Political news

• This Is How It Feels To Be Bullied At Work – And How To Deal With It

  08-03-2018 23:54
  “I felt very unhappy and stressed every time an email would come in,” says Rachel. “My anxiety was building and building. It was affecting every aspect of my life including my personal relationship. I was walking on eggshells all the time.”As new allegations of bullying and inappropriate behaviour rock Westminster, workers have revealed to HuffPost UK how they dealt with their own experiences of being bullied.Rachel was working in a senior position when she began to
  
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• Bullying probe

  08-03-2018 23:54 via bbc.co.uk
  Newsnight uncovers problem of bullying and harassment at the House of Commons
  
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• John Bercow And Labour MP Paul Farrelly Accused Of Bullying Staff, BBC’s Newsnight Reports

  08-03-2018 23:33
  The Speaker of the House of Commons and other senior MPs have been accused of bullying staff in Parliament and failing to tackle a “culture of fear” among officials.BBC’s Newsnight reported that one female clerk suffered post-traumatic stress  disorder (PTSD) after she worked for John Bercow and cited witnesses who saw him undermine and shout at her.Kate Emms, Bercow’s former private secretary, left her post after less than a year and the Commons authorities were tol
  
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• House of Commons Speaker John Bercow And Labour MP Paul Farrelly Accused Of Bullying Staff, BBC’s Newsnight Reports

  08-03-2018 23:33
  The Speaker of the House of Commons and other senior MPs have been accused of bullying staff in Parliament and failing to tackle a “culture of fear” among officials.BBC’s Newsnight reported that one female clerk suffered post-traumatic stress  disorder (PTSD) after she worked for John Bercow and cited witnesses who saw him undermine and shout at her.Kate Emms, Bercow’s former private secretary, left her post after less than a year and the Commons authorities were tol
  
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• Theresa May's Response When Asked How She 'Lets Her Hair Down' Is Pretty Awkward

  08-03-2018 22:16
  Theresa May has added to the impression she has difficult relationship with ‘fun’ after giving a painful TV interview.Speaking to the ITV’s Julie Etchingham to mark International Women’s Day, the Prime Minister was asked a series of questions about the Government’s proposed domestic violence legislation.But a softer tone followed when Etchingham wondered what would be her perfect night if she wanted to “let her hair down” with girlfriends.Note: the
  
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• British students face strike action over exam period

  08-03-2018 21:37 via ft.com
  Academics’ union raises the stakes in pension battle
  
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• UK draws up £12bn budget for Northern Ireland

  08-03-2018 21:24 via ft.com
  Fresh step to direct rule from London after collapse of power-sharing talks
  
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• Channel 4 set to move from London

  08-03-2018 20:55 via ft.com
  Hundreds of staff will be relocated from capital to new national headquarters
  
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• Brexit study warns over chemical industry

  08-03-2018 20:39 via bbc.co.uk
  The UK chemicals industry could be particularly hit by leaving the EU customs union, a report says.
  
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• Saudi Arabia wants more UK trade deals, say crown prince's team

  08-03-2018 20:08 via theguardian.com
  Saudi minister said his country could be gateway to new markets in the Middle East and AfricaThe UK should turn to Saudi Arabia for new trade and investment opportunities after Brexit and not a backward-looking Commonwealth, Saudi ministers said on the second day of a controversial visit to the UK by the country’s crown prince.As the UK and Saudi Arabia set out a broad ambition to strike nearly $100m of commercial deals over the next decade, the powerful Saudi energy minister, Kalid A al-F
  
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• Mohammed bin Salman, strongman in the making

  08-03-2018 19:59 via ft.com
  In Saudi Arabia, too much power rests on one man’s shoulders
  
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• UK pledges to build prison wing in Lagos for repatriated prisoners

  08-03-2018 19:48 via ft.com
  Johnson statement the latest attempt to resolve issue of Nigerians jailed in UK
  
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• Brexit Briefing: Brussels Picks Its Cherries

  08-03-2018 19:34
  You can sign up for this briefing by clicking here, and you’ll receive it straight to your inbox every Thursday afternoon.If you like what you read, make sure you subscribe to our Commons People podcast here for even more analysis about what goes on in Westminster. 1) Brussels Says No To Theresa May’s Cherry Picking Plans...Theresa May appealed for compromise between the UK and the EU in her big Brexit speech at Mansion House last week, but the message seems
  
