Political news

• Ukip Ordered To Pay £175,000 Legal Costs Linked To Defamation Case

  19-03-2018 23:23
  Ukip has been ordered to pay £175,000 in legal costs over a defamation case brought by three Labour MPs.The party has been told to pay the money towards the costs incurred by Sir Keven Barron, John Healey and Sarah Champion.The interim payment order by Justice Warby comes just days after Ukip’s leader Gerard Batten issued a plea for cash for the party.Ukip leader Gerard Batten (Joe Giddens/PA)At an earlier High Court hearing it was ruled that the party took a “deliberate,
  
  Read more

• Risk Of 13 Seaside Homes Sliding Down Cliffs ‘Remains Very High’

  19-03-2018 23:23
  Thirteen homes on sandy cliffs have been evacuated amid fears they could topple into the sea, with a further two days of high tides and strong winds forecast.The residents of the properties in Hemsby, Norfolk, were forced to leave over the weekend, Great Yarmouth Borough Council said.
  
  Read more

• Police Say Female Student’S Death Not Racially Motivated

  19-03-2018 23:23
  Police investigating the death of a female engineering student have said an assault on her was not racially motivated.Mariam Moustafa was left in a coma after an attack on February 20 and died from her injuries on March 14.The 18-year-old was allegedly punched several times during a confrontation with a group of six women in Parliament Street, Nottingham, at 8pm.Mariam Moustafa, 18, in a coma before she died (Family handout/PA)The teenager got on a bus at the scene near the Victoria Centre shopp
  
  Read more

• Nanny ‘Beaten And Thrown On Bonfire Over False Pop Star Collusion Claims’

  19-03-2018 23:23
  A French nanny was beaten, killed and thrown on a bonfire after her employers accused her of being “in league” with a former popstar boyfriend, a court heard.“Big hearted” Sophie Lionnet, 21, was starved, mistreated and violently assaulted after she went to live with mother of two Sabrina Kouider and Ouissem Medouni, the Old Bailey heard.The pair, who are also French, allegedly confronted Miss Lionnet with “outlandish” allegations and kept her a prisoner in th
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Man Charged With Two Murders Over St Leonards Shooting

  19-03-2018 23:23
  A man has been charged with two counts of murder over the fatal double shooting of a mother and daughter in East Sussex, police said.Craig Savage, 35, of no fixed abode, is charged with the murders of Michelle Savage, 32, and Heather Whitbread, 53, at their home in Bexhill Road, St Leonards, on Friday evening, Sussex Police said.We have charged a 35-year-old man with two counts of murder and one count of robbery following the #StLeonards fatal shooting on Friday evening.Read more about it here.h
  
  Read more

• Information Commissioner To Seek Warrant To Probe Cambridge Analytica

  19-03-2018 23:23
  The data watchdog is to apply for a warrant to search computers and servers used by Cambridge Analytica (CA) amid concerns at Westminster about the firm’s activities.Prime Minister Theresa May’s official spokesman called on Facebook and CA to co-operate fully with the investigation by Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham amid concerns about the use of data from users of the social media giant.Ms Denham criticised CA for being “unco-operative” with her probe as she co
  
  Read more

• Independent Inquiry To Be Held Into Parliament Bullying Claims

  19-03-2018 23:23
  An independent inquiry will be held into allegations House of Commons staff were bullied by MPs.The House of Commons Commission – usually chaired by Speaker John Bercow – agreed that an independent expert should lead the investigation.Mr Bercow, who has faced allegations he undermined and shouted at a senior member of staff, did not take part in the decision on launching the inquiry.Commons Speaker John Bercow, who has faced claims he undermined a senior aide (Rick Findler/PA)The com
  
  Read more

• In Video: London Gets More Electric Car Charging Ports

  19-03-2018 23:23
  More than 50 rapid charging points for electric vehicles, which take just 30 minutes to charge, have been launched in London.
  
