Political news

• 'Trauma' Episode 2 Review: The 8 Questions We're Now Asking

  13-02-2018 23:01
  After winning widespread praise upon its debut, ‘Trauma’ continued apace with its second episode on Tuesday (13 February), as Dan Bowker’s world continued to fall apart.Still struggling to cope with the death of his son, his marriage and his mental health were put under the spotlight, as he continued his attempts to bring down consultant Jon Allerton.With the final instalment right ahead of us, these are the questions we’re now asking...Will Susie make a pass at Jon?When
  
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• Boris Johnson warns thwarting Brexit vote would be disastrous

  13-02-2018 23:00 via theguardian.com
  Speech telling remainers that vote to leave must not be betrayed branded ‘hypocritical’Boris Johnson will warn that the 17.4 million people who voted to leave the EU face a disastrous and irreversible betrayal if attempts to overturn the referendum vote succeed.
  The foreign secretary will say “we cannot and will not let it happen” in a major speech on Wednesday marking the start of a series of interventions by cabinet ministers laying out the government’s “roa
  
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• Juncker backs election process for Brussels top job

  13-02-2018 22:35 via ft.com
  Commission president ready to side with parliament on method that brought him to power
  
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• How can liberals defeat populism? Here are four ideas | Cas Mudde

  13-02-2018 22:25 via theguardian.com
  Rather than letting populists set the agenda, we need to focus on what matters: honesty, cooperation and equalityEveryone is warning about the dangers of populism. From Human Rights Watch to Tony Blair’s new Institute for Global Change, the million-dollar question everyone is asking – but few are answering – is, how can we defeat populism?A recent report by the World Forum for Democracy, which organized a conference in November titled Is Populism a Problem?”, attended by
  
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• DWP's 'Unpleasant' Valentine's Day Tweet Is Exceptionally Mis-Judged, People Think

  13-02-2018 21:05
  Love is in the air, but what you can smell right now is the Department for Work and Pensions stinking out the room.At least that’s the collective view on social media after the Whitehall department in charge of benefits decided to mark Valentine’s Day with a welfare crackdown.Here’s the gift the Esther McVey-run DWP offered less than loved-up couples: the prospect of jail-time.Claiming to be living alone is one of the most common types of benefit fraud – don’t ruin
  
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• The BBC Is Banning Single-Use Plastic, Inspired By 'Blue Planet'

  13-02-2018 20:51
  The plastic-free campaign has claimed yet another victory. The BBC has announced a three-step plan to ban single-use plastics by 2020.By the end of this year, both plastic cutlery and cups will have been scrapped across all of the BBC’s offices. Two million plastic cups are currently being used by visitors and staff each year on BBC sites.Tony Hall, the BBC’s Director-General, has made no secret of the fact that Sir David Attenborough’s beloved ‘Blue Planet II’ docu
  
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• Arlene Foster: 'No stand-alone Irish language act'

  13-02-2018 20:48 via bbc.co.uk
  Democratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster refuses to be drawn on what package is under discussion.
  
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• Abuse Scandal Forces Oxfam To Pursue Criminal Checks On All Shop Volunteers

  13-02-2018 19:55
  Oxfam was tonight scrambling to ensure safety in its high street shops after being forced to admit thousands of volunteers work alongside children without criminal records checks.The crisis-hit charity has told HuffPost UK it is reviewing the use of Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks on the 23,000 volunteers, including those who help run stores where it allows 14-year-olds to work.Oxfam also confirmed 52 safeguarding incidents occurred within its trading retail division last year, and a
  
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• Oxfam International Chairman Juan Alberto Fuentes Knight Arrested Over Guatemala Corruption Probe

  13-02-2018 19:41
  The chairman of Oxfam International has been arrested as part of a corruption probe in Guatemala.Juan Alberto Fuentes Knight, a former finance minister in the country, was detained along with former president Alvaro Colom as part of an investigation into a public bus deal.The development comes as Oxfam Great Britain is embroiled in an aid worker sex scandal in relation to Haiti.Oxfam International’s executive director Winnie Byanyima told the Press Association: “Oxfam does not yet kn
  
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• House price flatlining is a good thing, despite estate agents' gripes

