Political news

• Theresa May at risk of Commons defeat as Labour shifts on Brexit

  22-02-2018 23:01 via theguardian.com
  As PM prepares to unveil Brexit vision, Jeremy Corbyn may back rebel Tory amendmentJeremy Corbyn could use a key Brexit speech on Monday to pave the way for Labour to inflict a Commons defeat on the government, by backing a rebel Tory amendment seeking to keep Britain in “a customs union”.With Theresa May expected to unveil her vision for departure from the EU next week, following eight hours of talks with key ministers at the prime minister’s Chequers country retreat, she now
  
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• Oxfam Suspended From Working In Haiti Amid Exploitation Scandal

  22-02-2018 22:44
  Oxfam Great Britain has been suspended in Haiti pending an investigation into how the charity handled the case of former staff paying for sex.The aid group said senior members of staff met officials from the Haiti government on Thursday and pledged their commitment to cooperating with the probe.The two-month suspension comes after charity chiefs revealed Oxfam has received 26 allegations of misconduct since the Haiti sex scandal erupted two weeks ago.Mark Goldring, Oxfam GB’s chief executi
  
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• Rokhsana Fiaz Interview: On Newham's 'Unhealthy' Mayoral Model, Dog Whistle Politics And Diversity

  22-02-2018 22:39
  Rokhsana Fiaz is an EastEnder, through and through.Born in Mile End Hospital, she grew up in Newham and has lived there for most of her life. She worked in a local McDonalds, went to school and college not far from her current home.No stranger to challenges throughout her career, she has now embarked on her biggest political task of all: replacing the UK’s longest serving Mayor, Sir Robin Wales, as the leader of the East End borough.“I want to do it because I absolutely love Newham.
  
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• Sir Robin Wales Interview: Newham's Mayor On Leading ‘The Most Radical Council In The Country’

  22-02-2018 22:38
  As Sir Robin Wales sits in Stratford Old Town Hall, a short walk from the former Olympic stadium, the political history of his surroundings is unmissable.In the building’s foyer is a bust of Keir Hardie, the founder of the Labour party who made his first speech as the local MP from the balcony above, way back in 1892.As another Scottish-born politician who represents the East End of London, Wales can be forgiven for a fellow feeling with Hardie, not least as they are both from the same Ayr
  
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• Labour Battle For Newham Mayoralty Begins As Rokhsana Fiaz Vows To End Sir Robin Wales’ ‘One Party State’

  22-02-2018 22:35
  The UK’s longest serving mayor could see his post wiped out if he’s defeated in a fierce new Labour selection battle, his challenger has warned.Rokhsana Fiaz promised a referendum on the directly-elected mayoral system in London’s Newham Council as she claimed incumbent Sir Robin Wales ran a “one-party state” that lacked accountability to the public.In an interview with HuffPost UK, Fiaz also accused Wales of “dog whistle” tactics after he blamed “
  
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• Labouring over Brexit

  22-02-2018 21:40 via bbc.co.uk
  BBC political correspondent Iain Watson on Labour's Brexit policy 'evolution'.
  
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• Tories can't win on social media due to 'vitriolic' abuse

  22-02-2018 21:00 via theguardian.com
  Party chairman Brandon Lewis says young Tories are being put off due to comments from leftwingersConservatives are losing out on social media because supporters feel unable to share their views without attracting abuse, the Conservatives’ new party chairman has said.Brandon Lewis said his party’s supporters found it difficult to conduct debates online but said his focus over the past few months had been how to gain ground on social media, where he admitted Labour had the upper hand a
  
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• Labour says land value tax would boost local government budgets

  22-02-2018 20:57 via theguardian.com
  John McDonnell says funding crisis in local services may have opened window of opportunityLabour is considering a tax on land values as a way of boosting local government budgets, shadow chancellor John McDonnell has said. In a sign of the party’s confidence about growing public interest in a fresh approach to managing the economy, McDonnell said cuts to council spending were so severe that it might now be possible “to have a rational debate”. Continue reading...
  