  Read more

• Advertisement

• Feeling Blue? Facial Colour Can Convey Emotion, Say Scientists

  19-03-2018 23:23
  Expressions such as “blue in the face”, “green around the gills” and “blushing bride” may be more than colourful descriptions.New research suggests that subtle changes in facial skin colour speak volumes about our emotions.And even though they may be too faint to register consciously, they flag up the feelings of others to aid social communication.A happy face as originally photographed (left) next to the same face retouched to enhance colours associated with
  
  Read more

• Downing Street ‘Concerned’ At Facebook And Cambridge Analytica Reports

  19-03-2018 23:23
  Allegations about the mass harvesting of Facebook users’ information are “very concerning”, Downing Street has said amid further allegations against data firm Cambridge Analytica (CA).Prime Minister Theresa May’s official spokesman called on the social media giant and CA to co-operate fully with an investigation by Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham.Meanwhile, further details about the firm’s activities included claims the company offered to entrap politician
  
  Read more

• Deportation Reprieve For Mexican Academics At Durham University

  19-03-2018 23:23
  The Home Office has reversed a decision to deport two Durham University academics after a public outcry.Dr Ernesto Schwartz-Marin and Dr Arely Cruz-Santiago had been issued a 14-day notice to leave the UK following an apparent breach in their Tier 2 visa for humanitarian work in Mexico.The couple had lived in the UK for more than 10 years with their 11-year-old daughter Camilla.A Home Office spokesman said: “Following a review of the initial decision, Mr Schwartz-Marin has been informed th
  
  Read more

• Child Rescued From Car In Cardigan’S River Teifi

  19-03-2018 23:23
  A child is receiving medical attention after being rescued from a car found in a river.Dyfed-Powys Police say the car, a silver Mini was found in the River Teifi in Cardigan, West Wales on Monday afternoon.The force received a call about the missing vehicle at 3.30pm and posted on its Twitter page that the Mini had been located at 5.11pm.Following a call at 3.30pm we made enq. as to whereabouts of a silver mini, last seen in Cardigan near the old Scout Hall. During a search the vehicle was locat
  
  Read more

• Channel 4 Chief Executive: Gender Pay Gap Is Unacceptable

  19-03-2018 23:23
  Channel 4 chief executive Alex Mahon has said it is “unacceptable” that the channel has a gender pay gap of 28.6%.Ms Mahon said she was “determined” to make improvements after a report revealed the pay gap among staff, and is aiming to have a split of 50 men, 50 women in the 100 top jobs at the broadcaster by 2023.Ms Mahon told presenter Cathy Newman on Channel 4 News: “A gender pay gap of 28.6% is something that I find unacceptable.“I am not happy about it an
  
  Read more

• British Woman Killed While Fighting In Syria Was ‘Fearless And Noble’

  19-03-2018 23:23
  The first British woman to die fighting with Kurdish forces in Syria will be remembered as “fearless and noble”, her sister said.Anna Campbell died in Afrin on Thursday while fighting with the Kurdish Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), according to the group and her father Dirk.She is the eighth Briton so far to have died in Syria while working with Kurdish militia and was killed by Turkish air strikes, the YPJ claim.Anna Campbell was killed in a Turkish airstrike (YPJ/PA)The 26-y
  
  Read more

• Woman Dies After Collision With Autonomous Uber Car

  19-03-2018 23:14
  A woman has died in the US after being hit by an autonomous Uber car.It is believed to be the first death involving a pedestrian and a self-driving vehicle on public roads.The crash happened overnight from Sunday into Monday in the Pheonix suburb of Tempe, Arizona.The victim was taken to hospital but died from her injuries.The car was in autonomous mode with an operator behind the wheel when the incident occurred, police said.Some incredibly sad news out of Arizona. We’re thinking of the v
  
  Read more

• Michelin To Buy Fenner In £1.2 Billion Deal

  19-03-2018 23:04
  French tyre maker Michelin has struck a deal to acquire British manufacturer Fenner in a £1.2 billion deal.The groups announced the deal after market close on Monday, with Michelin to shell out 610p per Fenner share, a 31% premium to the FTSE 250 firm’s closing price on March 16.Fenner, based in Hessle in East Yorkshire, manufactures conveyor belts and reinforced polymer products for mining and industrial markets.It raked in £655 million in revenue last year and Michelin said t
  