  13-02-2018 19:41 via theguardian.com
  First-time buyers are taking advantage of low interest rates and a flat market, and why shouldn’t they?Over the past year the rate of house price inflation has fallen while the number of first-time buyers has risen to its highest level since 2006. These two facts are connected: the reason young people have become renters rather than owner-occupiers is that property became expensive.Property has become so dear that the average first-time buyer is now 30 years old and has a salary of £
  
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• London’s transport is vital to the capital’s future

  13-02-2018 19:19 via ft.com
  The city cannot ignore fewer passengers and a £1bn budget deficit
  
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• Theresa May banks on making the road to Brexit clearer

  13-02-2018 19:08 via theguardian.com
  A series of speeches aims to bring the cabinet and country together, but the PM knows the future could be bumpyIt was already planned for David Davis to make a major speech on Brexit over the next couple of weeks; Boris Johnson, too. But at some point, senior figures in Downing Street saw an opportunity: to tie together a bigger argument about Britain’s hopes for Brexit that would also respond to critics complaining of a lack of clarity. Continue reading...
  
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• Young Labour: Row over access to equalities event

  13-02-2018 19:06 via bbc.co.uk
  The party's youth wing defends its policy of only allowing "disadvantaged groups" to attend.
  
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• New AM Jack Sargeant calls for justice for his father Carl

  13-02-2018 19:03 via bbc.co.uk
  Carl Sargeant's son says he will ensure inquiries under way will examine how his father was treated.
  
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• The Guardian view on the Charity Commission: guarantor of public generosity | Editorial

  13-02-2018 18:56 via theguardian.com
  More than £9bn a year is given by people who want to do good. Their confidence must be protected by rigorous monitoring of charities’ activitiesThe Charity Commission has launched a statutory inquiry into Oxfam as part of its duty to promote trust and public confidence in charities. That is necessary. But the Commission also has to reassure an increasingly sceptical audience that its own regulatory culture is rigorous and sceptical enough to deserve trust and confidence. Get this wro
  
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• Police numbers drop by 1,200 in six months as wage bill frozen

  13-02-2018 18:54 via theguardian.com
  No extra funding for salaries offered by Home Office despite sharp rise in recorded crimeThe number of police officers in England and Wales has fallen by 1,213 in six months and is now 16% below its 2009 peak, official figures have shown. The latest Home Office statistics put the number of officers in the 43 police forces in England and Wales on 30 September last year at 121,929, down from 123,142 on 31 March last year and from 144,353 in 2009. In evidence submitted to the police remuneration re
  
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• Oxfam scandal: ministers have 'serious questions to answer', say Labour - as it happened

  13-02-2018 18:47 via theguardian.com
  Follow the day’s political developments as they happened 5.47pm GMT There is nothing more shameful than a sexual predator using the veil of catastrophe as a means to exploit the vulnerable in their most defenceless moments. What transpired [in Haiti] is a violation of basic human decency. 4.26pm GMT An update from the Met on the suspicious package sent to parliament:UPDATE: The white powder has been assessed by specialists and found not to be noxious. The office remains closed at this time
  
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• Enoch Powell failed to introduce tests for cervical cancer | Letter from Sir Harold Evans

  13-02-2018 18:40 via theguardian.com
  Letter from Sir Harold EvansThe thalidomide families are right to protest against any honouring of Enoch Powell (It isn’t just racism that should bar Powell from a blue plaque, Letters, 12 February). As I relate in My Paper Chase, he also would do nothing as minister of health to introduce tests for cervical cancer in the early 1960s.The gynaecologist Mr Stanley Way at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead, had proved how thousands of lives would be saved, but he was ignored until w
  
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• How Pitcairn made history on votes for women | Brief letters

  13-02-2018 18:39 via theguardian.com
  Votes for women | Obtaining the pill | Henry Moore sculpture | Asma Jahangir | Ballet reviews | EvolutionIn 2013 Pitcairn islanders celebrated 175 years of women’s right to vote (Letters, 10 February). Pitcairn may be small and remote but the islanders are justifiably proud of this contribution to world history.
  Liz Timms
  Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland• In 1972, I wasn’t able to have an evening appointment at my local family planning clinic for the pill as I wasn’t mar
  
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• Oxfam's disgraced Haiti official left earlier post over 'sex parties'