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• Big Tech faces UK tax on revenues, not profits

  22-02-2018 20:42 via ft.com
  Treasury aims to levy large digital groups ‘fairly’ after avoidance scandals
  
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• Met police chief to visit Scotland for ideas to reduce knife crime

  22-02-2018 20:00 via theguardian.com
  Cressida Dick will travel to Glasgow to hear how stabbings were dramatically reducedThe Metropolitan police commissioner is travelling to Scotland to seek a solution to London’s knife crime epidemic, after two men were stabbed to death within two hours of each other in Camden on Tuesday night.Cressida Dick will visit Glasgow on Friday to learn more about Police Scotland’s pioneering work on tackling knife crime in the city once known as the stabbing capital of Europe. Continue readin
  
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• Labour To Back Deal With EU 'Pretty Much Like The Current Customs Union'

  22-02-2018 19:53
  Labour is to back a post-Brexit partnership with the EU “pretty much like the current customs union,” Emily Thornberry has revealed. Under the party’s new plan, Britain would negotiate jointly with the EU to strike third party trade deals, the Shadow Foreign Secretary told LBC’s Iain Dale on Thursday. It comes as Jeremy Corbyn prepares to make a speech on Monday setting out Labour’s position on Brexit and follows pressure from members for the party to take
  
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• The Guardian view on the lecturers’ strike: a deficit in thinking | Editorial

  22-02-2018 19:35 via theguardian.com
  It is no surprise to find that universities which act and think like big businesses end up in a needless confrontation with labourThe most serious strike disruption to higher education in the history of British universities began on Thursday. Up and down the country academics downed chalk and picketed their lecture halls over a badly handled pensions dispute. More than a million students at 64 universities will be affected. The strikes could extend into the summer, jeopardising students’ f
  
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• Steve Bell on the government's Brexit away day – cartoon

  22-02-2018 19:34 via theguardian.com
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• Brexit Briefing: Brave New World

  22-02-2018 19:20
  As I write this, Theresa May is locked inside a country home with ten of her Cabinet ministers, thrashing out what the UK wants from Brexit.The Cabinet’s Brexit subcommittee rocked up at Chequers on Thursday for a 2pm start, and is expected to be holed up until 10pm trying to reach agreement on where to go next in the negotiations with the EU.Change Britain has done a good job of digging out every time a member of the sub-committee has called for the UK to diverge from EU law after Brexit
  
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• The expensive truth about high-quality healthcare

  22-02-2018 19:14 via ft.com
  Politicians should admit that to keep a treasured system taxes will have to rise
  
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• Are sick migrants avoiding NHS doctors over deportation fears?

  22-02-2018 19:12 via bbc.co.uk
  Should doctors continue to hand over names and addresses to immigration officers, asks the NHS in England.
  
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• Labour's Brexit policy is 'evolving', says McDonnell ahead of key Corbyn speech next week - Politics live

  22-02-2018 19:02 via theguardian.com
  Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happenSummary of European scrutiny committee’s Brexit hearingAfternoon summary 5.20pm GMT5.12pm GMT Journalists and colleagues have been paying tribute to Ian Aitken, the former Guardian political editor who has died. He was a huge figure in post-war political journalism, and also someone who was much admired and loved (the two don’t always go together). He was well before my time, but I met him a few times and interv
  
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• Justin Forsyth Quits Unicef After Claims Of Inappropriate Behaviour

  22-02-2018 18:46
  Ex-Save The Children director Justin Forsyth has resigned from Unicef saying he doesn’t want to “damage” the case for aid.Forsyth “apologised unreservedly” for sending inappropriate texts to female staff when he worked at Save The Children, but said that was not why he was quitting his role. The former Downing Street comms chief said “some of the coverage” of the allegations was aimed at tarnishing the charities and the wider “case for aid&rdq
  
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• Paloma Faith Gets Caught Fake Laughing As Dua Lipa Beats Her To Brit Award

  22-02-2018 18:43
  Watching losing nominees having to feign happiness as other people win is undoubtedly one of the best things about awards shows - something which Paloma Faith has proved once again.The singer had to quickly whack on a beaming smile, after being caught looking less than impressed as she lost out at Wednesday (21 February) night’s Brit Awards.Paloma was one of the nominated artists for Best Female at this year’s ceremony, but the prize went to Dua Lipa.In a blink-and-you’ll-miss-
  
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• Scientists seek continuing free movement after Brexit

  22-02-2018 18:36 via ft.com
  Foreign researchers shun UK universities because of immigration regime fears
  
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• UK net migration falls to 244,000

  22-02-2018 18:30 via bbc.co.uk
  About 130,000 EU citizens emigrated from the UK in year to September, but a higher number arrived.
  
