Political news

• ‘Treacherous Treasury’ claims signal a new target for hard-Brexiters

  03-02-2018 22:30 via theguardian.com
  Row erupts after Jacob Rees-Mogg suggested in the Commons that Whitehall was deliberately undermining leave processWhen the most senior officials across Whitehall gathered for a rare away day on Friday, an attack on the impartiality of the civil service by a leading Brexiter ensured they had plenty to talk about between the presentations and flow charts.Since the referendum there have been a string of allegations thrown at the politicians and institutions perceived as failing in their duty to de
  
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• Resentful in Redcar: ‘We made the finest steel in the world – now we make lattes’

  03-02-2018 22:30 via theguardian.com
  Those who felt they had nothing left to lose used the EU referendum to fight back – and they warn they’ll fight again if another vote is calledWearing a T-shirt with the slogan “Fighting for the community” underneath an image of Redcar’s mothballed steelworks, Frankie Wales is preparing to take a training session at the town’s boxing club. Young men are sparring in the rings; others are hitting punchbags. “Nothing gets you fit like boxing,” says on
  
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• Jacob Rees-Mogg says Treasury 'fiddling figures' on Brexit

  03-02-2018 21:43 via bbc.co.uk
  It is the second time this week Eurosceptic Jacob Rees-Mogg has criticised Brexit economic forecasts.
  
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• Donald Trump Says Republican Memo Vindicates Him In Russia Probe

  03-02-2018 21:42
  Donald Trump claims that a controversial memo attacking federal law enforcement written by congressional Republicans vindicates him in the investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 US presidential election.Trump’s fervent embrace of the memo on Saturday raised again the prospect that he may use it as justification to fire special counsel Robert Mueller, who is conducting the probe, or Deputy Attorney Rod Rosenstein, who oversees Mueller, Reuters reported.Tweeting from his resort in Pal
  
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• MoD ‘in chaos’ over drone use outside of war zones

  03-02-2018 20:39 via theguardian.com
  Defence secretary’s recent comments add credence to human rights groups’ claims Britain is in grey area on targeting terroristsCampaigners have demanded that the Ministry of Defence clarify whether it permits the use of lethal force by drones against suspected terrorists anywhere in the world.Human rights groups have long suspected that, under certain exceptional circumstances, the UK will target threats outside conflict zones – a legally grey area. Continue reading...
  
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• Northamptonshire County Council 'warned it was unsustainable'

  03-02-2018 19:50 via bbc.co.uk
  The leader of cash-strapped Northamptonshire council says she told ministers it was struggling.
  
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• Wormwood Scrubs Death Sees Three Men Charged With Murder

  03-02-2018 19:48
  Three men have been charged with murder and have appeared in court after a prisoner was stabbed at HMP Wormwood Scrubs, the Metropolitan Police said.Ahmed Khyre, 21, Kalif Dibbassey, 21 and Enton Marku, 20 - all inmates at the west London jail - were charged and appeared at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on Friday, the force said.Khader Saleh, 25, was found with a number of knife injuries on Wednesday afternoon and was pronounced dead at the scene.A 23-year-old man arrested on suspicion of m
  
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• Harvey Weinstein: British Police Investigating Two Further Allegations Of Sexual Assault

  03-02-2018 19:19
  British police investigating Harvey Weinstein are now looking at two further allegations of sexual assault.The most recent allegations relate to incidents in November last year, but have only just been made public. Police are now investigating claims made by nine women against the Hollywood producer between the 1980s and 2015.“On November 13 an allegation was received that the man sexually assaulted a woman (Victim 9) in Westminster in 2011 and outside the jurisdiction of the UK in 20
  
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• Wanted: an opposition that will stand up to May on Brexit

  03-02-2018 19:00 via ft.com
  Don’t expect the Labour party to hold this government to account
  
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• Rally in London calls for action on NHS 'crisis'

  03-02-2018 18:38 via bbc.co.uk
  Thousands take part in a march calling for more government support for the NHS.
  