  13-02-2018 18:19 via theguardian.com
  Roland van Hauwermeiren was forced out of Liberia role with charity Merlin over sex worker allegations in 2004, before working for OxfamThe aid official embroiled in a sexual misconduct scandal at the charity Oxfam had allegedly been forced out by another British charity seven years earlier, following an investigation into the use of sex workers.Roland van Hauwermeiren agreed to leave his job working for the charity Merlin in Liberia in 2004, following an investigation into sex parties with loca
  
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• Ashley Jensen Addresses Husband Terence Beesley's Suicide: 'I Had No Idea He Was Capable Of What He Did'

  13-02-2018 18:06
  Former ‘Extras’ star Ashley Jensen has spoken about her late husband, Terence Beesley’s suicide, saying she had “no idea” that he was “capable” of taking his own life.In November, Jensen’s husband was found unconscious at their Somerset hom. An ambulance was called, but Beesley was pronounced dead at the scene.At an inquest on Tuesday (13 February), coroner Peter Harrowing said that the death was a suicide, with the cause of death na
  
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• Simon Danczuk expenses: Former MP will not face fraud charges

  13-02-2018 18:05 via bbc.co.uk
  Simon Danczuk will not face charges over £11,000 of incorrectly-claimed expenses, prosecutors say.
  
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• Martin Rowson on the Queen and the Commonwealth – cartoon

  13-02-2018 17:59 via theguardian.com
  Continue reading...
  
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• MPs launch inquiry into workplace harassment

  13-02-2018 17:53 via bbc.co.uk
  The Commons Women's Committee will look at the use of non-disclosure agreements among other issues.
  
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• My Little Boy Choked On A Nappy Sack - I'm Sharing My Story So No One Else Experiences That Loss

  13-02-2018 17:35
  Looking back on my Facebook posts I see a picture from five years ago. It’s my son, aged six months, covered in chocolate. It brings back such happy memories about my smiley, happy boy. And then it makes my heart hurt because all I have left of my baby is photos.On 7th March 2013 Maison, aged seven months, died from suffocating on a nappy sack. My whole world was turned upside down in one morning from an item a lot of parents think is a nursery essential.
  Walking into Maison’s room t
  
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• Package containing white powder sent to Houses of Parliament

  13-02-2018 17:28 via theguardian.com
  Police say substance delivered to office was non-harmful and buildings remained openA suspicious package delivered to an office in the Houses of Parliament contained “non-harmful” white powder, a House of Commons spokeswoman has said.The Met’s counter-terrorism command launched an investigation after police were told of the letter just after 11.30am on Tuesday. There was a heavy police presence and the office where the package was sent was closed but the rest of the Westminster
  
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• Until Abortion Harassment Is Stopped, Gender Equality Will Never Be Achieved

  13-02-2018 17:17
  100 years ago, we gave some women the right to choose who represents them in Government. Society’s journey towards gender equality has progressed since, but it is far from completion. One of the most important challenges facing gender equality is how we uphold the rights of women who choose to have an abortion, without being subject to harassment. Women who attend clinics for abortion treatment have become a target for anti-abortion groups who aim to harass them during what would likely be
  
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• Former MP Simon Danczuk will not face charges over expenses

  13-02-2018 17:15 via theguardian.com
  Ex-Labour MP for Rochdale had been ordered to repay £11,583 but police drop investigation The former MP for Rochdale Simon Danczuk will not face criminal charges after a police investigation into his expenses.In 2016 the politician, who lost his seat at the last general election, agreed to repay £11,583 after saying he made an error in claiming extra accommodation costs for his two eldest children to live with him at his second home in London. Continue reading...
  
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• Barry Bennell Found Guilty Of Multiple Child Sexual Abuse Charges

  13-02-2018 17:11
  Convicted paedophile Barry Bennell has been found guilty of multiple child sexual abuse in the 1980s.The ex-football coach was charged with 55 offences, including 42 counts of indecent assault.At his latest trial at Liverpool Crown Court, he pleaded guilty to seven child sex offences on January 8, but a jury was sworn in for his trial on the outstanding 48 charges.Bennell, 64, was convicted of 36 charges including indecent assault and serious sexual assaults against boys aged eight to 15.The jur
  
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• Queen welcomes Sarah Clarke as first female Black Rod

  13-02-2018 17:06 via bbc.co.uk
  The Queen hands over the ceremonial ebony staff to Sarah Clarke as she takes on the historic role.
  