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• UK to lose EU rebate in 2021 'in extended Brexit transition'

  22-02-2018 18:26 via theguardian.com
  No discount beyond end of 2020 owing to start of new EU budget, says senior Brussels source The UK will lose its rebate from the EU at end of 2020 if it seeks to extend the Brexit transition beyond then, the Guardian has learned.
  The loss of the rebate, which to some has been a symbol of British influence in Europe since Margaret Thatcher demanded “our money back”, is expected to fuel Tory Brexiters’ demands to keep the transition period as short as possible.Continue reading...
  
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• Sturgeon accuses UK ministers of threat to veto Scottish powers

  22-02-2018 18:25 via theguardian.com
  Clash between UK, Scotland and Wales over who will have final say on policies after BrexitNicola Sturgeon has accused UK ministers of threatening to veto Scottish policy-making as their talks over Brexit reached a critical stage.Ministers from the Scottish and Welsh assemblies are close to a final deal with the UK government over their new powers after Brexit, with time running out before the House of Lords votes on a key clause affecting these powers in mid-March. Continue reading...
  
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• The Biggest Wedding Trends For Brides And Grooms In 2018, Revealed By Pinterest

  22-02-2018 18:14
  Pinterest wedding boards reveal a lot about what people have planned for their upcoming nuptials, so for those keen to know what the most popular trends among those using the site to plan their wedding this year are, the latest Pinterest wedding report makes fascinating reading.  High NecklinesPlunging necklines have been left on the hanger as the number of people pinning pictures of wedding dresses with high necklines has risen by 351%. Sleeves are also up by 75%, with many choosing t
  
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• Sikh MP Tan Dhesi 'Disgusted And Embarrassed' After Guest Has Turban Ripped Off Outside Parliament

  22-02-2018 17:58
  A Sikh MP was left “disgusted and embarrassed” after a visitor to Parliament had his turban almost ripped off in an alleged racist attack.Ravneet Singh was visiting Slough MP Tan Dhesi to talk about his global work in environmental protection and was queuing outside Portcullis House when he was approached by an unknown man.The alleged attacker reportedly said “Muslim go home” and made a grab at Singh’s turban, before fleeing the scene.Police are trawling CCTV from W
  
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• UK bid to agree Brexit line faces EU scepticism

  22-02-2018 17:53 via ft.com
  May’s aim for cabinet unity around ‘Canada plus’ model unlikely to impress Brussels
  
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• Coventry ‘Hit-And-Run’ Kills Two-Year-Old Boy

  22-02-2018 17:49
  A two-year-old boy is dead and his brother, six, is critically ill in hospital after a hit-and-run in Coventry, West Midlands Police said.A black Ford Focus was found abandoned a short time after the crash and two people, a 22-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman, have been arrested. The six-year-old remains in a critical condition.Two arrested after toddler sadly dies in non-stop collision https://t.co/lO71Fzu8XE— West Midlands Police (@WMPolice) February 22, 2018Detective Sergeant P
  
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• Coventry ‘Hit-And-Run’ Kills Two Brothers, Aged 2 And 6

  22-02-2018 17:49
  A two-year-old boy and his brother, six, have been killed after a hit-and-run in Coventry, West Midlands Police said.A black Ford Focus was found abandoned a short time after the crash on MacDonald Road, Stoke, Coventry.Two people, a 22-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman, have been arrested on suspicion of death by dangerous driving and drink driving.Two arrested after toddler sadly dies in non-stop collision https://t.co/lO71Fzu8XE— West Midlands Police (@WMPolice) February 22, 2018Cove
  
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• Lecturers Begin First Day Of Strikes 'With A Heavy Heart' Over Pension Dispute

  22-02-2018 17:36
  Lecturers have told HuffPost why they are striking over cuts to their pensions, as 14 days of walkouts begin.Lectures and seminars are being cancelled, and more than a million students could face disruption in the coming weeks as members of the University and College Union (UCU) take industrial action at campuses around the country, which is expected to take place over a month.Academics could lose up to £10,000 a year.″We are striking reluctantly with a heavy heart,” history le
  
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• Johnson facing new questions over use of FCO room by thinktank