  Read more

• Man Remanded On Attempted Murder Charge After Car Driven Into Clubbers

  19-03-2018 22:52
  A man has appeared in court charged with attempted murder after a car was driven into revellers outside a Gravesend nightclub.Mohammed Abdul appeared before Medway Magistrates’ Court on Monday.He is accused of driving a Suzuki Vitara deliberately into Blake’s nightclub, Queen Street, on Saturday in an incident which left 13 people injured.The 21-year-old did not enter a plea at the short hearing and spoke only to confirm his details when he appeared by videolink.Police outside Blake&
  
  Read more

• Pair Spared Prison After Pleading Guilty To Cockfighting Charges

  19-03-2018 22:49
  Two men whose “organised and prolific” cockfighting operation was exposed after they posted videos on Facebook have been spared jail.Bill Ripley, 45, and Moses Brinkley, 61, were handed suspended prison sentences and banned from keeping game birds for two years at Bexleyheath Magistrates’ Court on Monday, having pleaded guilty to a total of 10 animal cruelty charges at an earlier hearing.They were arrested after the RSPCA and police raided a travellers’ site in Bean, in K
  
  Read more

• University Students Ran International Drugs Operation From Dark Web, Court Told

  19-03-2018 22:43
  Four University of Manchester students ran an international drug dealing operation from the “dark web” of the internet, a court has heard.The defendants used the now-closed Silk Road website to import, export and supply large quantities of controlled drugs ecstasy, 2CB, LSD and ketamine between May 2011 and October 2013.The operation’s “prime mover”, Basil Assaf, 26, and his fellow conspirators James Roden, 25, and Elliott Hyams, 26, were arrested on the same date t
  
  Read more

• Drug User Convicted Of Rape And Murder Of 72-Year-Old Woman In Burglary

  19-03-2018 22:38
  A drug-user has been found guilty of raping and murdering a pensioner who was smothered during a night-time break-in at her home.Craig Keogh removed wedding and engagement rings and a crucifix from the body of 72-year-old Jane Hings after taking around four minutes to suffocate her using a pillow following an “utterly terrifying” sexual assault.Jurors at Birmingham Crown Court deliberated for around four hours on Monday before unanimously convicting Keogh, 26, of murder, burglary and
  
  Read more

• BBC Seeks To Resolve Row With Its Own Presenters Over Tax Bills

  19-03-2018 22:38
  The BBC has launched a new independent process to try to resolve a row with high-profile stars who claim they were pressured into employment arrangements which left them with huge tax demands.The move could lead to the corporation making a contribution towards historic bills which in some cases run into five or even six figures.It comes a day ahead of a hearing in the House of Commons at which MPs are expected to hear complaints that on-air presenters were encouraged by the BBC to be paid throug
  
  Read more

• House of Commons Approves Independent Investigation Into Claims MPs Bullied Staff

  19-03-2018 22:36
  The House of Commons’s most senior body has approved an independent investigation into claims that MPs bullied Parliamentary staff.The new inquiry, agreed by the House of Commons Commission, follows allegations on BBC’s Newsnight that senior figures including Speaker John Bercow had mistreated officials known as ‘clerks’.Speaker Bercow, who normally chairs the Commission, decided to step aside from the meeting on Monday night, given the claims against him.The inquiry&rsqu
  
  Read more

• Facebook data storm wipes nearly $37bn off market value

  19-03-2018 22:35 via ft.com
  Social network faces regulatory backlash over information harvesting claims
  