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• Tusk says Brexit talks must solve ‘Ireland first’

  08-03-2018 19:19 via ft.com
  Warning comes as UK seeks transition deal this month as well as treaty text on divorce
  
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• Nottingham Trent University Students 'Shocked' And 'Disgusted' By Racist Abuse Video

  08-03-2018 19:06
  Nottingham Trent University students have spoken of their “shock” and “disgust” after footage emerged of racist abuse being chanted outside a black student’s bedroom.Two 18-year-old men were arrested after Rufaro Chisango tweeted the video, during which male voices can be heard chanting “We hate blacks” and “Sign the Brexit papers”. “Words cannot describe how sad this makes me feel, in this 2018 people think this is still acceptabl
  
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• Youth Workers Are Picking Up The Social Services Slack

  08-03-2018 18:35
  As austerity continues to break the nation, and social workers struggle against increasing cuts and mounting caseloads, youth workers are the unsung champions of the nation, picking up the slack that government has created.New reports show that social workers are more overloaded than ever, with some responsible for up to 60 at risk children. Not the 18 that recent government figures would suggest. Understandably, this overload is leading to higher rates of burnout, more social workers being sign
  
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• For The Love Of God, It's Not #Triggered

  08-03-2018 18:35
  The adjective “triggered” is flying around at the moment. Two hashtags on Twitter have gone viral - #TriggerALiberaIn4Words and #TriggerAConservativeIn2Words. (Interesting that it apparently takes half as many words to trigger a Conservative.) Contributors to these hashtags list short phrases that are supposed to elicit a sudden, negative reaction and, it is hoped, emotional (and therefore apparently invalid) replies. Examples of the first include “Trump is our President”
  
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• Stop Denying People With Learning Disabilities Their Right To Good Eye Sight

  08-03-2018 18:31
  When I was younger I was told I would live in a care home. Now I am married and live independently. I was also told I would never have a job, but I have proved people wrong.My name is Scott and through my work with the charity SeeAbility, I help people with learning disabilities to get better access to the eye care they desperately need.This New Year was a really proud moment for me. I am 36, I have a learning disability, and I was awarded a British Empire Medal in the New Year Honours for my wo
  
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• Time’s Up: Criminalise Sexual Harassment

  08-03-2018 18:30
  From domestic violence to stalking and harassment, most current laws do not adequately protect women. When it comes to sexual harassment, legislation worldwide tends to be particularly vague and piecemeal, leaving unclear definitions of what is acceptable and unacceptable, in turn making the issue neither scalable or preventable.Setting clear behavioural boundaries across societal spheres – from the workplace to public and private spaces - is essential in the fight to end all sexual and ge
  
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• Russian spy: Salisbury attack was 'brazen and reckless'

  08-03-2018 18:28 via bbc.co.uk
  The attack in Salisbury was "attempted murder in the most cruel and public way", says the home secretary.
  
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• Despite The Difficulties, There Are Reasons To Support Mohammed Bin Salman's UK Trip

  08-03-2018 18:27
  The vast majority of those protesting Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to the UK this week are doing so for sincerely held and understandable reasons.Many of us who welcome the UK extending the hand of partnership to the Crown Prince are similarly troubled about human rights in Saudi Arabia. We share a sense of horror at the dreadful toll of casualties in Yemen. Yet we reach a starkly different conclusion to those holding placards about how to treat the royal visit and the underlying relationsh
  
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• Why I've Ditched Baby Books And Mum Forums

  08-03-2018 18:26
  At the time of writing, I’m breaking all the rules. I’m breastfeeding my baby to sleep knowing full well that she’ll likely wake up with a burp. I’m also fully aware that the suggestions from all the baby books and websites is not to let your baby fall asleep while feeding. Why? Because they’ll come to rely upon feeds to get them to sleep all the time.However, what baby books and websites don’t factor in is a new mother’s primary mode... survival.I didn&
  
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• Coping With Mother's Day After Experiencing Infertility

  08-03-2018 18:23
  It’s that time of year again. We’re building up to the day when social media will be awash with photos of perfect, grinning families, and of declarations of love, for the best mother a child could have. Where shops are packed to the rafters with cards and flowers and special gifts, and almost every email to hit my inbox will tell of a deal or bargain, offering no respite, or escape, for those to whom Mother’s Day might never exist.Before I go any further, I should point out tha
  
