Political news

• Alfie Evans: Father Thanks Hospital And Pledges To ‘Form A Relationship’

  26-04-2018 23:26
  The parents of Alfie Evans have pledged to work alongside doctors to give him “the dignity and comfort he needs”.His father, Tom, 21, also appealed to the family’s many supporters to step aside and allow them to “form a relationship” with Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and go on to “build a bridge and walk across it”.Earlier on Thursday, Evans said he and Alfie’s mother, Kate James, 20, hoped to have a “positive” meeting to discuss
  
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• Amber Rudd's 10 days of contrition for Windrush scandal

  26-04-2018 23:09
  A four-apology bonanza seems to have staved off the home secretary’s personal crisis – for nowBy the time she stood up on Thursday to make her fourth apology for the Windrush fiasco in the space of 10 days, Amber Rudd’s contrition over the victims of the scandal was becoming quite familiar.
  The Windrush generation “are legally here”, she said (again). People “who contributed so much … should never have experienced what they have”. Continue reading
  
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• Cabinet's Brexiters push May to drop 'customs partnership'

  26-04-2018 22:30
  Boris Johnson among those who fear option would allow Britain to rejoin the customs union Theresa May’s Brexit inner cabinet are preparing for a showdown over the customs union next week, as leading Brexiters including Liam Fox and David Davis try to force the prime minister to ditch the “customs partnership” model.This so-called “hybrid model”, under which the UK would collect EU import tariffs on behalf of Brussels, is regarded as cumbersome and impractical by Bre
  
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• 'We're really, really happy': Ruth Davidson announces pregnancy – video

  26-04-2018 22:01
  The leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Ruth Davidson, announces she is 13 weeks pregnant with her first child.The 39-year-old said she and her partner, Jen Wilson, were delighted to be expecting a baby in October after undergoing IVF treatmentScottish Conservatives leader Ruth Davidson announces pregnancyContinue reading...
  
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• Theresa May under renewed Tory pressure over customs union

  26-04-2018 21:48 via ft.com
  More pro-European Conservative MPs speak out in signs of growing rebellion
  
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• Windrush: Home Office 'to scrap immigration removals targets'

  26-04-2018 21:34 via bbc.co.uk
  The move comes after Home Secretary Amber Rudd told MPs she had not known they existed.
  
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• Michel Barnier quashes UK hopes of special access to EU markets

  26-04-2018 21:26 via ft.com
  Sofia speech is second firm rebuff in a week to UK overtures
  
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• 'The Dom Raab Special' Is Actually Pret's Bestselling Sandwich, Chain Reveals

  26-04-2018 21:16
  A politician’s sandwich choice has inadvertently enthralled Westminster.Housing minister Dominic Raab has been rocked by claims that the MP always buys the same baguette, a “superfruit” pot and a vitamin volcano smoothie.It has been dubbed “The Dom Raab Special”.An undercover Daily Mirror reporter got the scoop from a woman who works for Raab, who also reportedly sells sex on the side and suggested having sex in Raab’s office.But it was existential a
  
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• Donald Trump to meet Queen on UK visit in July

  26-04-2018 21:01
  US president will not receive full fanfare of state visit in one-day trip on Friday 13 July
  Donald Trump will make a “working visit” to the UK on Friday 13 July, the UK and US have both confirmed, with the US president set to meet the Queen during the trip.The visit, which will take place immediately after a Nato summit in Brussels, will include bilateral talks with Theresa May, according to Britain’s ambassador to the US. Continue reading...
  
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• Amber Rudd to scrap UK deportation targets

  26-04-2018 20:56 via ft.com
  Home secretary fights for her job as pressure rises over Windrush scandal
  
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• Amber Rudd vows to scrap targets for removing immigrants from UK

  26-04-2018 20:42
  Home secretary urged to quit as she promises to ditch targets she told MPs had not been set Amber Rudd has vowed to scrap Home Office targets for removing people from Britain, after a chaotic 24 hours where she was summoned to the House of Commons to admit officials did have targets for departures, having previously denied their existence.The home secretary was hauled back in front of MPs on Thursday to answer an urgent question from Labour’s Diane Abbott, after documents revealed targets
  
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• Alfie Evans’ parents needed help. The vultures came instead | Gaby Hinsliff

  26-04-2018 20:22
  As if the heartbreak over the fate of their son was not enough, the vulnerable couple became the focus of activists with their own agendasFanatical. Deluded. Emotive nonsense. These are unusually strong terms for a judge to use, particularly in a case as intensely sad and bitterly contested as that of the terminally ill child Alfie Evans. Yet Mr Justice Hayden, referring to some of the campaigners now surrounding Alfie’s parents, did not mince his words, after this most hellish of ethical
  
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• Steve Bell on Windrush immigration – cartoon

  26-04-2018 20:17
  Continue reading...
  