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• Angus Robertson steps down as SNP deputy leader

  03-02-2018 18:31 via bbc.co.uk
  Angus Robertson lost his Westminster seat in last June's snap general election.
  
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• Russian Jet Downed By Syrian Rebels Captured In Fiery Video

  03-02-2018 17:57
  Syrian rebels said on Saturday that they had brought down a Russian warplane in an area of northern Syria that has seen heavy air strikes, and two rebel sources said they had captured the pilot who was badly injured.A rebel source told Reuters the Sukhoi plane was shot down over Khan al-Subl town near the city of Saraqeb, close to a major highway that has come under fierce air attack and attempts to advance on the ground by the Syrian army and Iranian-backed militias.Two rebel sources said the p
  
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• Maya Bar Murder Probe After Man Dies Following Unprovoked Attack In Liverpool

  03-02-2018 17:01
  A murder investigation has been launched after a 29-year-old man died following an unprovoked attack in a bar, police said.Emergency services were called at around 1am on Saturday to reports that a man had been assaulted during an altercation in the Maya bar on Wood Street in Liverpool.The victim, who was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead, has since been formally identified as Anthony Condron from Huyton, Merseyside Police said.Detective Chief Inspector Mark Tivendale said the victi
  
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• The good, the bad and the baffling: three big public-private contracts

  03-02-2018 17:00 via theguardian.com
  Not every private finance initiative deal has been a failure: but some have suffered from glaring deficiencies from the outsetGovernment contracts with the private sector fall into two categories. There are straightforward service contracts – for jobs like cleaning prisons and maintaining army homes – where civil servants can drive a hard bargain. Or there are large complex projects – like building and running new hospitals – which involve private consortiums raising much
  
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• After Carillion and Capita, is PFI itself on the critical list?

  03-02-2018 17:00 via theguardian.com
  Private providers have been entrusted with much of Britain’s infrastructure: even hospitals. What does the future hold now?Long before the collapse last month of Carillion, one of the government’s go-to outsourcing and building groups, the signs of strain inside Whitehall over the future of financing public projects with private cash were clear. Since 2010 the government has signed 80 contracts under the private finance initiative (PFI). In the 13 years before 2010 it signed 620.The
  
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• Rees-Mogg accuses Treasury of fiddling Brexit analysis

  03-02-2018 16:46 via ft.com
  Cabinet split over whether to pursue customs union with EU
  
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• Nigel Farage Claims Ireland Has Been Humiliated By EU

  03-02-2018 16:21
  Ireland has been “humiliated” by the EU, Nigel Farage has said.The former Ukip leader called for a eurosceptic mobilisation to win votes off pro-EU politicians in the next European elections and said there was a democratic deficit in the national debate.During his Dublin visit he recalled the austerity of the post-2008 European bailout of the Irish state and urged citizens to rebel against Brussels.The MEP said: “What on earth is going on in the politics of this country?“
  
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• Centenary Of Votes For Women Must Be Used To Re-Galvanise The Fight For Equality, Campaigners Say

  03-02-2018 15:50
  The centenary of the first votes for women should be used as an opportunity to “re-galvanise” the battle for equality, leading feminists have urged.Laws passed on 6 February 1918 gave certain women over the age of 30 a vote.But a century on from the landmark legislation the way women are treated is in some ways “worse” and a culture of misogyny dominates British life, according to campaigners.Harriet Harman, who is the most senior woman in Labour history having twice step
  
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• NHS March In London Sees Jeremy Corbyn Blame 'Tories And Austerity For Crisis'

  03-02-2018 15:19
  Thousands of health workers, patients and union members took to the streets in London on Saturday protesting against a “crisis” in NHS funding which Jeremy Corbyn has blamed on “Tories and austerity”.The Labour Leader posted a video on Twitter today saying that it “can’t have escaped anyone’s notice that our NHS is crisis”, with the exception of Theresa May, Jeremy Hunt and the “rest of the Tories”.“In the face of all the evidence
  
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• Dozens of academy schools need bailouts from taxpayers

  03-02-2018 14:25 via theguardian.com
  Flagship schools under pressure as beleaguered trusts face mounting deficitsOperators of dozens of academy schools are having to rely on emergency handouts from the taxpayer as a result of mounting deficits that threaten to put some out of business.In the latest sign of the financial pressures now on the nation’s schools, the auditors of one operator that oversees 21 schools raised concerns over its ability to keep operating after it posted a £2.5m loss last year. Continue reading...
  
