping To Talk Chinese Tea And Trade

  01-02-2018 20:47
  She’s been greeted as “Auntie May”. He’s been dubbed “the First Gentleman”. And both of them just love drinking Chinese tea.Beijing’s Communist Government certainly rolled out a carpet as red as the national flag on Thursday when Theresa May and her husband Philip were hosted by President Xi Jinping and his wife as part of their three-day tour.The state-run media was keen to highlight the warm reception apparently given to the couple on the social media
  
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• Chinese investments in UK fail to materialise

  01-02-2018 20:34 via ft.com
  Northern cities left waiting for cash from east to regenerate
  
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• Scots minister 'will publish EU analysis'

  01-02-2018 19:51 via bbc.co.uk
  Scotland's Brexit secretary says he will release the UK government's controversial briefing paper if he is given it.
  
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• UK minister accused of undermining the civil service

  01-02-2018 19:41 via ft.com
  Eurosceptic Steve Baker says he was told officials developed case for soft Brexit
  
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• The Guardian view on the Saudi visit to Britain: don’t trade away values | Editorial

  01-02-2018 19:30 via theguardian.com
  Theresa May should raise the issue of freedom of expression with Saudi Arabia’s crown prince when he comes to visit – even if the lecture gratesTheresa May is expected to welcome Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s de facto ruler, to Downing Street in the coming weeks. The 32-year-old is now in control of a kingdom where flogging, torturing and not electing a central government are seen as building blocks of society. Little wonder there’s
  
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• The Guardian view on parliament’s move: be bold, leave London | Editorial

  01-02-2018 19:30 via theguardian.com
  With Westminster in need of refurbishment, parliamentarians should seize the opportunity to strengthen links with the rest of the UKParliament’s decision to move out of the Palace of Westminster is an opportunity that should be seized; it is also a risk that could be mishandled. MPs voted this week to quit the hallowed Westminster site for at least six years, probably from 2025, to enable major refurbishment of what has become a dangerous and inadequate set of buildings. The plan is to bui
  
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• Brexit Briefing: Steve Baker Rises

  01-02-2018 19:13
  The Brexit story which should have dominated this week was the European Union publishing its guidelines for negotiations around the post-March 2019 transition period. Instead, thanks to a top scoop by BuzzFeed News (all credit to them), it was about the economic impact of Brexit on the UK.The document, titled ‘EU Exit Analysis – Cross Whitehall Briefing” and dated January 2018, analysed three potential outcomes of the Brexit negotiations: joining the European Economic Area; a c
  
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• Labour plans to make landowners sell to state for fraction of value

  01-02-2018 19:00 via theguardian.com
  Exclusive: party proposes raid on private land to cut cost of building new council housesLabour is considering forcing landowners to give up sites for a fraction of their current price in an effort to slash the cost of council house building.
  The proposal has been drawn up by John Healey, the shadow housing secretary, and would see a Jeremy Corbyn-led government change the law so landowners would have to sell sites to the state at knockdown prices. Continue reading...
  
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• Britain must retain veto over new EU laws, Tory Eurosceptics warn

  01-02-2018 18:56 via theguardian.com
  MPs in European Research Group warn Theresa May veto is ‘red line’ for Brexit negotiationsEurosceptic Conservative MPs have warned Theresa May that maintaining a veto over laws that the EU might enact during the transition period after Brexit is a “red line” for negotiations.In a meeting with the chief whip, Julian Smith, on Tuesday, members of the European Research Group (ERG) also expressed concerns that the EU could try to impose taxes on the City.Continue reading...
  
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• Desborough Tory councillors' mass 'bullying' resignation

  01-02-2018 18:44 via bbc.co.uk
  The chairman of the council said her family received abuse after a 400% increase in council tax.
  
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• Cabinet secretary delivers veiled rebuke to Tory Brexiters who question official forecasts - Politics live

  01-02-2018 18:44 via theguardian.com
  Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happenBrexit questions in the Commons - SummaryLunchtime summaryAfternoon summary 5.35pm GMT One such example [of a way forward] is that all political parties represented in the House could agree a memorandum of understanding, agreeing to the same terms, which would allow their MPs to take parental leave and to formalise pairing arrangements across all parties.Even a leading remainer thinks the Treasury is trying to hinder Brexit
  
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• Brexit leaks and May in China – Politics Weekly podcast

  01-02-2018 18:35 via theguardian.com
  Rowena Mason is joined by Larry Elliott, Katy Balls and Rafael Behr to discuss the Brexit analysis leaks. Plus Jessica Elgot on Theresa May’s trip to China and Chuka Umunna on bringing together the anti-Brexit tribes Theresa May is in China this week selling her vision of post-Brexit Britain, while back home the government’s own leaked economic analysis shows a bleak outlook on whatever deal it gets.Joining Rowena Mason to discuss it all are our columnist Rafael Behr, economics edito
  