  22-02-2018 17:33 via theguardian.com
  Foreign secretary was involved in decision not to charge hard Brexit group for use of facilitiesBoris Johnson faces new questions about his judgment after the Foreign Office rejected a request from the government’s head of ethics to charge for the launch of a thinktank that supports a hard Brexit on its premises. Documents show that Sue Gray, the Cabinet Office director general of propriety and ethics, suggested that the Initiative for Free Trade (IFT) should pay a full commercial fee for
  
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• Channel 4 given March deadline to agree move out of London

  22-02-2018 17:33 via ft.com
  Government will intervene if broadcaster does not present serious plan in under three weeks
  
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• Body Positive Activist Recreates The Kardashian/Jenner Calvin Klein Ad

  22-02-2018 17:27
  Four plus size models have recreated the Kardashian/Jenner ‘Our Family. #MyCalvins’ advert to send a message to Calvin Klein about the lack of body diversity in its campaigns.Body positive activist Diana Sirokai,who is known for speaking out about the lack of representation of plus size women in fashion campaigns, shared the image with the hashtag #OurBodies.Sirokai told Mic: “I hope these recreations will change the fashion world and [that] brands like
  
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• Why I Am Talking About Sex

  22-02-2018 17:23
  Nonmonogamy is most definitely not just about sex. But, for me, it’s a pivotal part of the journey I’m on. Love, relationships, lust and sex - not to mention the the variety of permutations, combinations and disguises they come in -  can be confusing.And because it’s important, I want to talk about it.I want to talk about all the different parts of sex – the good, the bad and the ugly. I want to explore, in person and in writing, the things that turn me on: my fantas
  
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• Government Review of Vaginal Mesh 'Does Not Go Far Enough To Protect Women'

  22-02-2018 17:23
  A governmental review of vaginal mesh does “not go far enough” to ensure the longterm safety of women, a leading campaign group has told HuffPostUK.Thousands of women worldwide have reported life-changing side effects after having vaginal mesh surgery, often after childbirth, including debilitating pain leaving some unable to walk, work or have sex.The Government has committed to investigating issues with vaginal mesh through a full retrospective audit of hospital reco
  
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• Mastectomy Always Means Reconstruction, Right? Wrong, Actually

  22-02-2018 17:22
  I was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2016 at the age of 54, and was quickly told that I needed a left mastectomy.Why is it assumed that all women will want to have reconstruction? One reason could be that the medical professionals think that we all want to look exactly like we did before our surgeries, and that our breasts define us as women.After being told that I was going to have my left breast cut off, I was shown some gruesome after and after photos. I think they were actually call
  
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• EU Citizens Are Sick Of Begging To Be Part Of A Society That Doesn't Really Want Us

  22-02-2018 17:22
  Two weeks ago, I went back to Germany to celebrate my friend’s 40th Birthday. You might ask why this is relevant in the context of today’s ONS report on record low net migration from the EU, which has dropped to 90,000 year-on-year for September 2017. My German friend, who I met in Oxford 19 years ago, is unemployed, ‘between jobs’ as he calls it. When I suggested coming back to the UK as people with his experience are highly sought after, he laughed at me. Today’s
  
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• Black Panther Is Creating A Cultural Movement Everyone Can Be A Part Of

  22-02-2018 17:21
  As a child I remember watching Disney movies, full of imagination and wonder at the array of characters and their noble quests. What must it be like to save a beautiful princess from her wicked family? What must it be like to live happily ever after, surrounded by generations of family and loved ones? I pondered long and hard as to why I didn’t see people who looked like me in the movies. Where was my Cinderella or Snow White? Why was prince charming primarily caucasian? I didn’t kno
  
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• The Perils Of Being Polite And Partially Sighted

  22-02-2018 17:19
  You’ve probably pondered what it is like to go/be blind, possibly sparked by a school yard debate of which sense you’d least like to lose, or trying to wrap your head around the fact that some people don’t even know what colour is.What do you think would frustrate you the most? Not seeing your family, friends or take a selfie? Never being able to binge watch Netflix again? The more you start to consider the loss of your vision, the more the miseries pile up.I am partially-sight
  
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• Union claims success at start of strike by UK university lecturers

  22-02-2018 17:10 via ft.com
  Employers insist industrial action by academics over pension changes has had limited impact
  
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• Brexit strategy vacuum filled by useful idiots and aural valium | John Crace