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• Russian Saratov Plane Crash ‘Caused By Ice On Speed Sensors’

  13-02-2018 17:04
  A plane crash near Moscow on Sunday which killed all 71 people on board may have occurred because its speed sensors were iced over.As a result, instruments on the aircraft’s control panel could have shown the pilots the wrong speed data, the TASS news agency quoted investigators as saying.The AN-148 passenger plane was en route from Moscow to the Russian provincial city of Orsk and was operated by Russia’s Saratov Airlines.A special commission has been ordered by President Vladimir P
  
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• Voters oppose May’s plan to create new peerages

  13-02-2018 16:59 via ft.com
  Poll finds 78% of Tories and 76% of Labour supporters think the House of Lords is ‘too large’
  
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• UK households under pressure as inflation sticks at 3%

  13-02-2018 16:45 via theguardian.com
  Expectations dashed that rate would fall as effects of Brexit vote on pound fadeBritish households remained under significant pressure last month from rising prices as the rate of inflation stayed at its highest level for almost six years, continuing the squeeze on consumers. The consumer price index (CPI) held steady at 3% in January for the second month running, according to the Office for National Statistics, confounding economists’ expectations that the rate would fall to 2.9% as the e
  
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• Black Panther's Letitia Wright Is The Star Everyone's Going To Be Talking About

  13-02-2018 16:37
  It’s no understatement to say ‘Black Panther’ is one of the most hotly-anticipated films of the decade, and in the run-up to its release, lead star Chadwick Boseman has (rightly) been in the spotlight. However, with its UK debut finally upon us, Chadwick is set to share the limelight with his phenomenal co-stars - including Daniel Kaluuya, Lupita Nyong’o and Danai Gurira - but there’s one in particular who has caught our attention: Letitia Wright.&nbs
  
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• White powder package sent to Westminster

  13-02-2018 16:25 via bbc.co.uk
  The powder, which was contained in a letter, was found to be non-harmful, police say.
  
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• Every Parent Must Get Involved In Their Children's Sex Education

  13-02-2018 16:25
  What is one of the most important elements that is missing from your children’s sex education? What’s missing is you – their parent.Although we live in a highly sexualised culture, it rarely comes naturally to talk openly with our children about challenging issues like porn, sexting, unwanted touching, body image, pleasure and consent. But research consistently shows that both parents and children want to communicate with each other about these and other sex-ed subjects.Your ch
  
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• ONS to release jobs data a day early to avoid confusion among MPs

  13-02-2018 16:23 via ft.com
  Statistics agency will no longer publish monthly labour figures on same day as PM’s questions
  
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• Nigel Farage Will Reveal On Friday If He Backs Henry Bolton To Stay As Ukip Leader

  13-02-2018 16:09
  Nigel Farage will reveal on Friday if he is backing current Ukip leader Henry Bolton to continue in the job ahead of a make-or-break meeting of party members.Bolton is set to face activists in an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) in Birmingham on Saturday, where he will ask them to overturn Ukip’s ruling committee’s decision to oust him as leader.In the wake of his refusal to quit, a slew of Ukip spokespeople quit their positions in protest at his leadership and his continuing invo
  
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• Julian Assange 'Thinks He Is Above The Law', Judge Says In Scathing Ruling That Arrest Warrant Stands

  13-02-2018 16:06
  Julian Assange has been accused of thinking he is “above the normal rules of law” by a judge who ruled his arrest warrant should stand.The Wikileaks founder lost his second bid in as many weeks to quash the warrant for skipping bail on Tuesday, with the judge saying he should “have the courage” to surrender himself to police after hiding in London’s Ecuadorian embassy since June 2012.Had he won, Assange could have walked free, without fear of arrest.Assang
  
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• Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Hear Stories Of Former Homeless People At Edinburgh's Social Bite Cafe

  13-02-2018 15:58
  Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have heard from former homeless people about how a social enterprise cafe in Edinburgh has helped them turn their lives around.The royal couple visited the sandwich shop Social Bite, which helps homeless people across Scotland, during their first official joint visit to the country. Prince Harry and Ms. Markle hear more from staff about their experiences, and how @SocialBite_ has helped them to overcome homelessness. pic.twitter.com/SUzvESxdqS— Kensingto
  
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• All Aboard The Digital Train: First Stop, A Safer Future

