Political news

• Jeremy Corbyn regrets comments about 'anti-Semitic' mural

  23-03-2018 22:25 via bbc.co.uk
  Labour leader says he did not look closely at controversial picture before questioning its removal.
  
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• Labour moderate wins nomination for Sheffield mayor

  23-03-2018 21:34 via ft.com
  Barnsley MP seen by many as biggest threat to Jeremy Corbyn
  
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• Hopes raised of end to strikes at UK universities

  23-03-2018 21:04 via ft.com
  Employers and union agree proposals aimed at resolving dispute over pensions
  
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• Porton Down chief: Russia's poison accusation 'just not true'

  23-03-2018 20:45 via bbc.co.uk
  The UK's top military research centre says it's a coincidence that a former Russian spy was poisoned close by.
  
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• Cambridge Analytica: Enforcement Officers Enter London Office After Search Warrant Issued

  23-03-2018 20:07
  Enforcement officers working for the Information Commissioner have entered the premises of Cambridge Analytica in central London, after a High Court judge granted a search warrant.The 18 officers went in on Friday evening after the judge granted the warrant following hours of legal argument and delays.At 8pm, less than an hour after the warrant was granted by Judge Leonard QC, the group of officers, some wearing ICO enforcement jackets, were led by a woman holding a piece of paper which app
  
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• Rise of digital politics: why UK parties spend big on Facebook

  23-03-2018 19:54
  Online advertising is an effective way to get messages across, but the strategy must be smartFigures released this week by the Electoral Commission are the simplest way to demonstrate the growing influence of Facebook on British politics. Political parties nationally spent about £1.3m on Facebook during the 2015 general election campaign; two years later the figure soared to £3.2m.
  In each election it was the Conservatives that spent the most, with decidedly mixed results. For David
  
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• Martin Rowson on the EU expulsion of Russian diplomats – cartoon

  23-03-2018 19:44
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• Owen Smith sacked from Labour party frontbench

  23-03-2018 19:30
  Smith went against party policy by calling for a referendum over the final Brexit deal The shadow Northern Ireland secretary, Owen Smith, was sacked by Jeremy Corbyn on Friday after breaking with Labour policy to call for a referendum on the final Brexit deal.Smith, who challenged Corbyn for the party leadership in 2016, wrote an article in the Guardian, urging his party to reopen the question of whether Brexit was the right thing for Britain – and to offer the public a vote. Continue read
  
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• Owen Smith Sacked As Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Over Brexit Stance

  23-03-2018 19:29
  Owen Smith has been sacked as Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary after breaking ranks over Labour’s Brexit stance. Smith, who challenged Corbyn for the Labour leadership in 2016, said the party should back a referendum on the final deal in an interview with the Guardian on Friday. Just hours later, Jeremy Corbyn announced Smith had been asked to stand down and would be replaced in the shadow cabinet by Rochdale MP Tony Lloyd. Smith came out fighting on Twitter, saying his vie
  
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• Labour At War As Owen Smith Sacked from Shadow Cabinet Over Brexit Stance

  23-03-2018 19:29
  Jeremy Corbyn was accused of a “Stalinist purge” after sacking Owen Smith as Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary over his Brexit stance. The Pontypridd MP dramatically revealed he backed a referendum on the final deal in an interview on Friday. Just hours later, the party announced he had been “asked to stand down”. Smith, who challenged Jeremy Corbyn for the Labour leadership in 2016, came out fighting on Twitter, saying his view is shared by Labour mem
  
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• Britain needs its allies in Europe more than ever

  23-03-2018 19:24 via ft.com
  Shouting about sovereignty will not alter interdependence
  
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• EU opens decisive new phase of Brexit talks

  23-03-2018 19:06 via ft.com
  Guidelines on future relations adopted in minutes, but Ireland remains vexed issue
  
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• Vote Leave chief Dominic Cummings denies Cambridge Analytica links

  23-03-2018 19:04 via bbc.co.uk
  Dominic Cummings speaks out ahead of expected newspaper stories about Brexit campaign.
  
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• Corbyn in antisemitism row after backing artist behind 'offensive' mural

  23-03-2018 19:01
  Labour leader offered support on Facebook in 2012 to artist whose work featured antisemitic tropesJeremy Corbyn was embroiled in a fresh antisemitism row on Friday after conceding he was wrong to support a graffiti artist whose “offensive” work was scrubbed off a wall in London’s East End. Related: Labour MPs challenge Corbyn on antisemitism and BrexitContinue reading...
  
