Political news

• Swansea Earthquake: Best Reactions After Tremors Felt Across UK

  17-02-2018 23:10
  A 4.4 magnitude earthquake hit south Wales on Saturday, causing tremors to be felt across western Britain.The quake’s epicentre was 10km north east of Swansea, according to monitors EMSC.Yet while the earthquake came as a shock to many people, especially as it is the largest quake to hit the area since 1906, many were left feeling underwhelmed - with some even missing the tremors altogether.Here are some of the best ways Brits reacted to today’s earthquake:1. Spilled RosesN
  
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• Sketch: Henry Bolton's Ex-Factor Sends Ukip Spinning In Ever-Decreasing Circles

  17-02-2018 21:54
  “He’s from the secret service.” It wasn’t entirely clear if 76-year-old Ukip member John Howsam was joking, but he had gone to the effort of making a sign reading: “MI6 plant to destroy Ukip – Henry Bolton must go”, so it was a pretty strong commitment to a gag.Waiting to enter the cavernous hall where Henry Bolton would make his pitch to stay as party leader, there seemed to be more Ukip members planning to vote to get rid of him than save his neck.Neil
  
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• Who Is Gerard Batten? MEP Who Called Islam A 'Death Cult' Appointed As Ukip's Interim Leader

  17-02-2018 20:58
  Ukip’s interim leader, who once called Islam a “death cult” and proposed that Muslims sign a special code of conduct rejecting violence, has been described as a “disaster” for the party’s political future.Gerard Batten has taken over from ousted Henry Bolton, who lost his position after nearly two thirds of members backed his sacking at an Extraordinary General Meeting on Saturday.Batten will be interim leader while a new leadership election is organised in th
  
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• Burberry At London Fashion Week: Rainbow High-Tops We Wanted To Wear Straight Off The Runway

  17-02-2018 20:07
  We Love...Christopher Bailey promised a celebration of the rainbow - a symbol of inclusiveness and joy - throughout Burberry’s February 2018 collection and his London Fashion Week show certainly delivered the revelry.From the new five-lined rainbow stripe woven into Burberry’s iconic tan, black, and red plaid print, to bold striped puffers and capes, rainbows dominated the runway.Why It Works:Not only are the rainbow prints a visual celebration of LGBTQ+ communities, but the bra
  
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• London Fashion Week Looks We Love: Burberry's Rainbow Trainers

  17-02-2018 19:56
  We Love...Christopher Bailey promised a celebration of the rainbow - a symbol of inclusiveness and joy - throughout Burberry’s February 2018 collection and his London Fashion Week show certainly delivered the revelry.From the new five-lined rainbow stripe woven into Burberry’s iconic tan, black, and red plaid print, to bold striped puffers and capes, rainbows dominated the runway.But there was one item we wanted to wear straight off the runway: the rainbow leather high-tops.Why
  
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• Sadly, Brexit must mean leaving the EU single market

  17-02-2018 19:00 via ft.com
  I have concluded this is essential for fundamental democratic reasons
  
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• May gives credible but uncompelling view on post-Brexit defence

  17-02-2018 18:57 via ft.com
  A credible if less than compelling account of the defence and security relationship after Brexit
  
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• Ukip: Henry Bolton Axed As Leader After Members Vote Against Him

  17-02-2018 18:52
  Henry Bolton has been ousted as Ukip leader by members after threatening to sue the party at an Extraordinary General Meeting.Bolton, who called for the meeting after being given a vote of no confidence by party chiefs in January, lost a ballot of members with 63% backing his sacking.The former soldier was hoping he could win the support of Ukip members at the meeting in Birmingham, but alienated much of the crowd with a threat to sue the party if he lost during his final speech on Saturday afte
  
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• Labour is dreaming if it believes Britain wants socialism