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• Rees-Mogg repeats claim Treasury is 'fiddling' Brexit figures

  03-02-2018 14:01 via theguardian.com
  Analysis showing UK would be worse off outside customs union is politically influenced, he saysJacob Rees-Mogg has repeated his accusation that Treasury officials are “fiddling the figures” in their Brexit forecasts, even after a cabinet minister was forced to apologise for agreeing with the claim. Rees-Mogg, who chairs the pro-Brexit European Research Group of Tory MPs, reiterated his claim that the forecasts were rigged and that the department was determined to keep the UK in the c
  
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• Drive-By Shooting In Macerata, Italy Leaves Four People Wounded

  03-02-2018 13:54
  A man opened fire on passersby in Macerata, Italy on Saturday, injuring several African migrants, police said, in an attack that appeared to be racially motivated.Local media reported the victims were four African migrants.“Shots fired in Macerata. People injured. Police operation under way. Stay out of the way and avoid open places,” the police said on Twitter. Shortly afterwards, they said one man had been arrested.“The person who sowed panic in our city this morning was
  
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• Russian oligarchs in UK told to explain luxury lifestyles

  03-02-2018 13:45 via bbc.co.uk
  "We will come for you," warns the security minister as he commends McMafia's portrayal of organised crime.
  
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• Drive-By Shootings In Macerata, Italy Leaves African Migrants Wounded

  03-02-2018 13:13
  A man opened fire on passersby in a city in central Italy, injuring several African migrants, in an attack that appeared to be racially motivated.“Shots fired in Macerata. People injured. Police operation under way. Stay out of the way and avoid open places,” the police said on Twitter. Shortly afterwards, they said one man had been arrested.The suspect reportedly made a fascist salute as he was arrested.“The person who sowed panic in our city this morning was captured. Yo
  
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• Donald Trump's Memo Decision Backfires As Everyone Is Reminded Of His Tax Returns

  03-02-2018 13:10
  The political row over the memo Donald Trump ordered be released has renewed calls for him to publish his tax returns, in light of the apparent new-found desire for a culture of transparency at the White House.The President’s decision on Friday to approve the declassification of a Republican-authored memo that alleges the Justice Department and FBI inappropriately spied on a member of the Trump campaign, is in stark contrast to his stance on potentially damaging documents on himself.John K
  
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• Northamptonshire County Council Issues Emergency Spending Controls After Pleading Government For Money

  03-02-2018 12:49
  A cash-strapped council has imposed emergency spending controls after warning that it faces a “severe financial challenge”.Conservative-controlled Northamptonshire County Council said it has issued a section 114 notice banning all new expenditure apart from statutory services for safeguarding vulnerable people, The Press Association reports.In a statement, the council said: “The notice has been served in light of the severe financial challenge facing the authority and the signi
  
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• Carillion collapse: UK puts up £100m to back Carillion contractor loans

  03-02-2018 12:40 via bbc.co.uk
  The British Business Bank will guarantee £100m lending to its contractors, the government says.
  
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• Scuffle at Rees-Mogg student event at UWE Bristol

  03-02-2018 12:38 via bbc.co.uk
  Protesters claim they disrupted university society event because of the Tory MPs 'homophobic and anti-abortion beliefs'.
  