  22-02-2018 16:53 via theguardian.com
  Anger management therapy for arch leavers was all the European scrutiny committee could offerYou could say it was all a bit previous. With Theresa May’s inner cabinet off to Chequers in the afternoon to see if it could agree – if only for a day or so – on a vaguely plausible Brexit negotiating strategy, it was expecting a lot of the junior Brexit minister Robin Walker and Tim Barrow, the UK’s ambassador to the EU, to provide any great clarity on the government’s pos
  
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• Retro Baby Names: The Girls' And Boys' Names From The 1900s That Are Enjoying A Comeback

  22-02-2018 16:49
  Baby name trends come and go and it seems an increasing number of parents-to-be are choosing names that would have been popular in their great grandparents’ era.HuffPost UK has looked at baby name data from the Office for National Statistics and found that there are a fair few similarities between the most recent official list of the most popular baby names in England and Wales and the names which were popular in the 1900s.Girls’ names, such as Florence, Alice, Ivy, Li
  
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• Britain Is Transforming Medical Science - But With Innovation Must Come Safeguards

  22-02-2018 16:14
  I want the NHS to be the safest healthcare organisation in the world – but even though we do well by international standards when it comes to giving patients a strong voice there is still much to do.It is now nearly sixty years since the hormone-based pregnancy test Primodos was first prescribed in the UK – and four decades after it was withdrawn from use – yet the ongoing debate about the safety of the drug carries two important lessons for us today.The first is
  
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• Cheryl Kicks Off Over Liam Payne Split Reports: 'Use Your Platform For Something Productive'

  22-02-2018 16:05
  Cheryl Tweedy has blasted media reports suggesting that she and boyfriend Liam Payne are on the verge of splitting.On Wednesday (21 February), the pair put on a united front on the red carpet at the Brits, putting an end to rumours that their relationship was on the rocks.The former Girls Aloud singer has now taken a step further, addressing the reports head-on via her Twitter account.She fumed: “Oh stop… no one cares who’s been speculatively arguing or not in their relationsh
  
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• Channel 5 Forced To Pay Damages To Couple Filmed Being Evicted For TV Show

  22-02-2018 16:05
  Channel 5 has had to pay out damages for breaching the privacy of a couple who were filmed being evicted for a documentary.A film crew followed a bailiff and landlord into Shakir Ali and Shahida Aslam’s flat early in the morning in Barking, Essex, as they entered to evict them and their two children.The bailiff, Paul Bohill, had told the landlord to “give it some wellie” as he dealt with the couple because it “makes good television”.The subsequent confrontation, in
  
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• Sinn Féin's Mary Lou McDonald: 'Theresa May needs to lead'

  22-02-2018 16:00 via theguardian.com
  PM accused of having ‘no plan, no map’ for restoring power-sharing in Northern IrelandThe Sinn Féin president, Mary Lou McDonald, has accused Theresa May of having “no plan, no map” for restoring power-sharing in Northern Ireland, and urged her to show decisive leadership in tackling the standoff.After the prime minister held separate talks with Sinn Féin and the Democratic Unionist party in Downing Street on Wednesday, McDonald said she had emerged from her
  
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• Ex-UKIP leader Henry Bolton and Jo Marney: We're not racists

  22-02-2018 15:47 via bbc.co.uk
  Henry Bolton has quit UKIP the party says, as he appears alongside girlfriend Jo Marney on the ITV sofa.
  
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• McDonnell: UK economy suffering 'chronic illness'

  22-02-2018 15:45 via bbc.co.uk
  Working people are suffering the worst living standards in generations, John McDonnell says.
  
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• ‘Mad Max’ Brexit and other dystopian visions for leaving the EU

  22-02-2018 15:43 via ft.com
  The Financial Times has seen a secret government memo listing the options
  
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• No agreement after Scottish Brexit talks

  22-02-2018 15:28 via bbc.co.uk
  But both sides say progress has been made in the question of what happens to powers that return from Brussels.
  
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• Donald Trump's Latest 'Give Teachers Guns' Tweets Only Weaken His Fake News Claims

  22-02-2018 15:15
  Donald Trump has explained how he wants to give teachers guns in a series of tweets claiming he never said he wants to give teachers guns.The President woke up on Thursday morning and immediately claimed the “fake news” was twisting his words made during a White House listening session on mass shootings last night.He then explained what he really said which can be summarised as “give teachers guns”.I never said “give teachers guns” like was stated on
  
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