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• Debunking The Myths Of The Social Media Era

  08-03-2018 18:17
  Who should we blame for unexpected political earthquakes? Is it Russian bots, fake news factories or social media algorithms? Perhaps a more worrying problem is the people who are turning away from mainstream news, burying their heads in the sand and living in the hope that, as one nineteen-year-old computer student observed: “anything that is incredibly relevant and happening will usually end up filtering its way to the top of YouTube.”The tendency to avoid the news is not new. Amer
  
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• International Women’s Day – Let’s Use Our Voices All Over The World

  08-03-2018 18:07
  Today we celebrate the women who fought for the causes, rights and freedoms we have and in some cases take for granted. We thank them every year for their courage and persistence and recognise how far we have come, and the momentum we need to continue to build on.There is still so much to doToday women should have the right to live free from violence and harm, but still a rural girl is twice as likely to be married as a child than her urban counterpart in parts of the world.Women across the glob
  
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• How shadow chancellor morphed from shady Trot to business's BFF | John Crace

  08-03-2018 18:07 via theguardian.com
  John McDonnell seems as surprised as anyone by his new romance. Can it last?No speaker could have asked for better warm-up acts. Both Liam Fox and Rebecca Long-Bailey had been greeted in near silence as they opened the annual conference of the British Chambers of Commerce. Long-Bailey because no one – not even herself – really seemed to know who she was and Fox because everyone knew precisely who he was.After a much-needed coffee break, the chief executive of an energy company then p
  
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• Labour suspends party members in 'antisemitic' Facebook group

  08-03-2018 18:04 via theguardian.com
  Jeremy Corbyn was active in closed group Palestine Live but says he did not see offensive posts and left in 2015Labour has suspended several party members who posted in a closed Facebook group which featured a number of antisemitic messages. The party’s compliance unit is working through a dossier on the group, of which Jeremy Corbyn was once a member, that was compiled by a campaigner.Some of the posts on Palestine Live appear to include links to Holocaust denial myths, allegations of Isr
  
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• Action Team’s Derek Riddell Explains His Character Anne: ‘She’s Not A Trans Woman’

  08-03-2018 17:43
  You might be used to seeing Derek Riddell in more serious roles - think ‘The Missing’ and ‘Hard Sun’ - but his latest project, ‘Action Team’, is at the other end of the TV spectrum.In the series, a six-part spoof spy thriller, Derek plays Anne, the female assistant sidekick of MI6 officer Ruth Brooks (Vicky McClure), and speaking Thursday (8 March) morning, he was keen to emphasise one very vital point. Speaking on BUILD, where he was joined by ‘Action T
  
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• Russian Spy Poisoning: Sergeant Nick Bailey Named As Police Officer Poisoned By Nerve Agent

  08-03-2018 17:41
  The police officer who was left seriously ill after assisting poisoned ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia has been named as Sergeant Nick Bailey.Sgt Bailey is thought to have been the first police officer on the scene in Salisbury and was last night revealed by Scotland Yard to be in intensive care.But this morning Home Secretary Amber Rudd suggested his health was improving.Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey (Right in Photo) has been confirmed as the @wiltshirepolice officer injur
  
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• Russian Spy Poisoning: 'Hero' Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey Named As Police Officer Poisoned By Nerve Agent

  08-03-2018 17:41
  A police officer who was left seriously ill after assisting poisoned ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia has been hailed for his heroics as it was revealed 21 people were being treated for exposure to a nerve agent. Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey was on Thursday named as the police officer who was first on the scene in Salisbury who was put in intensive care.Wiltshire Police said the married officer, who joined the force in 2002 and has been commended for his policing, 
  
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• Russian Spy Poisoning: Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey Named As Police Officer Poisoned By Nerve Agent

  08-03-2018 17:41
  The police officer who was left seriously ill after assisting poisoned ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia has been named as Detective Sergeant Nick Bailey.DS Bailey is thought to have been the first police officer on the scene in Salisbury and was last night revealed by Scotland Yard to be in intensive care.Wiltshire Police said the married officer, who joined the force in 2002 and has been awarded for his work to convict a serial rapist, remains in a serious but stable co
  
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• What to cheer or fear in Brexit impact analysis