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• To Save The NHS We Must Stop An Extreme Brexit

  03-02-2018 11:46
  As the father of a disabled son, I spend quite a lot of time at hospital. It has often been said you are more likely to be treated by a migrant than behind one in the queue for the NHS.  That has certainly been the case for us.  Most of us, from our own personal experiences, know this to be true. Yet this Government has led people to believe migrants are responsible for all the problems the country faces - and the NHS is no exception.Hospitals are constantly in the headlines as th
  
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• Jacob Rees-Mogg involved in scuffle during university campus protest

  03-02-2018 11:41 via theguardian.com
  Police investigate after Tory MP is filmed apparently trying to break up fight in Bristol
  Police are investigating after Jacob Rees-Mogg was caught in the middle of a scuffle at a university campus when protesters disrupted a student event in Bristol.Video footage posted on social media captured the scenes at the University of the West of England, which appeared to show Rees-Mogg attempting to break up a fracas between protesters and onlookers. Continue reading...
  
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• My Preventative Surgery Helped Me See My Little Girls Grow Up

  03-02-2018 11:23
  For most of their lives, my father and his brother were totally unaware they carried a rare mutation in a gene known as CDH1. Like the more well-known BRCA mutations, which are associated with a higher risk of breast cancer, having a faulty version of this gene puts you at a higher risk of developing stomach cancer.But because neither of them ever got cancer themselves, none of us knew it even existed until 2011, when two of my cousins were diagnosed with stomach cancer in their 30s. Sadly, they
  
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• Jacob Rees-Mogg Doubles Down On Claim Civil Servants Are Manipulating Brexit Figures In Heated Exchange

  03-02-2018 11:21
  Jacob Rees-Mogg has doubled down on his claim that civil servants are manipulating figures to discourage the Government from Brexit, in a heated on-air exchange.“I do think they’re fiddling the figures,” the Brexiteer MP told BBC Radio Four’s Today programme, after he was accused of suggesting this in the House of Commons without evidence.Host Nick Robinson had put it to Rees Mogg that his accusation was “not the behaviour of a man who wishes to lead this count
  
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• Kylie Minogue Denies Calling Kylie Jenner A ‘Secondary Reality TV Personality’, Insisting Trademark Lawsuit Was ‘Nothing Personal’

  03-02-2018 11:11
  Kylie Minogue has broken her silence over the legal tussle she had with Kylie Jenner over the trademarking of their name.In an interview with Rolling Stone, the ‘Dancing’ singer denied ever referring to the US reality star as a “secondary reality television personality”.The 49-year-old Aussie star insisted that was “lawyer speak” and described the legal battle, which was settled out of court and saw her retain the trademark rights to ‘Kylie’, as &l
  
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• My suffragette great-grandma would be proud and cross at councils | Gill Steward

  03-02-2018 11:03 via theguardian.com
  Women like me make up just a third of council chiefs – and the local authority gender pay gap persists. There’s still work to doTuesday 6 February marks 100 years since the passing of the Representation of the People Act that paved the way to universal suffrage – and many of us will be reflecting on the progress made on gender equality over the past century. I am the great-granddaughter of an Oldham suffragette called Harriet and I think she’d be proud to know I am now th
  
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• Why Now Is The Perfect Time For A Spice Girls Reunion

  03-02-2018 10:40
  I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want. A Spice Girls reunion, and I could not think of a more perfect time for it to happen.Right now - in a world where we are learning more everyday about the scale of sexual abuse and exploitation against women, unfair pay and even an event where it was deemed ok to prey on women - we women need to stick together. We need to empower each other, support one another and ensure that this year brings the change we want. This is what I believe
  
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• Dennis Edwards Dead: Temptations Singer Dies One Day Before His 75th Birthday

  03-02-2018 09:47
  Former lead singer of The Temptations, Dennis Edwards, has died at the age of 74.The family of the US star confirmed he had passed away in hospital one day before his 75th birthday. The cause of death was not revealed.Dennis joined The Temptations in 1968, replacing David Ruffin, and scored huge hits including ‘Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone’, ‘Treat Her Like A Lady’, ‘I Can’t Get Next To You’ and ‘My Girl’.
  His nephew, Jason Quebec, paid tri
  
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• Lady Gaga ‘Deeply Saddened’ After Cancelling British Shows And Rest Of European ‘Joanne’ Tour After Suffering ‘Severe Pain’