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• Gemalto faces political passport storm

  23-03-2018 18:59 via ft.com
  Brexit supporters protest after French group wins contract
  
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• MPs to investigate gender pay gap amid fears scheme falls short

  23-03-2018 18:57
  Committee will assess new government scheme, amid fears it is not showing true pictureMPs are to investigate the difference in average pay for men and women, amid fears the government’s new scheme to highlight the gender pay gap is not telling the true story.Executive pay and bonuses will also come under the spotlight in a business, energy and industrial strategy (BEIS) select committee investigation which kicks off next month. Continue reading...
  
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• MP Dan Jarvis to stand for Sheffield City Region mayor

  23-03-2018 18:57 via bbc.co.uk
  A ruling by the Labour party means if Dan Jarvis is elected as mayor he will have to stand down as MP.
  
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• May wins European unity over Salisbury attack

  23-03-2018 18:55 via ft.com
  PM’s success raises question of whether same would be possible after Brexit
  
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• Sajid Javid faces battle over 4% affordable homes in Sainsbury's scheme

  23-03-2018 18:54
  Housing secretary approved 700-home development in Ilford which has 50% affordable housing policyThe housing secretary, Sajid Javid, is facing a legal challenge after he approved a 700-home housing scheme by the supermarket chain Sainsbury’s, which includes just 4% affordable housing.The 29-storey development in Ilford, east London, will be built in a borough that has a stated policy that 50% of all new homes should be affordable. It estimates it needs an extra 15,000 affordable homes in t
  
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• Toby Young quits New Schools Network, citing media pressure

  23-03-2018 18:48
  Departure of free school champion follows controversy over his comments about women and eugenicsToby Young has stepped down from his government-funded job as head of a charity supporting new free schools, blaming the pressure of media attention.The journalist’s decision to leave the New Schools Network follows the controversy that erupted earlier this year when Young was appointed a director of the universities regulator, which catapulted his lurid comments on women and eugenics into the p
  
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• Vote Leave Director Claims He Rejected Offer From Cambridge Analytica Whistleblower To Harvest Data

  23-03-2018 18:38
  Vote Leave director Dominic Cummings claims the Cambridge Analytica whistleblower offered to harvest data for the Brexit campaign. In an 8,000-word blog attempting to rebut claims put to him by journalists, Cummings alleges Christopher Wylie made a pitch to him after he left Cambridge Analytica, and that he rejected it. Wylie sent shockwaves across the globe with an interview in last week’s Observer, in which he revealed Cambridge Analytica accessed data from millions of Facebook
  
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• We’re taking on Cambridge Analytica in a legal fight for data rights | Ravi Naik

  23-03-2018 18:28
  It can’t be left to regulators. Now that Silicon Valley’s myth of apolitical tech is in tatters, we must all be vigilantThe movement for data rights has hit a landmark moment. In early 2017, I was instructed by a number of individuals who were concerned about the way their data was being used. They feared their personal data had been compiled and amalgamated into profiles based some on their most personal beliefs – their political opinions. Those profiles were processed by the
  
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• Dan Jarvis wins vote to run as Sheffield mayor, but can't also be an MP

  23-03-2018 18:23
  Labour MP faces choice after NEC rules he must quit parliament to run as city region mayorThe Labour MP Dan Jarvis has won a vote to become the party’s candidate for the new role of Sheffield city region mayor, but has yet to decide whether he will step down from parliament to seek election.The Barnsley Central MP won 58% of the members’ ballot against the other candidate, Ben Curran, a councillor and cabinet member on Sheffield city council. Continue reading...
  