  17-02-2018 18:00 via theguardian.com
  The government might be in disarray but anxious over-50s, keen to protect their wealth and savings, have still got its backAt this stage of the Brexit talks there seem to be few barriers to the Tory party dominating the outcome. It’s not the string of opinion polls showing Theresa May either ahead, neck and neck or only marginally behind Labour, all of which are stunningly positive survey results for a government in such disarray.Nor is it the way Boris Johnson and Anna Soubry slug it
  
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• Ukip members vote to oust Henry Bolton as leader

  17-02-2018 17:53 via theguardian.com
  Party members back no-confidence motion at Birmingham general meetingHenry Bolton has been ousted as Ukip leader after party members backed a motion of no confidence in him.At a crisis meeting in Birmingham on Saturday, activists voted by 867 to 500 against his leadership of the party. Continue reading...
  
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• Horsham Level Crossing Crash: Teenager And Man, 72, From The Same Family Die

  17-02-2018 17:29
  A 15-year-old boy and a 72-year-old man, both from the same family, have died after a train crashed into a car at a level crossing in Horsham, West Sussex, on Saturday, police have said.The two relatives, who are believed to be grandfather and grandson, were travelling in the vehicle when the train crashed into them at the Barns Green level crossing at about 8.40am.Officers from British Transport Police attended alongside colleagues from Sussex Police and paramedics.Detective Inspector Brett Wal
  
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• Earthquake Near Swansea Sends Tremors Across Western Britain

  17-02-2018 16:35
  A 4.4 magnitude earthquake has hit western Britain, something that only happens every two to three years.The British Geological Survey said it was analysing the data recorded by its real-time seismogram monitoring station in Monmouth.The quake had a magnitude of 4.4 and its epicentre was 10km north east of Swansea, according to monitors EMSC.The British Geological Survey said a quake of this size happened in Britain only once every two or three years.Just in: Event epicentre approx 20km NNE of S
  
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• Ukip leader Henry Bolton arrives at crucial party meeting

  17-02-2018 16:06 via theguardian.com
  Fate of leader hangs in balance as activists prepare to vote on whether to endorse motion of no confidence in his leadership The Ukip leader, Henry Bolton, has arrived at a make-or-break meeting that will decide his political future.About 2,000 activists at an emergency meeting in Birmingham will vote on whether to endorse a motion of no confidence in his leadership passed by the party’s ruling national executive committee (NEC). Continue reading...
  
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• Great Portland Street Fire: More Than 50 Firefighters Tackling Blaze In Central London

  17-02-2018 15:11
  More than 50 firefighters are tackling a huge blaze in London’s Great Portland Street.London Fire Brigade said there are ten fire engines at the building, which is believed to be under construction.Fire brigade arrived on Great Portland Street. Quite something. pic.twitter.com/ycTiieGQTS— Mukul Devichand (@MukulDevichand) February 17, 2018Serious fire on Langham Street / Great Portland Street, W1 pic.twitter.com/8n3a93WRg9— Paul Thompson (@raganello) February 17, 2018A plu
  
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• Great Portland Street Fire: More Than 50 Firefighters Tackle Blaze In Central London

  17-02-2018 15:11
  A huge blaze tore through a construction site in London’s Great Portland Street on Saturday, with 72 firefighters being sent to the scene.London Fire Brigade said that ten fire engines attended the building site, which is close to Oxford Street, following reports of a fire at 12.45pm.LFB said that part of the basement, ground, first and second floor of the property were “badly damaged by the fire”. The building was being refurbished at the time.Fire brigade arrived on Grea
  
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• Revealed: rightwing groups plot to ditch EU safety standards on food and drugs

  17-02-2018 13:52 via theguardian.com
  ‘Ideal’ UK-US trade deal would see banned products sold in post-Brexit Britain, says accidentally released memoAn unprecedented drive to lobby ministers to ditch strict EU safety standards in order to secure a US trade deal is being drawn up by a transatlantic group of conservative thinktanks, it has emerged.Organisers of the self-styled “shadow trade talks”, which are set to include 10 leading rightwing and libertarian groups from the UK and the US, are preparing to push
  
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• Theresa May Warns 'Deep-Seated Ideology' Mustn't Jeopardise Post-Brexit Security