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• Groups opposed to hard Brexit join forces under Chuka Umunna

  01-02-2018 18:15 via theguardian.com
  Coalition of pro-EU organisations and MPs will push for public’s voice to be heard on final dealThe main groups opposed to a hard Brexit are joining forces under the leadership of Chuka Umunna to push for the public’s voice to be heard on Theresa May’s final deal to leave the EU. The groups, representing more than 500,000 members, are putting aside their differences to work together as the grassroots coordinating group (GCG) at a time when polling suggests the public’s ap
  
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• Pearl Mackie On The Fan Encounter That Made Her Realise How Important Bill Pott's Sexuality Was

  01-02-2018 18:10
  Pearl Mackie has reflected on her time in ‘Doctor Who’, revealing one moment that helped her realise the positive impact her character, Bill Potts, was having. Bill was the Time Lord’s first ever openly-gay, full-time assistant and at one Comic-Con event in Berlin, one fan explained how important this was to her. Speaking to HuffPost UK on BUILD, Pearl explained that a woman at the event told her: “I love watching you on ‘Doctor Who’, it’s my f
  
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• Theresa May presses Xi Jinping on plastic waste at Beijing talks

  01-02-2018 18:08 via theguardian.com
  UK prime minister tells China’s president they have ‘collective responsibility’ to do moreTheresa May has told Xi Jinping their countries have a collective responsibility to do more on plastic waste as she met China’s president in Beijing.The prime minister, who spent part of her visit viewing a British initiative to remove tiny particles of plastic from the Yangtze river, stressed the importance of the Paris climate change agreement in her meeting with the Chinese leader
  
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• 'I campaigned with a newborn,' says Labour's Emma Reynolds

  01-02-2018 17:55 via bbc.co.uk
  Labour's Emma Reynolds tells MPs how she hit the snap election campaign trail a week after giving birth.
  
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• Child migrants

  01-02-2018 17:50 via bbc.co.uk
  Five Europeans who sought refuge in Britain from Nazi Europe call for more compassion to migrants.
  
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• UK defence minister tries a pre-emptive strike over his life story

  01-02-2018 17:48 via ft.com
  Williamson issues a bone-chilling warning the day he receives calls about his life
  
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• Muslims Have Contributed, Compromised And Carried On. It's Time They Stop Apologising To The World

  01-02-2018 17:48
  Since 9/11, Muslims around the world have fallen victim to a vicious cycle of resentment, alienation and degradation. Laws have changed and new policies have been implemented domestically and internationally yet, the remnants of the ‘war on terror’ continue to have a pernicious effect on the average Muslim.We could say that 9/11 and 7/7 was the catalyst as the ‘rules of the game were changing’ under Tony Blair through a set of measures that demonised Muslims. Such stringe
  
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• This Is How Much Plastic Is Being Wasted In Parliament

  01-02-2018 17:42
  More than 1 million disposable coffee cups were purchased in Parliament last year, latest figures reveal, as campaigners urge politicians to ditch single-use plastic.Despite Theresa May launching her 25-year plan in a bid to eradicate all avoidable plastic waste in the UK by 2042, large quantities of disposable plastic are still being purchased in Parliament.Plastic straws, coffee cups, condiment sachets, plastic cutlery and disposable plastic water bottles are among the items still widely-
  
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• Are civil partnerships under threat?

  01-02-2018 17:39 via bbc.co.uk
  Or will the government make them available to heterosexual couples as well as same sex couples?
  
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• All-Time High Antisemitism Figures Reveal A Labour Party Embroiled In Jew-Hate

  01-02-2018 17:31
  The news that reported incidents of reported antisemitism are at an all-time high comes as no surprise to Labour Against Antisemitism. We report members creating, sharing and voicing antisemitic content every week to the Labour Party compliance unit and alarmingly the rate of reporting is increasing, not decreasing. What is more, the CST do not report on what is happening on social media which is where Labour Against Antisemitism does most of its work, and the picture there is even worse. In fac
  
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• I Am Fighting To Stop Finland Sterilising Trans People

  01-02-2018 17:24
  Imagine if you had to be diagnosed with a ‘mental disorder’ and go through forced sterilisation before the country you lived in would legally recognise you as the person you are.Imagine you were assigned an identity code at birth that indicates your sex and underpins your identity and citizenship – an odd number for males and an even for females –  but the number you were given is wrong. You were given an even number, but you know it should be odd. And you can’
  
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• Jack The Ripper Letters ‘Were Victorian Fake News’