  Read more

• Police Issue CCTV Images Of Missing Fife Student

  19-03-2018 22:23
  CCTV has been released of a missing student who has not been seen since a night-out with friends last week.Duncan Sim, 19, was last seen at about 11.15pm on Wednesday March 14 outside Madras rugby club in St Andrews.Police said they are “very concerned” for the first-year chemistry student who failed to return to his accommodation at Agnes Blackadder Hall in the Fife town..@policescotland missing student urgent appeal: Duncan Sim, 1st yr chemistry undergrad & Agnes Blackadde
  
  Read more

• Genes Discovery Opens Door To Osteoarthritis Treatment

  19-03-2018 21:54
  A clutch of nine genes linked to osteoarthritis have been identified, paving the way for new treatments.Scientists hope the discovery will aid the development of targeted drugs to combat the debilitating joint-eroding condition.Currently there is no cure for osteoarthritis, which causes cartilage protecting the joints to break down resulting in swelling, pain, and loss of movement.Injury, older age, inherited genes, obesity and certain occupations can all increase the risk of the disease.Around
  
  Read more

• Man Remanded In Custody After Car Drove Into Nightclub Revellers

  19-03-2018 21:52
  A man has been remanded in custody accused of attempted murder after 13 people were injured when a car ploughed into a nightclub.Mohammed Abdul, 21, appeared at Medway Magistrates Court in Chatham, Kent, accused of driving a Suzuki Vitara into a number of people at Blake’s nightclub in Gravesend, Kent, on Saturday.The court heard how many people were left with injuries including broken knees, dislocated knees and dislocated pelvises, after the incident.Abdul sat hunched in a gree
  
  Read more

• Unanswered questions about the poisoning of Sergei Skripal

  19-03-2018 21:00 via ft.com
  Two weeks after attack, very few details of investigation have been released
  
  Read more

• Facebook data storm wipes $35bn off market value

  19-03-2018 20:55 via ft.com
  Social network faces regulatory backlash over information harvesting claims
  
  Read more

• Theresa May under fire over Brexit transition deal

  19-03-2018 20:28
  Senior Tories criticise concessions to Brussels on issues ranging from immigration to fisheries Theresa May faced a storm of protest over a transition deal struck with Brussels after conceding a series of her high-profile Brexit demands and agreeing to the “back stop” plan of keeping Northern Ireland under EU law to avoid a hard border with the Republic of Ireland.Related: EU nationals arriving in UK during transition will get same rights as those already there, says Barnier - Politi
  
  Read more

• What difference will the Brexit transition make?

  19-03-2018 20:09 via ft.com
  Deal falls short of guarantee and could be derailed by Irish issue but may relieve business
  
  Read more

• The Brexit transition: what difference will it make?

  19-03-2018 20:09 via ft.com
  Deal falls short of guarantee and could be derailed by Irish issue but may relieve business
  
  Read more

• Cambridge Analytica Boss Said He Could Use Sex Workers To Entrap Politicians, Secret Footage Reveals

  19-03-2018 20:00
  Senior executives at Cambridge Analytica have been caught on cameria claiming they could bribe politicians, entrap them with sex workers, or use ex-spies to dig dirt on political opponents and then post any damaging material online.Three members of the London-based data firm were covertly recorded by journalists for the UK’s Channel 4 News at a series of meetings at London hotels over four months, between November 2017 and January 2018.The company’s Chief Executive, Alexander Ni
  
  Read more

• Homeless Eviction From Sofia Solidarity Centre Leaves Rough Sleepers With 'Nowhere To Go', Volunteers Say

  19-03-2018 19:21
  Rough sleepers who have been forced to leave a disused central London building they took over nearly three weeks ago are being left with “nowhere to go” and “no support”, volunteers have said.As rough sleepers and volunteers moved sleeping bags, blankets and possessions out of Sofia House on Great Portland Street on Monday morning, there was growing concern that homeless people will end up back on London’s streets.“We’re now having to be asked by everyon
  