  03-02-2018 09:28
  Lady Gaga has scrapped the rest of her ‘Joanne’ world tour after suffering ‘severe pain’, it has been announced.The US singer had ten dates left of the tour, including two nights at London’s O2 Arena and another in Manchester next week, before playing other shows around Europe.But in a statement issued on Saturday morning (3 February), it was confirmed she will not be performing on medical advice.The full statement reads: “Unfortunately, Lady Gaga is suff
  
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• Police Officer Knocked Unconscious In Ramsgate Graveyard Attack

  03-02-2018 08:59
  A police officer has been taken to hospital after being knocked unconscious in a graveyard as he was assaulted by a group of people.Kent Police said the officer was attacked in the Ramsgate graveyard at about 10pm on Friday, The Press Association reports. Officers launched a search of the area near Manston Road with help from a police helicopter after the incident.We are currently in the area of Manston Road, #Ramsgate, after a police officer was knocked unconscious in a graveyard. He has b
  
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• ‘Celebrity Big Brother’: Courtney Act Crowned Winner After Scoring Half Of The Votes In Final Against Ann Widdecombe

  03-02-2018 08:41
  Courtney Act has been crowned the winner of ‘Celebrity Big Brother’.The Aussie drag queen - real name Shane Jenek - went head-to-head with former MP Ann Widdecombe in Friday night’s final.But the 35-year-old was declared the winner after securing 49.43% of the votes against Ann’s 39.5%.After winning the Year of the Woman-themed series, Courtney said: “It’s slightly ironic. I have to say thank you to the eight glorious women in the house.”When host Emma W
  
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• ‘Celebrity Big Brother’: Courtney Act Crowned Winner After Scoring Half Of The Votes In Final Against Ann Widdecomb

  03-02-2018 08:41
  Courtney Act has been crowned the winner of ‘Celebrity Big Brother’.The Aussie drag queen - real name Shane Jenek - went head-to-head with former MP Ann Widdecombe in Friday night’s final.But the 35-year-old was declared the winner after securing 49.43% of the votes against Ann’s 39.5%.After winning the Year of the Woman-themed series, Courtney said: “It’s slightly ironic. I have to say thank you to the eight glorious women in the house.”When host Emma W
  
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• Vegan Spiking Row: Inside Carlini, The Restaurant On Trial By Social Media

  03-02-2018 08:16
  “We had to keep the door locked constantly, we were so scared,” says Andrew Turley, 22, head chef of the two Carlini restaurants in Shropshire. Turley hasn’t been in his job long. It was a month ago today that his predecessor Laura Goodman resigned following comments on Facebook in which she claimed to have ‘spiked’ a vegan diner. The ensuing social media storm saw the restaurant propelled to global fame. “Albrighton has never been on the n
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn pledges rebirth of 'municipal socialism' in the UK

  03-02-2018 07:00 via theguardian.com
  Labour leader urges councils to reverse privatisation of public services while defending party’s intervention in Haringey
  Jeremy Corbyn is to promise to bring back “municipal socialism” to the UK, while defending Labour’s decision to ask one of its local councils to halt a controversial public-private housing scheme. In a speech to party councillors on Saturday, the Labour leader will say it is crucial for local authorities to reverse the privatisation of public services,
  
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• Britain’s imperial fantasies have given us Brexit | Gary Younge

  03-02-2018 07:00 via theguardian.com
  As Theresa May is discovering, the UK’s overblown sense of its place in the world has led to overplaying our hand with the EUIn his recent book Behind Diplomatic Lines, Patrick Wright, a former head of the UK diplomatic service, provides an illuminating account of Margaret Thatcher’s worldview. The former British premier wanted South Africa to be a “whites-only state”, and believed the Vietnamese boat people should be pushed into the sea before they reached Hong Kong. In
  
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• May's travails and the end of the Anglo-Chinese golden era

  03-02-2018 05:47 via ft.com
  The prime minister went to China this week on a mission to make the case for "Global Britain".
  
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• UK terror watchdog defends stance on Isis returnees

  03-02-2018 05:00 via ft.com
  Hill says balance must be struck between national security and preserving civil liberties
  
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