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• EU doesn't need the City of London, says chief Brexit negotiator

  26-04-2018 20:05
  Michel Barnier torpedoes Theresa May’s hopes of a gold-plated deal for UK financial servicesThe EU does not need the City of London, and Theresa May’s “pleading” for a special deal for the UK’s financial services sector will not be rewarded, the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, has said.
  In his toughest rebuff yet to the demands made by the British prime ministerin her landmark Mansion House speech, Barnier suggested the City would be granted nothing mor
  
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• Trump to visit UK in July but no state reception planned

  26-04-2018 19:52 via ft.com
  Itinerary will not include anywhere he can be ‘publicly shouted at’
  
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• Donald Trump will visit UK in July — but won’t get state reception

  26-04-2018 19:52 via ft.com
  US President’s itinerary will not include anywhere he can be ‘publicly shouted at’
  
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• Donald Trump to visit UK in July — but no state reception

  26-04-2018 19:52 via ft.com
  US president’s itinerary will not include anywhere he can be ‘publicly shouted at’
  
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• ECJ says UK Pension Protection Fund cap unlawful

  26-04-2018 19:39 via ft.com
  Advocate General provided opinion in case where a pension was cut by 67%
  
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• Brexit Briefing: Amber Rudd Lets It Slip

  26-04-2018 19:32
  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) Amber Rudd Clearly Just Likes Being In The News I said it last week and I’ll say it again: the customs union just won’t die. The latest Prince Charming queuing up to give it a kiss o
  
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• MPs pass non-binding motion saying UK should stay in customs union after Brexit – as it happened

  26-04-2018 19:29
  Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen, including the Commons debate on staying in the customs union after BrexitAmber Rudd’s deportation targets UQ - Summary and verdict 6.21pm BST Reminder that there are already 10 Tory MP names down on the amendment to the Trade Bill on the “implementation of a customs union with the EU”
  — at least two further indicating verbal public support. pic.twitter.com/Yd966u6V0bFANTASTIC news that President @r
  
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• May under renewed Tory pressure over customs union

  26-04-2018 19:22 via ft.com
  More pro-European Conservative MPs speak out in signs of growing rebellion
  
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• Pregnant politicians

  26-04-2018 19:17 via bbc.co.uk
  The announcement of Ruth Davidson's pregnancy highlights how few children have been born in office.
  
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• 'Of course we're leaving': Rudd clarifies EU customs union position

  26-04-2018 19:14
  Home secretary had appeared to leave open the possibility of remaining in customs union during lunch with lobby journalistsAmber Rudd has been forced to issue a hasty clarification after appearing to hold out the possibility that Britain could remain in a customs union with the EU after Brexit.
  At a lunch with journalists in Westminster, which took place as MPs were debating the issue in the House of Commons, the home secretary was asked if she would vote to stay in in a customs union if she wer
  
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• Windrush Hotline Has Left Callers Feeling 'Afraid And Upset', MP Claims

  26-04-2018 19:11
  Users of a special hotline set up to help Windrush generation Britons have been left feeling “very upset and afraid”, an MP has claimed, as questions mount over whether the service is failing to help people who are anxious about their citizenship status.Gill Furniss said the line was “failing to deliver” on its mission to help people who came to the UK in the 1950s and 60s from the Commonwealth, some of whom are now being denied access to state healthcare, housi
  
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• The Guardian view on Amber Rudd’s apologies: sorry is not enough | Editorial

  26-04-2018 19:00
  Immigration enforcement is centred on meeting deportation targets. The home secretary should change the policyAmber Rudd’s handling of the Windrush generation scandal is the latest chapter in an ongoing, often shameful and sometimes scandalous story of postwar British immigration control. Few home secretaries of either main party can be entirely exonerated for their role, and certainly not Ms Rudd. The story, unfortunately, dates back at least to the arrival of the SS Empire Windrush in 19
  
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• Avicii's Family Say He 'Could Not Go On Any Longer', In New Statement

  26-04-2018 18:46
  The family of Swedish DJ and music producer Avicii has issued a second statement about his death, in which they say he “could not go on any longer”.Avicii - real name Tim Bergling - was found dead last week in Muscat, Oman, at the age of 28.While his family has already shared a statement thanking the star’s fans for their support and kind messages in the wake of his death, a second was issued on Thursday (26 April), describing the singer’s final months.They said (via
  
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• Sharp jump in homicides and violent crime in London

  26-04-2018 18:45 via ft.com
  Politicians and police chiefs left scrambling to respond to public anger
  
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• Brexit: Amber Rudd suggests customs union position 'not final'

  26-04-2018 18:38 via bbc.co.uk
  The home secretary says there are still "discussions to be had... to arrive at a final position".
  