  13-02-2018 15:43
  The title for the world’s fastest train currently belongs to the Lo Series in Japan, which set the record in 2015 with a top speed of 373mph. While the train is not currently ready for passenger use, it gives us a good indication of how consumer travel is likely to evolve in the coming years. The advances in passenger trains are seeing more than just faster speeds however; we are moving towards a fully ‘digital train’, which could become a reality as soon as 2020.For passengers
  
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• Julian Assange 'Thinks He Is Above The Law', Judge Says As She Rules Arrest Warrant Should Stand

  13-02-2018 15:38
  Julian Assange has been accused of thinking he is “above the normal rules of law” by a judge who ruled his arrest warrant should stand.The Wikileaks founder lost his second bid in as many weeks to quash the warrant for skipping bail on Tuesday, with the judge saying he should “have the courage” to surrender himself to police after hiding in London’s Ecuadorian embassy since June 2012.Had he won, Assange could have walked free, without fear of arrest.Assang
  
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• Boris Johnson's naked ambition blinds him to the dangers of Brexit | Martin Kettle

  13-02-2018 15:37 via theguardian.com
  The foreign secretary’s vision of a ‘liberal’ future outside the EU is a triumph of self-delusionBoris Johnson has made his career out of creating myths about Europe. With Theresa May’s job again within his ever-ambitious grasp, he’s not going to stop doing it now.The foreign secretary’s speech this week will conjure the prospect of a “liberal” post-Brexit free trading order. In this Johnsonian vision, Britain will be freed from politically driven
  
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• Presidents Club hostesses ‘should disregard NDAs’

  13-02-2018 15:20 via ft.com
  Agency says gag clauses do not inhibit hostesses from reporting any crime
  
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• Why Are More Women Being Returned To Prison Than Ever Before?

  13-02-2018 15:06
  Last week’s findings from the HM Inspectorate of Probation reveal that private probation companies are failing to provide sufficient supervision and support to people released from prison. This is the latest in a long line of critical reports since the overhaul of probation in 2014.Often it is the prison system that is left to pick up the pieces. In November 2016, the Prison Reform Trust (PRT) reported that more women than ever before in England and Wales were being recalled to prison foll
  
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• Why Are More Women Are Being Returned To Prison Than Ever Before?

  13-02-2018 15:06
  Last week’s findings from the HM Inspectorate of Probation reveal that private probation companies are failing to provide sufficient supervision and support to people released from prison. This is the latest in a long line of critical reports since the overhaul of probation in 2014.Often it is the prison system that is left to pick up the pieces. In November 2016, the Prison Reform Trust (PRT) reported that more women than ever before in England and Wales were being recalled to prison foll
  
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• Number of UK first-time buyers highest for 10 years

  13-02-2018 15:02 via ft.com
  Mortgages given to landlords continues to decline, UK Finance figures show
  
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• Police 'Investigating An Incident' On Parliamentary Estate

  13-02-2018 14:55
  Police are currently “investigating an incident” on the Parliamentary Estate, a House of Commons spokesman said.Initial reports suggest a “suspicious package” is the cause of the alarm and a heavy police presence has been seen on a Ministerial corridor in the House of Commons.Parliament is currently in recess meaning many MPs will not be in Westminster.
  Heavy police activity around ministerial corridor... A House of Commons Spokesperson said: “The Police are current
  
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• MPs to be given more time to grasp jobs data before PMQs

  13-02-2018 14:49 via theguardian.com
  Office for National Statistics to publish employment figures day early to ‘ensure greater scrutiny’Employment statistics will be published a day earlier because MPs need more time to understand them, the Office for National Statistics has announced.The jobs data, which is released monthly by the ONS, will now be published on Tuesdays instead of Wednesdays so that MPs have more time to process the figures before prime minister’s questions, the statistics body said. Continue read
  
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• Hospital Admissions For Eating Disorders Double: Here's How To Get Early Help

  13-02-2018 14:35
  The number of people admitted to hospital for eating disorders has nearly doubled in six years, NHS figures show. Data from NHS Digital reveals admissions for conditions including anorexia and bulimia reached 13,885 between April 2016 and 2017 – the highest levels seen in six years.The Department of Health has acknowledged “inpatient treatment should be seen as a last resort” for treating eating disorders. But accessing support isn’t always simple. Doctors,
  
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