  08-03-2018 17:36 via ft.com
  The government has finally published its January assessments
  
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• On International Women's Day, Remember The Threat That Brexit Poses To Equality

  08-03-2018 17:32
  The issue that I work on, Brexit, is in need of a bit of a gender rebalance. One of the first Brexit events I went to last January was in a room full of (mostly white, mostly grey) male heads. I was there with a female friend, and the only other woman in the room (out of 150-odd) approached us to see if she could chat. If you’re a man, imagine you and two others in a room of 147 women and three men in a high level debate on Brexit. This should not be the norm but right now, unfortunately,
  
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• EU chiefs acting like gang leaders over Brexit threats, says Liam Fox

  08-03-2018 17:18 via theguardian.com
  Trade secretary and DUP’s Arlene Foster criticise European leaders for plans to ‘punish’ UKEU chiefs have been compared by Liam Fox and Arlene Foster to gang leaders who are “throwing threats of violence around” to get what they want on Brexit.During a charged series of speeches to the British Chambers of Commerce, Fox, the UK international trade secretary, and Foster, the Democratic Unionist party [DUP] leader, attacked the EU’s hardening stance on both trade
  
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• Jurassic World Alive Is Essentially Pokemon Go With Dinosaurs

  08-03-2018 17:07
  Pokemon Go has been, it’s fair to say, a staggering success. It’s addictive, easy to play and combines our nostalgic love of Pokemon with the ease and portability of our smartphones.Imagine that winning recipe and combine it with another nostalgic gold mine in the form of Jurassic Park and that is what Jurassic World Alive essentially is.While it’s not made by the same developer as Pokemon Go (they’re currently working a Harry Potter game), Jurassic World Alive takes many
  
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• Jess Phillips reads names of women 'killed by male violence'

  08-03-2018 17:02 via bbc.co.uk
  Jess Phillips read out a list of women killed by male violence in the UK in the last year.
  
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• Revealed: 'Secret' Universal Credit Files The Government Tried To Suppress

  08-03-2018 16:48
  ‘Secret’ reports into the rollout of Universal Credit have been published in full following a humiliating climbdown by the Department of Work and Pensions.HuffPost UK has obtained previously restricted “Project Assessment Reviews”, which are internal government documents designed to detail problems and challenges with new policies.Universal Credit has been plagued by problems, including a perilous six week wait for payments, which has since been scrapped, and a repor
  
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• Tories urge Philip Hammond to increase spending on public services

  08-03-2018 16:35 via ft.com
  Chancellor under pressure to boost NHS and education funding in financial statement
  
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• Together We Can Make Period Poverty A Thing Of The Past

  08-03-2018 15:59
  How is period poverty an issue that affects girls in the UK? I seriously couldn’t believe it when I heard the statistics. Being a teenager is stressful enough without the added worry of not having the sanitary products you need.New research shows almost 138,000 girls in the UK have missed school in the last year because they couldn’t afford sanitary products. When I heard this I was gobsmacked. As a woman and a mum, this does not sit well with me. That’s why today, on Internati
  
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• DUP leader accuses Brussels of ‘act of bad faith’ over Brexit text

  08-03-2018 15:53 via ft.com
  Foster says draft guidelines fail to address Irish border issue in a ‘fair and sensible fashion’
  
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• Labour Response To Facebook Anti-Semitism 'Totally Inadequate', Campaigners Say

  08-03-2018 15:50
  Labour’s response to Jeremy Corbyn’s participation in a Facebook group hosting anti-Semitic material is “totally inadequate”, campaigners say.A spokesperson for the Labour leader promised a full investigation into the secret group, called Palestine Live, after its existence was unearthed by anti-Semitism campaigner David Collier. Corbyn himself was a member of the circle - which cannot be discovered through normal Facebook searches thanks to its security settings - a
  
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• Gauke's Prison Utopia: Will DWP-style Sanctions Get Us There?