  Read more

• Barnier tickled pink as British red lines, and Davis, turn green | John Crace

  19-03-2018 19:08
  EU Brexit negotiator tries not to gloat over UK concessions as British Brexit secretary tries not to cry“Je suis très heureux,” Michel Barnier began. It soon became clear why he was so heureux as the text of the draft transitional agreement appeared on a screen behind him during his Brussels press conference with David Davis. Large chunks of it were highlighted in green. These were Theresa May’s red lines. Green was now the new red.
  The British prime minister had been ri
  
  Read more

• UK ditches plan to give pensions regulator powers on takeovers

  19-03-2018 19:07 via ft.com
  Ministers decide move would ‘stifle legitimate business activity’
  
  Read more

• Brexit transition deal breaks seven promises made by ministers, say campaigners – as it happened

  19-03-2018 18:45
  Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happenDavis/Barnier press conference - Snap summaryEU and UK agree terms of Brexit dealAfternoon summary 5.42pm GMT It’s been apparent for a long time that the obtaining of data, the use that can be made of it, for commercial or political purposes, is a goldmine for those who wish to breach the law and the sanctions that can be visited on those that do this are entirely inadequate. I’m perfectly aware that the governm
  
  Read more

• Uber Halts Self-Driving Car Tests After Fatal Accident In Arizona

  19-03-2018 18:41
  Uber has suspended all its self-driving car tests in the US after a fatal accident in Arizona.A pedestrian was reportedly crossing the street in the city of Tempe when she was hit by the car.The incident comes just a year after one of Uber’s self-driving cars was involved in another accident where no-one was hurt but one of Uber’s self-driving Volvo cars was flipped onto its side.Uber’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi tweeted that the death was “incredibly sad news” and that
  
  Read more

• Katy Perry Can't Resist Throwing Shade When Taylor Swift Is Mentioned On 'American Idol'

  19-03-2018 18:33
  Despite having said on multiple  occasions that she wanted to leave her feud with Taylor Swift in the past, Katy Perry couldn’t resist taking a dig at the ‘Delicate’ singer during the most recent instalment of ‘American Idol’.Katy is one of the new judges on the present series of ‘American Idol’, with the audition stage currently airing in the US on Sunday nights.During the most recent episode, one hopeful was heard being quizzed on his musical infl
  
  Read more

• Conservatives ‘to fall to record low’ in London at local elections

  19-03-2018 18:11 via ft.com
  Warning as Labour confident it can seize Barnet, Westminster and Wandsworth
  
  Read more

• In Defence Of Pre-Made Mash

  19-03-2018 17:36
  Nothing divides opinion quite like ready-made mash. Mention you eat it and you’ll likely get a range of reactions from amused nostalgia (Smash!), to outright disgust (as is the case for most unfashionable convenience foods). At the latter end of this scale, declaring ready-made foods as ‘vile’ and ‘lazy’, sit the food snobs. And let’s be honest, it’s probably something we’ve all been guilty of in one form or another… who doesn’t have s
  
  Read more

• The five costs of UK's pyrrhic Brexit victory

  19-03-2018 17:34
  A series of once unimaginable concessions are now baked into the withdrawal agreement, with more likely to come The prize sought by British negotiators during their latest Brexit showdown was certainty. UK businesses desperately need to know how long they have to prepare for departure and threatened to panic without promise of a transition phase. Related: Brexit transition deal breaks seven promises made by ministers, say campaigners - Politics liveContinue reading...
  
  Read more

• Why Millennials Love House Plants

  19-03-2018 17:31
  Millennials love house plants. I’m a millennial and yes, I too love house plants. At first I thought there was something cyclical about it; you know, like flares or bowl cuts. But I’m not sure it’s as simple as that, really. There’s something - excuse me - earthy about them, a general - again, sorry - rootedness about them that us millennials are perhaps craving.If you read Michael Hobbs’ ‘Why millennials are facing the scariest financial future of any generat
  
  Read more

• ‘We Are On The Edge’: The Plight Of Displaced People In Eastern Ukraine

  19-03-2018 17:28
  The frontline of a conflict reaches further than where the shells drop. It enters cities, villages, camps and clinics miles away, in the hearts of those who have fled.The medical-humanitarian organisation, Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) arrived in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine in May 2014 to provide free primary healthcare and psychological support to those living on land divided between the control of the Ukrainian Government and the self-proclaimed
  