  17-02-2018 13:46
  Theresa May has warned EU leaders that “deep-seated ideology” must not jeopardise security cooperation after Brexit.The prime minister said the UK take full control over areas like diplomacy, peacekeeping, defence before the end of any implementation period to follow its departure of the EU.In a speech at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, May said: “We must do whatever is most practical and pragmatic in ensuring our collective security.“This cannot be
  
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• Convicted Killer Michel Fourniret ‘Confesses’ To 1990 Murder Of Briton Joanna Parrish

  17-02-2018 12:06
  A convicted serial killer has reportedly confessed to killing a British woman in France 27 years ago.Joanna Parrish, 21, from Gloucester, was raped and murdered in Auxerre in 1990, while working as an English teacher during her gap year, The Press Association reports.Convicted rapist and murderer Michel Fourniret, dubbed “the Ogre of the Ardennes”, had for a long time been the prime suspect in the brutal attack on the student.And according to Parrish’s family lawyer the ki
  
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• Business waits in hope of hiding gender pay gap data

  17-02-2018 12:00 via ft.com
  HR chief says there is trepidation about ‘what the numbers will reveal’
  
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• Oxfam: Glastonbury Festival ‘Pledges Continued Support’ To Charity After Sex Abuse Scandal

  17-02-2018 11:51
  Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis has pledged “continued support for Oxfam”, in the wake of the charity’s recent sex abuse scandal.Since 1993, the festival has raised funds for Oxfam, with a portion of each year’s ticket sales going towards the charity’s various global projects.Earlier this month, Oxfam hit headlines following a report on its staff using sex workers, some of whom may have been underage, while working in Haiti after the devastating 2010 earthquake.So
  
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• May calls for new UK-EU security treaty

  17-02-2018 11:43 via ft.com
  British prime minister offers concession on ECJ role in European Arrest Warrant after Brexit
  
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• Theresa May wants new security treaty with EU next year

  17-02-2018 11:29 via theguardian.com
  British PM seeks treaty on post-Brexit military, intelligence and counter-terrorism cooperationTheresa May wants to leave the EU’s common foreign and security policy as early as next year, but would show flexibility around the UK’s red lines to secure a new security treaty.“There is no reason why we should not agree distinct agreements for our foreign and defence policy cooperation in the time-limited implementation period”, the British prime minister told European and US
  
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• Theresa May warns EU not to block post-Brexit security deal

  17-02-2018 11:15 via bbc.co.uk
  The prime minister calls for a new post-Brexit partnership on security in a speech in Munich.
  
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• A private force isn't the answer to the policing crisis | Calum Macleod

  17-02-2018 11:03 via theguardian.com
  Like many officers, I do not want a two-tier system. Everyone deserves a good service – not just those who can afford it
  A meet and greet service from your car or nearest Tube station. A hotline to your local bobby, whose location you can track on your iPad. Dedicated patrols. A 100% conviction rate.For up to £200 a month, this is what residents on some of London’s most expensive streets in Belgravia, Mayfair and Kensington can sign up for with TM Eye, Britain’s first &ld
  
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• Fresh Labour Row Erupts As Corbyn Supporters Try To Cancel Election Of National Policy Forum Chair

  17-02-2018 10:55
  A bitter Labour row has broken out after Jeremy Corbyn’s allies tried to cancel the election for the chair of the party’s national policy-making body, HuffPost has learned.Just minutes before the party’s National Policy Forum (NPF) was due to gather in Leeds on Saturday morning, an emergency meeting of the ruling National Executive Committee officers’ group decided to block the vote.Veteran activist Ann Black – who lost the backing of Momentum this month - had been
  
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• Fresh Labour Row Erupts As Corbyn Supporters Shelve Election Of National Policy Forum Chair