  01-02-2018 17:21
  Letters supposedly signed by Jack the Ripper have been analysed by a forensic linguist who has come to some surprisingly topical conclusions.  It is said that the shadowy figure who stalked the foggy alleyways of Whitechapel in 1888 murdering five women during his reign of terror was also a prolific letter writer too – or was he?Manchester University’s Dr Andrea Nini decided to focus on two of the earliest letters supposedly sent by the serial killer (more than 200 are attribute
  
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• Theresa May has a dream. A mawkish, shabby ‘British dream’ | Nesrine Malik

  01-02-2018 17:20 via theguardian.com
  The PM’s jinxed idea is neither British nor dreamy. It is a great national crossing of fingersTheresa May is still trying to make “the British dream” happen. She tried to launch it in her excruciating, blighted speech last October at Tory conference, where she coughed her way through an address, was handed a P45 by a prankster and a letter fell off the Conservative party slogan behind her.That should have been a sign or three that in this country we don’t do American-styl
  
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• Google Can Now Predict If Your Flight Will Be Delayed, And It’s Surprisingly Accurate

  01-02-2018 17:08
  Google Flights has just been upgraded with a brand-new feature which could prevent one of the most common causes of stress for us passengers: delays.The online flight booking service now comes equipped with Google’s AI and machine learning technology. It is able to look through historic flight data and then once it feels confident enough, it’ll actually let you know if it thinks a flight is about to be delayed.“We still recommend getting to the airport with enough time to spare
  
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• Finsbury Park Van Attack: Darren Osborne Guilty Of Murder And Attempted Murder

  01-02-2018 17:04
  A 48-year-old man from Cardiff has been found guilty of murder and attempted murder after deliberately ploughing a van into Muslim worshippers in Finsbury Park.Darren Osborne deliberately drove a hire van ploughed into a group of worshippers, shortly after 12.15am on June 19 last year, resulting in the death of Makram Ali, 51.Earlier in the week, Osborne had tool Woolwich Crown Court he wanted to kill Muslims and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to highlight what he considered to be an inadequate res
  
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• Tory donor's role at corporate watchdog under scrutiny

  01-02-2018 16:55 via theguardian.com
  James Wates’ company has given £450,000 to the party and its board has only one womanTheresa May’s new corporate governance review will be chaired by a businessman whose family company has given £450,000 to the Conservatives and which has just one woman on its board, it has emerged.Labour questioned whether James Wates, the chair of Wates Group, was the right person to be put in charge of bringing in a voluntary code to help improve the behaviour of big private businesses
  
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• Hugh Gaitskell widow criticised Harold Macmillan in letter

  01-02-2018 16:50 via theguardian.com
  Grieving Dora Gaitskell accused Tory PM of point-scoring on day of Labour leader’s memorialHistorians have uncovered a letter in which the grieving widow of the Labour leader Hugh Gaitskell accused the Tory prime minister Harold Macmillan of “trying to score an unworthy political point” on the day of her husband’s memorial service.Just two weeks after the untimely death of Gaitskell in 1963, his wife Dora wrote that she was “most deeply hurt” by claims the Con
  
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• The Duchess Of Cambridge Twinned With Princess Diana During A Royal Visit In Sweden

  01-02-2018 16:28
  The Duchess of Cambridge was seen wearing a fabulous red and white coat during her tour of Norway and Sweden with Prince William.The houndstooth coat she sported by upmarket label Catherine Walker appears to have been a couture piece, as it’s currently not seen on the brand’s website.Diana, Princess of Wales wore a similar outfit nearly 30 years ago during a walkabout after a Christening at Sandringham with a young Prince William.As well as looking radiant in the classic coat as
  
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• The UK’s Most Complained About Adverts Of 2017

  01-02-2018 15:58
  The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has released their list of the most controversial ads of the past year. A total of 29,997 complaints were received.All of the adverts in the top ten had one common thread – they were all challenged on the grounds of offence.In response to complaints reported in the media, two ads were quickly removed by the advertisers (Dove and McDonald’s) without the need for further ASA action.
  
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• New mother Emma Reynolds on maternity and paternity votes

  01-02-2018 15:53 via bbc.co.uk
  Emma Reynolds is interviewed with her baby Theo about voting rights for MPs who are new parents.
  
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• Theresa May hails 'first step' to trade deal after Xi Jinping talks

  01-02-2018 15:48 via bbc.co.uk
  UK prime minister Theresa May looks forward to a post-Brexit trade deal after talks with Xi Jinping.
  