  Read more

• Ant McPartlin Returns To Treatment As 'Saturday Night Takeaway' Is Axed, Following Drink-Driving Arrest

  19-03-2018 17:25
  Ant McPartlin has issued a statement revealing that he will “go back into treatment”, following his arrest for drink-driving over the weekend.As part of his recovery, the TV personality - who makes up one half of presenting duo Ant and Dec - will also be taking a break from his work commitments, meaning this week’s episode of the live entertainment show ‘Ant And Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway’ has been cancelled.A representative for Ant and Dec said: “Ant
  
  Read more

• Brexit Fishing Deal Harder To Swallow Than A 'Pint Of Cold Sick,' Says Tory MP

  19-03-2018 17:19
  Theresa May has been warned by a Tory MP that the draft Brexit agreement is harder to sell to voters than a “pint of cold sick”.Under plans unveiled today, the EU will still set fishing quotas during the transition period between March 2019 and December 2020.Douglas Ross, the MP for Moray, said on Monday that fishermen would react with “anger and disappointment” to the plan.“There is no doubt that the EU was unwilling to move on this issue which underlines why so ma
  
  Read more

• Channel 4's Gender Pay Report Reveals Pay Gap Of 28.6%

  19-03-2018 17:04
  Channel 4 boss Alex Mahon has vowed to correct the company’s gender pay disparity, following the publication of a report on Monday (19 March).The gender pay report reveals a disparity of 28.6% between the men and women who work at Channel 4, despite the fact that women make up more than half of their staff (59%, to be exact).This report also attempts to explain the disparity by pointing out the “large number of women in the lower two quartiles of the organisation”, as well as t
  
  Read more

• Tories Set To Hit Record Low Number Of London Councillors, Pollster Lord Hayward Warns

  19-03-2018 17:00
  The Tory party is on course for a record low number of councillors in London in this year’s local elections as the “Corbyn surge” continues, one of the party’s veteran pollsters has warned.Lord Hayward said that the Conservatives were in such trouble in the capital that Labour could get its highest ever vote share since its previous high in 1974.The Tory peer, who famously forecast the ‘Shy Tory’ effect that led to John Major’s victory in 1992, said that
  
  Read more

• Tories Facing May 'Meltdown' In London With Council Seats Set To Hit Record Low, Pollster Lord Hayward Warns

  19-03-2018 17:00
  The Tories are on course for a record low number of councillors in London in this year’s local elections as the “Corbyn surge” continues, one of the party’s veteran pollsters has warned.Robert Hayward said that the Conservatives were in such trouble in the capital that Labour could get its highest ever vote share since its previous high in 1974.The Tory peer, who famously forecast the ‘Shy Tory’ effect that led to John Major’s victory in 1992, suggested
  
  Read more

• 'Emmerdale' Cleared By Ofcom After 366 Complaints Over Acid Attack Scenes

  19-03-2018 16:53
  ‘Emmerdale’ is in the clear after receiving more than 300 Ofcom complaints about controversial acid attack scenes. In total, 366 viewers lodged a complaint with the TV watchdog, after character Ross Barton had acid thrown in his face during an episode which aired on 8 February. However, Ofcom will not fully investigate the matter, concluding the ITV soap did not breach broadcasting guidelines. A spokesperson confirmed they had upheld the complaints, saying in a st
  
  Read more

• Google Maps Now Helps Wheelchair Users Navigate London's Public Transport

  19-03-2018 16:44
  Google Maps has added a new feature designed to help those in a wheelchair travel around London.The new Wheelchair Accessible mode should uses public transport information to help create a route that includes easy access for those with a wheelchair or buggy.Once the route has been entered, the person simply ticks the box that says Wheelchair accessible and the route is then updated to include stations that have the necessary facilities.At the moment the service is only available in a small
  
  Read more

Follow @political_UKnws on Twitter!