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• The Guardian view on Brexit and Russia: a fatal flaw | Editorial

  23-03-2018 18:11
  EU solidarity with the UK against Moscow is welcome, but the prime minister still hasn’t resolved contradictions at the heart of her policyTheresa May is fond of observing that Britain will not be leaving Europe when it leaves the European Union, which could be a statement of geographical banality or strategic significance. The prime minister’s point, elucidated in a speech at the Mansion House last November, is that the UK sees itself as part of a community of democracies, aligned i
  
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• Lords split over plan to remove hereditary peers

  23-03-2018 18:05 via ft.com
  Labour member of UK’s upper chamber pushes for major reform
  
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• Patient groups criticise Hunt for ditching NHS waiting time targets

  23-03-2018 17:58
  Health secretary faces backlash after telling trusts the standards will not have to be met next yearJeremy Hunt is facing a backlash from patient groups over his decision to let hospitals flout key NHS waiting time targets next year.The health and social care secretary has told NHS trusts they do not need to meet standards that require them to treat 95% of A&E patients within four hours and 92% of people awaiting non-urgent care within 18 weeks.Continue reading...
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn Criticised By Labour MP For Appearing To Defend Anti-Semitic Painting

  23-03-2018 17:49
  Jeremy Corbyn has been criticised by one of his own MPs for appearing to condemn the removal of an anti-Semitic mural. On Friday afternoon Liverpool Wavertree MP Lucia Berger posted a screengrab from a Facebook post by artist MEAR ONE in 2012.In it the artist complained that their painting, featuring caricatures of Jewish men playing monopoly, was being painted over.I asked the Leader’s Office for an explanation about this Facebook post first thing this morning.I’m still waiting
  
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• Jeremy Corbyn Admits 'Regret' After Appearing To Defend Anti-Semitic Mural

  23-03-2018 17:49
  LATEST:  Labour at War As Owen Smith Sacked from Shadow Cabinet Over Brexit StanceJeremy Corbyn has admitted “regret” after he made a “general comment” that appeared to defend an anti-Semitic mural, and drew criticism from his own MPs.The Labour leader was facing a backlash on Friday afternoon after Liverpool Wavertree MP Lucia Berger posted a screengrab from a Facebook entry by artist MEAR ONE in 2012.In it the artist complained that their painting, featuring carica
  
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• M1 Crash: Two Lorry Drivers Jailed After Pile-Up That Killed Eight People

  23-03-2018 17:48
  Two lorry drivers have been jailed for causing a pile-up that killed eight people and seriously injured four others travelling in a minibus that was taking passengers to Disneyland.Ryszard Masierak, 31, was jailed for 14 years while FedEx Driver David Wagstaff, 54, was jailed for three years and four months on Friday at Aylesbury Crown Court for causing the collision on the M1 in the early hours of August 26 last year.The minibus driven by Cyriac Joseph was crushed between their two vehicles whe
  
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• Brexit: EU adopts guidelines for negotiations on future relations

  23-03-2018 17:36 via bbc.co.uk
  EU leaders clear the way for trade and security talks to begin in another step forward in the process.
  
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• Vote 2018

  23-03-2018 17:33 via bbc.co.uk
  Seats on more than 150 councils in England are up for grabs and there are several mayoral contests.
  
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• Woman Accused Of Murder Heard Screaming At Nanny, Court Told

  23-03-2018 17:28
  A mother accused of murdering her French nanny was heard screaming “horrible” abuse at her in a violent outburst, a jury was told.Sophie Lionnet was allegedly tortured and killed by her employers Sabrina Kouider, 35, and Ouissem Medouni, 40, at their home in Wimbledon, south-west London.The pair kept the 21-year-old’s body in the flat for more than a week after she died, before throwing her remains on a bonfire in the back garden, an Old Bailey jury heard.Sophie Lionnet (Met Po
  
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• Soviet Cold War Missile Sells For More Than £15,000 At Auction

  23-03-2018 17:28
  A giant Soviet Cold War missile has sold for £15,600 at auction.The rare SA-4 Ganef rocket went under the hammer in Billingshurst, West Sussex, on Wednesday. Offers were made in a sealed bid and the sale, including VAT and premium costs, has now been announced by Summers Place Auctions.The Soviet-made medium-range air defence 2K11 Krug – which has been deactivated – measures just under nine metres in length and three metres wide.Russia’s deadly war missile FOR SALE: 3000m
  
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• Soldier In Banned Neo-Nazi Group Trial Was ‘Given’ Propaganda On Base, Court Told

  23-03-2018 17:28
  A serving soldier accused of being a member of a banned neo-Nazi group National Action claimed a senior colleague handed him propaganda leaflets on an Army base, a court heard.Private Mark Barrett, who had a swastika on his windowsill, claimed Corporal Mikko Vehvilainen, gave him two of the group’s flyers, one bearing the slogan White Jihad, and cracked racist “jokes”.Barrett also alleged the more senior soldier asked him to draw pictures of a Nazi swastika and a Second World W
  