  17-02-2018 10:55
  A bitter Labour row has broken out after Jeremy Corbyn’s allies postponed the election for the chair of the party’s national policy-making body, HuffPost has learned.Just minutes before the party’s National Policy Forum (NPF) was due to gather in Leeds on Saturday morning, an emergency meeting of the ruling National Executive Committee officers’ group decided to block the vote.Veteran activist Ann Black – who lost the backing of Momentum this month - had been on cou
  
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• Fresh Labour Row Erupts As Corbyn Supporters Cancel Election Of National Policy Forum Chair

  17-02-2018 10:55
  The battle for control of Labour’s most senior decision-making bodies has erupted once more as trade unions and supporters of Jeremy Corbyn moved to protect their dominance at the top of the party, HuffPost has learned.Just minutes before the party’s National Policy Forum (NPF) was due to gather in Leeds on Saturday morning, an emergency meeting of the ruling National Executive Committee officers’ group cancelled the election of its new chair.Veteran activist Ann Black –
  
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• ‘Requiem’ Creator Reveals There Could Be A Second Series

  17-02-2018 10:52
  ‘Requiem’ creator Kris Mrksa has revealed that if the first series is successful, he’s already thought about how a second would work.The psychological thriller is currently airing on BBC One - though if binge-watching is more your thing, every episode is already on iPlayer - and was made with the help of Netflix.Speaking to Radio Times, Kris said: “If the planets align and if we all decide that it’s the right thing to do then it could come back.The series began with
  
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• Oxfam Boss Mark Goldring Calls Sex Abuse Scandal Reaction 'Out Of Proportion'

  17-02-2018 10:44
  The boss of Oxfam boss has said the response to the charity’s sex abuse scandal is “out of proportion” and he “struggles to understand” why.Mark Goldring told The Guardian the “intensity and ferocity” of the response to the scandal was as if the charity had “murdered babies in their cots”.The Oxfam GB chief executive also said he had not slept for six nights as the charity reeled from allegations of sex abuse by Oxfam workers in Haiti and a s
  
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• Daniel Kaluuya’s Account Of Meeting Oprah Winfrey Is One Of The Purest Things On Earth

  17-02-2018 10:23
  When Daniel Kaluuya took the lead role in indie horror film ‘Get Out’, he had no idea that the part would go on to land him Oscar, Bafta and Golden Globe nominations… or that he’d get to meet Oprah Winfrey. Speaking on ‘The Graham Norton Show’, the actor - who also stars in the recently-released ‘Black Panther’ - revealed what it was like to come face-to-face with the Hollywood legend, after being introduced by another huge star.“I met Denze
  
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• Super Mum Performs A Random Act Of Kindness Every Day

  17-02-2018 09:00
  HumanKind is a celebration of kindness. We want to tell the stories of people who have done incredible things for others or the planet. Find more uplifting stories from our HumanKind series here.For the past two years, Dani Saveker has carried out a random act of kindness every single day, whether that’s buying daffodils for a stranger or leaving £5 in a coffee shop for someone to treat themselves.The mum-of-three, who lives in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, says per
  
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• How Much Screen Time? Nine-Year-Olds Share Their Digital Diaries

  17-02-2018 09:00
  They are surrounded by technology, and have been for much of their young lives: from tablets to smartphones, games consoles to smart watches. For children, technology is just another aspect of modern living but for parents, it can be difficult to negotiate how much screen time is healthy and normal. So to help build a picture of how much time children spend looking at screens, HuffPost UK asked four families to keep a diary of their nine-year-old’s technology usage for a 24 hour
  
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• From 'TOWIE' To Tinseltown: How Mark Wright Lost His Reality TV Tag To Co-Host One Of America's Longest-Running Shows

  17-02-2018 09:00
  When ‘The Only Way Is Essex’ started in 2010, few could have predicted that one of its stars would have gone on to host one of America’s longest-running shows - but for Mark Wright, that’s exactly what happened.Having been the stand-out cast member of the reality show’s early series - thanks in part to his turbulent relationship with then-fiancée Lauren Goodger -  Mark left to try and forge a career as a presenter. While a stint in the ‘I
  
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• UKIP: Henry Bolton faces make-or-break leadership vote

  17-02-2018 08:54 via bbc.co.uk
  Activists will choose whether to back or sack Henry Bolton following criticism of his private life.
  