  08-03-2018 15:05
  Yesterday the great and the good of the criminal justice community and Home Affairs correspondents from every major news outlet gathered bright and early to hear what New Kid on the MoJ block, David Gauke had to say about his plans as Secretary as State. It only seems like a few months since we gathered to hear previous David’s (Lidington) vision of the same… (clue: that’s because it is). Whatever your opinion of the current incumbent, everyone agrees that even a passing nod t
  
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• Why Rachel Nickell's Murder Took 16 Years To Solve

  08-03-2018 15:03
  Part-time model Rachel Nickell, 23, was walking through Wimbledon Common on a summer’s day in July 1992 when she was sexually assaulted and stabbed 49 times.No one saw what happened, though her distraught two-year-old son Alex was later found by a dog walker clinging to her blood-soaked body.Thus began one of the most error-strewn investigations carried out by London’s Met Police - a case which was finally resolved 16 years later.Detectives have since been forced to admit they c
  
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• Oxford University Apologises For Asking Female Cleaner To Remove ‘Happy International Women’s Day’ Graffiti

  08-03-2018 14:56
  Oxford University has been forced to apologise after a picture emerged on social media of a female cleaner being made to scrub “Happy International Women’s Day” off the steps of one of its building.Oxford security makes a woman cleaner scrub out “Happy International Women’s Day” on the Clarendon steps. What an image for #IWD, @UniofOxford. #strikeforUSS#UCUstrikepic.twitter.com/E9u5S37hWW— Sophie Smith (@DrSophieSmith) March 8, 2018The photo was tak
  
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• 10 Easter-Inspired Baby Names For Your Little One Born In Spring

  08-03-2018 14:44
  If your little baby is due on or around Easter, you may be tempted to pick a baby name that reflects the season.When we think of Easter, we’re talking bunnies, eggs and spring, so we’ve been inspired by mums on Mumsnet discussing Easter baby names and have come up with 10 suggestions inspired by the celebration.  PascalDerives from the Latin paschalis or pashalis, which means “relating to Easter”.RenatoMeans reborn or risen again in Italian and Spanish
  
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• Celebrating Our Breast Cancer Warriors This International Women’s Day

  08-03-2018 14:32
  “I’m not going to beat around the bush, unfortunately we have found cancer.”Those were the words my breast cancer consultant used to break this horrific news to me on October 20th, 2016. She was also the same breast cancer consultant who had told my mum the same thing just six months earlier. In that split second, as I sat with my younger brother and best friend, listening to the doctor’s declaration, I knew my life as I knew it, at the moment, would never be the same aga
  
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• Samsung Galaxy S9: Buy It For The Camera, Hate It For The Emojis - HuffPost Verdict

  08-03-2018 14:21
  K E Y   P O I N T SSamsung’s new flagship smartphone comes in two sizes: the 5.8-inch S9 and the 6.2-inch S9+.Both phones have a 2K resolution screen, that’s higher than most TVs and the best displays we’ve ever seen on a smartphone.It is the first smartphone to have a dual-aperture camera which means you can take incredible pictures in the dark. It can also shoot super slow-mo video at 960fps.AR Emoji turns you into an animated emoji (think Bitmoji meets Animoji). Th
  
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• Frida Kahlo's Eyebrow Pencil And Prosthetic Leg Go On Display In London's V&A Museum

  08-03-2018 14:09
  Frida Kahlo created an iconic image for herself that centred on her strong eyebrows - and now UK audiences have the chance to see the makeup that helped sculpt this historic look, as it has been given its rightful place in a museum exhibition dedicated to the artist.‘Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up’ at the V&A, in London, will be the first exhibition outside of Mexico to display her clothes and intimate possessions, alongside self-portraits and photographs.“A countercu
  
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• Brexit opponents raise alarm over bleak impact analysis reports

  08-03-2018 14:08 via theguardian.com
  Previously leaked document finds poor economic growth in all models for future UK-EU relationship Anti-Brexit campaigners have seized on a bleak Whitehall assessment of the economic impact of leaving the European Union, published following a battle over government secrecy.MPs voted in January for the document to be released in full, but its publication was resisted by the Brexit secretary, David Davis. Continue reading...
  
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• Parsons Green Terror Attack Videos Show Alleged Bomber Ahmed Hassan 'Buying Shrapnel'

  08-03-2018 13:59
  Jurors in the trial of the man accused of planting the Parsons Green Tube bomb have been hearing dramatic testimonies from witnesses who described how a fireball swept through the District Line train last September.One woman tearfully told the court how she jumped from the Tube and felt her hands and face burning as her coat caught fire, the Press Association reported. CCTV footage screened in court showed the moment a huge fireball engulfed the District Line Tube, with panicked commuters c
  
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