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• Social Workers Involved In St Helena Child Abuse Inquiry Take Legal Action

  23-03-2018 17:28
  Two social workers who say an inquiry report into allegations of child abuse on the British overseas territory of St Helena destroyed their professional reputations have taken legal action.Claire Gannon and Martin Warsama, who worked on St Helena and made cover-up allegations, have sued the Foreign Office and the senior barrister who led the inquiry.They say they “stand by the accuracy and honesty of their disclosures” and say conclusions were reached on the basis of an inquiry which
  
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• Sir David Attenborough Mourns ‘Warning Signal’ Loss Of Northern White Rhino

  23-03-2018 17:28
  Sir David Attenborough has said the death of the last male northern white rhino is “another catastrophe and another warning signal”.The 91-year-old was speaking following the death of Sudan, the 45-year-old last male of his species in Kenya earlier this week.He said the problems facing those protecting other endangered animals was “huge” as the world was now so crowded.Sir David said: “It’s another catastrophe and another warning signal.&ld
  
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• Russian Ambassador Sends Well Wishes To Novichok Attack Victims

  23-03-2018 17:28
  The Russian Ambassador in London has sent his well wishes to those directly affected by the Salisbury nerve agent attack.Alexander Yakovenko welcomed the news that detective sergeant Nick Bailey has been discharged from hospital following his exposure to Novichok on March 4.Russian double agent Sergei Skripal, 66, and his 33-year-old daughter Yulia remain in a stable but critical condition after they were found slumped on a bench in Salisbury.Mr Yakovenko said in a tweet: “Glad to know tha
  
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• Prince Of Wales Watches Prison Inmates Performing Opera

  23-03-2018 17:28
  The Prince of Wales watched inmates performing songs from Carmen and Les Miserables during a visit to a prison.Charles was at Dartmoor Prison in Princetown, Devon, to find out about the work of the Prison Choir Project, which is aiming to find a way to reduce reoffending by building self-esteem.The inmates were joined by professional performance artists for the show, which included songs from Bizet’s Carmen and finished will a moving rendition of Do You Hear The People Sing from Les Misera
  
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• Prezzo To Shut 94 Restaurants With 500 Jobs To Go

  23-03-2018 17:28
  Hundreds of jobs are to be axed at Prezzo after the restaurant chain agreed a restructuring plan that will see nearly 100 sites close.The company, owned by private equity firm TPG Capital, secured the backing of creditors for Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) on Friday, which will allow the Italian-themed chain to exit unprofitable branches and secure rent reductions.A total of 94 of Prezzo’s 300 outlets will close, with around 500 jobs understood to be in the firing line, although
  
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• Parsons Green Tube Bomber Jailed For Minimum Of 34 Years

  23-03-2018 17:28
  A “ruthless” teenage asylum seeker has been jailed for at least 34 years for planting the Parsons Green Tube bomb which injured 51 passengers.Iraqi Ahmed Hassan, who claims to be aged 18, pretended to engage with the anti-terrorism Prevent scheme as he plotted mass murder in the capital.He made a bomb with 400g of “Mother of Satan” explosives and 2.2kg of shrapnel while his unsuspecting foster parents were on holiday in Blackpool.The Old Bailey heard he wanted to avenge t
  
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• Ongoing Declines In World’S Plants And Animals ‘Puts Humans At Risk’

  23-03-2018 17:28
  Nature is in decline in every region of the world, putting human livelihoods in danger, a series of United Nations reports on biodiversity have warned.Biodiversity, the variety of plants and animals found on Earth, and natural services such as clean water and healthy soils are being hit by exploitation, pollution, invasive species and the growing threat of climate change.The declining trend in nature endangers economies, livelihoods, food security and the quality of life for people worldwide, ac
  
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• Mining Boss Blasts Government’S ‘Perverse’ Decision To Block Open-Cast Application

  23-03-2018 17:28
  A mining boss has branded the Government’s decision to block an open-cast coal mine “perverse” and said it would have kept £200 million within the UK economy.The Green Party claimed “coal is “over” and campaigners celebrated a “significant victory” after Communities Minister Sajid Javid overturned local councillors’ decision to allow three million tonnes of coal to be extracted from scenic Druridge Bay in Northumberland, as he cited env
  