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• Attacks are out of proportion, says Oxfam's Mark Goldring

  17-02-2018 08:28 via bbc.co.uk
  The charity's critics are motivated by an anti-aid agenda, suggests chief executive Mark Goldring.
  
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• Windsor Council Leader's Claims About Tourists Being 'Marched To Cash Points' Not Backed Up By Complaint Logs

  17-02-2018 08:25
  One of the most incendiary claims made by the leader of Windsor Council in his push for police to banish the homeless from the town before the royal wedding is not backed up by a single complaint to the council.Tory councillor Simon Dudley sparked an angry reaction from homeless charities after writing to Thames Valley Police (TVP) urging it to take action against “aggressive begging and intimidation in Windsor” ahead of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s 19 May nuptials&nbs
  
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• The language we use in public and on social media has repercussions. The first step must greater civility | James Graham

  17-02-2018 07:00 via theguardian.com
  The language we use in public and on social media has repercussions. The first step must greater civilityWhen the general atmosphere is bad, language must suffer,” George Orwell said in 1946. As then, so now – but worse. I know, everyone’s always saying things are worse. Let’s not hark back to an age that never existed. But it is time to recognise the conversation crisis in public and civic life.I don’t quite believe, like some, that the Enlightenment values of tole
  
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• Spooked fund managers look at rivals to London

  17-02-2018 06:03 via ft.com
  With UK’s exit from EU looming — and transition rules unclear — many options are on the table
  
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• Former motor racing boss denies trying to gag media

  17-02-2018 05:00 via ft.com
  Max Mosley demands newspapers stop ‘processing data’ related to him
  
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• UK will need 'thousands' more customs officers after Brexit, Dutch MP warns

  17-02-2018 03:41 via theguardian.com
  Netherlands plans to boost customs staff by 750 as reality of Britain’s EU departure sinks inThe Dutch government plans to hire at least 750 new customs agents in preparation for Britain’s exit from the European Union.
  The Dutch parliament’s Brexit rapporteur, Pieter Omtzigt, who had recommended the move, said both sides of the English Channel had been slow to wake up to the reality that Britain was on course to leave the EU in 14 months’ time. Continue reading...
  
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• Labour receives 17,000 emails calling for say on Brexit

  17-02-2018 03:03 via bbc.co.uk
  An email campaign urges the party to set up a policy commission on leaving the EU.
  
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• I enjoy the Winter Olympics, but what I’d really like is spring to come a bit sooner

  17-02-2018 01:27 via theguardian.com
  So why did I drive through snow and freezing cold to watch Spurs take on Juventus in Turin?I first became aware of the Winter Olympics back in 1964 when the BBC broadcast grainy black and white footage of Tony Nash and Robin Dixon surprising themselves and everyone else by winning the two-man bobsleigh gold in Innsbruck.Continue reading...
  
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• 7 Questions We Have After Reading The Special Counsel Trump/Russia Indictments

  17-02-2018 00:42
  The indictments said Russians adopted false online personas to push divisive messages; traveled to the United States to collect intelligence; and staged political rallies while posing as Americans.In one case, it said, the Russians paid an unidentified person to build a cage aboard a flatbed truck and another to wear a costume “portraying Clinton in a prison uniform.”Intriguing stuff - here are 7 questions we have about the latest in the Trump/Russia saga, starting with an easy one..
  
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• Ukip to decide on Henry Bolton's future at emergency meeting

  17-02-2018 00:23 via theguardian.com
  Activists will decide whether to endorse no confidence motion in leader as Bolton hits out at media coverage of marriage break-upUkip members will decide whether Henry Bolton has a future as leader of the crisis-hit party. Activists will attend the emergency meeting on Saturday to decide whether to endorse a motion of no confidence in his leadership passed by the party’s ruling national executive committee (NEC).Continue reading...
  
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