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• Brexit minister accused for second time of maligning civil service

  01-02-2018 15:41 via theguardian.com
  Steve Baker criticised over claim officials’ economic models were attempt to sway policySteve Baker has been accused of maligning the civil service for the second time in a week after airing claims in the House of Commons that officials had deliberately developed negative economic models in order to influence Brexit policy.Jacob Rees-Mogg, a senior Eurosceptic Tory backbencher, asked the Brexit minister if he had been told in conversation “that officials in the Treasury had deliberat
  
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• Why have MPs voted to move out of Palace of Westminster?

  01-02-2018 15:24 via bbc.co.uk
  MPs vote to move out of the Palace of Westminster, which is crumbling, prone to fires and contains asbestos.
  
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• UK hit peak wealth position on eve of Brexit vote - ONS

  01-02-2018 15:17 via theguardian.com
  High levels of inequality persist with top 10% owning almost half the total wealth, show figuresBritain on the eve of the EU referendum reached its wealthiest position in modern history, according to figures showing the vast gulf between the richest 1% and the poorest in society.Total net household wealth – including property, cash savings and shares, pensions and possessions such as cars and antiques – increased by 15% to £12.8tn in the two-year period ending in June 2016, acc
  
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• Soft Brexiters pile the pressure on Theresa May

  01-02-2018 15:03 via ft.com
  Calls grow for staying within customs union — and for the PM to stop dithering
  
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• Brexit: Theresa May to fight EU transition residency plan

  01-02-2018 15:02 via bbc.co.uk
  The PM says EU nationals arriving after the UK's exit should not automatically expect full rights.
  
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• Donald Trump's Latest Tweet Is An Embarrassing And Verifiable Lie

  01-02-2018 14:55
  Donald Trump has claimed viewing figures for Tuesday night’s State of the Union address are the “highest number in” history - a false statement easily disproved with a simple Google search.
  Thank you for all of the nice compliments and reviews on the State of the Union speech. 45.6 million people watched, the highest number in history. @FoxNews beat every other Network, for the first time ever, with 11.7 million people tuning in. Delivered from the heart!February 1, 2018
  Accord
  
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• Think-tank disputes reporting bias in Treasury Brexit studies

  01-02-2018 14:51 via ft.com
  CER refutes minister’s statement in Parliament
  
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• May's move to restrict new EU migrants after Brexit is long planned | Alan Travis

  01-02-2018 14:49 via theguardian.com
  Limiting role of EU migrants to that of temporary workforce is a policy that has been brewingTheresa May’s sudden demand that new EU migrants to Britain after March 2019 lose their right to settle in the UK has been greeted as a surprise spanner in the works of the Brexit negotiations.But in fact, as the details of a Home Office draft Brexit immigration paper leaked to the Guardian in September show, it has been a long-planned policy designed to ensure that for all but the mostly highly sk
  
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• Brexit ministers pummelled after rough week in La La Land

  01-02-2018 14:49 via theguardian.com
  Tired and traumatised, Davis and co excelled in saying as little as possible at Brexit questions“Theresa May. Can you hear me Theresa May? Your boys took one hell of a beating.” It’s been a rough week for the Brexit department. On Monday, the junior minister Robin Walker had to answer an urgent question from his own Eurosceptic backbencher, Bill Cash, on whether the government actually had any Brexit plans at all.Related: Brexit forecasts are useless, long live Brexit forecasts
  
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• Baftas 2018: Golden Globes Black Dress Protest To Be Resurrected

  01-02-2018 14:49
  This year’s Baftas is to have its own “black dress protest”, first seen on the red carpet at the Golden Globes last month.As discussion about sexual harassment in the entertainment industry continues, awards season 2018 has heavily featured the Time’s Up movement, including the dominance of black dresses and empowering speeches at the Golden Globes.It’s now been reported by the BBC that celebrities in attendance will once again be sporting all black as the
  
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• Charm, style and tousled hair: is it any surprise we lust after Tories? | Paris Lees

  01-02-2018 14:35 via theguardian.com
  My fondness for rightwingers seemed odd at first, but you can disagree with someone’s politics and still think they’re a good personHow are you feeling? Still reeling from the news that attractive people are more likely to be rightwing? An American study published in the Journal of Public Economics has concluded that attractiveness correlates with people’s politics. As the authors explain: “When we are treated differently we begin to perceive the world differently.”
  
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• Should You Take Your Baby Outside To Nap?

  01-02-2018 14:21
  If you’re struggling to get your little one to nap in the day, have you ever considered taking them outdoors? That’s what Hannah Rosalie, of Paddock Cottage nursery in West Sussex does with the children in her care, giving them what she calls a “full forest experience”.Rosalie told HuffPost UK she believes there are many reasons these “pushchair naps” are the best, which she has also explained on her blog.She claimed the babies sleep longer outside a
  
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