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• Man Jailed For Life For Stabbing Schoolboy In The Head Near Mosque

  23-03-2018 17:28
  A man has been jailed for life after carrying out two knife attacks including stabbing a schoolboy in the head near a mosque.Dominic Palmer stabbed the 15-year-old multiple times at 1am on September 30 last year, West Midlands Police said.The boy had been dropped off outside the Hussaina Mosque in Small Heath, Birmingham, by his father and was attacked minutes later.Palmer, 29, fled the scene as the teenager’s father and members of the congregation ran to help him.CCTV showed Palmer return
  
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• Man Appears In Court Over Death Of Holby City Actor’S Daughter

  23-03-2018 17:28
  A man has appeared in court charged with the manslaughter of Louella Eve Fletcher-Michie, who died at the Bestival music festival.The 25-year-old daughter of former Holby City actor John Michie was found dead in a wooded area on the edge of the Bestival site at Lulworth Castle in Dorset just before 1am on September 11 last year.Ceon Broughton, 29, of Island Centre Way, Enfield, north London, appeared before Poole Magistrates’ Court for the first time accused of manslaughter by gross neglig
  
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• Jurors Told To Put Aside Emotion In Rape Trial Of Rugby Players

  23-03-2018 17:28
  A judge has begun to address jurors in the rape trial of two Irish international rugby players.Judge Patricia Smyth told the eight men and three women to put aside feelings and consider all of the evidence dispassionately and clinically.The judge said: “Emotion and prejudice will have no part to play in your deliberations.”Paddy Jackson arrives at Belfast Crown Court (Niall Carson/PA)In her summing up, which is expected to last for several hours, the judge will outline the salient fa
  
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• Irish Stew On The Menu As Harry And Meghan Visit Belfast’S Crown Liquor Saloon

  23-03-2018 17:28
  Meghan Markle and Prince Harry embraced the culture of Northern Ireland during a visit to one of Belfast’s most famous buildings – by sitting down to a traditional Irish pub lunch.The American actress and her fiance, on a whirlwind trip to the region, toured the Crown Liquor Saloon – a major tourist attraction in the city.
  
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• In Pictures: Harry And Meghan Enjoying Their First Northern Ireland Visit

  23-03-2018 17:28
  Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have made a surprise visit to Northern Ireland as part of their tour of Britain before their May wedding.Prince Harry and Meghan Markle received a rapturous welcome in Belfast (Gareth Fuller/PA)Harry and Meghan leaving the Crown Liquor Saloon where they sat down to a traditional Irish pub lunch (Gareth Fuller/PA)Meghan during a visit to the Eikon Exhibition Centre in Lisburn (Niall Carson/PA)Harry greets wellwishers during a walkabout in Belfast (Gareth Fuller/PA)T
  
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• Harry Potter Theatre Director Did Not Expect OBE Because Of Working Class Roots

  23-03-2018 17:28
  The director of the hit Harry Potter play has spoken of his shock at being awarded an OBE, a title he thought “was never on the cards” because of his working class roots.John Tiffany, who was decorated for his services to drama at Buckingham Palace, opened Harry Potter And The Cursed Child in London in July 2016, on which he worked closely with the book’s original author JK Rowling.He dedicated the honour to his childhood community in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.Harry Pot
  
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• Grenfell Survivors Urge Special Measures For Council After Rehousing Delay

  23-03-2018 17:28
  Survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire have called for Kensington and Chelsea Council (RBKC) to be placed into special measures after the Government admitted it is unlikely everyone will be rehoused within a year of the fire. Grenfell United, the main group representing survivors and the bereaved, has written to Sajid Javid saying the local authority’s failure to meet targets and its breaking of promises “has to stop”. Chairman of the group, Shahin Sadafi, asked the Communities S
  
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• Firefighters To Remain At Scene Of Glasgow Blaze For ‘As Long As It Takes’

  23-03-2018 17:28
  Firefighters say they will remain at the scene of a major blaze in Glasgow city centre for “as long as it takes”.The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said a lot of work is still to be done to ensure the fire on Sauchiehall Street is completely extinguished.About 30 firefighters and eight fire engines remain in attendance at the site and firefighting is “ongoing”.“We are absolutely committed to preventing any further damage to surrounding properties and ensuri
  
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