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• How the Tories could find a sensible immigration policy

  26-04-2018 18:26 via ft.com
  Lionel Barber and Janan Ganesh on policy after the Windrush crisis
  
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• Why Amber Rudd Is Facing Calls To Resign: HuffPost Verdict

  26-04-2018 18:24
   K E Y   P O I N T S Amber Rudd is under pressure to resign as Home Secretary in the wake of the Windrush scandal.The crisis has seen migrants who came to the UK after World War II and have a legal right to live here wrongly threatened with deportation by the Home Office.Responding to the outcry, Rudd initially told MPs she did not know if anyone had been deported or not.The home secretary then made matters worse when she claimed there were no government targets for how many
  
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• How Amber Rudd came up to speed on migrant removal targets

  26-04-2018 18:23
  In 24 hours, the home secretary went from having no idea about the targets to scrapping them
  “I don’t know what you’re referring to,” said Amber Rudd, the home secretary, as she was questioned about the existence of targets for removing migrants from the UK.Yvette Cooper, the chair of the Commons home affairs select committee, could barely contain her incredulity on Wednesday. Moments earlier, the head of the union for immigration workers had confirmed there were net targ
  
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• Save the Children suspends bids for taxpayers' money

  26-04-2018 18:12 via bbc.co.uk
  UK boss Kevin Watkins said allegations of sexual harassment at the charity made his "stomach churn".
  
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• Scottish Conservatives leader Ruth Davidson announces pregnancy

  26-04-2018 18:06
  The 39-year-old says she is expecting a baby in October after undergoing IVF treatmentThe leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Ruth Davidson, has announced that she is 13 weeks pregnant with her first child.The 39-year-old said she and her partner, Jen Wilson, were delighted to be expecting a baby in October after undergoing IVF treatment. Continue reading...
  
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• Why It's OK Not To Look Perfect After Giving Birth

  26-04-2018 17:53
  When I saw the picturesque video of Kate Middleton standing outside the hospital doors holding her newborn baby in her arms for the world to see, looking fresh-faced, beautiful, and let’s face it, pretty much perfect, my first thought wasn’t, oh, how lovely!My first thought was that she must be knackered.I studied her immaculate makeup and perfectly styled red dress and imagined the team of people it must have taken to make her look so effortless before the big reveal. Only
  
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• Ruth Davidson, Scottish Conservative Party Leader, Announces She's Pregnant With First Child

  26-04-2018 17:48
  Scottish Conservative Party leader Ruth Davidson has announced that she is pregnant and expecting her first child with partner Jen Wilson in the late autumn.The couple will welcome the new arrival in late Autumn. Davidson, often touted as a future Tory Party leader, said she and her partner since 2014 are “exited and daunted” about the months to come and are “over-joyed” at the prospect of starting a family together.Our little family of three is becoming four.... pic.twit
  
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• Let’s Kill Off ‘Prince Charming’ Once And For All

  26-04-2018 17:47
  For years I grew up reading the classic bed time stories and dreaming about ‘Prince Charming’ arriving on horseback to fight off the fire breathing dragon, armed with a modest sword and shield. He would sweep me off my feet and we would ride off into the sunset without a care in the world, and I simply couldn’t wait.The year is 2018, and I am a 42-year-old divorced single mother to two wonderful children. I am an award winning entrepreneur with two beautiful homes in London and
  
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• Abortions Have Been Legal In The UK For 50 Years But Just Miles Away Women Are Still Forced To Get On A Boat Or Plane

  26-04-2018 17:45
  Nobody is ‘pro-abortion’ and I am as pro-life as the next person. But I have fought for the emancipation of women since the 60s. A woman’s right to choose is an extension of the emancipation of women from the old days.People seem to forget that in the 1960s in Ireland, if a married woman was ill and her doctor recommended a hysterectomy to save her life, she couldn’t have it without the signed consent of her husband. She would have had to go to England for a hysterectomy,
  
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• Facebook's Zuckerberg faces formal summons from MPs

  26-04-2018 17:44 via bbc.co.uk
  A parliamentary committee says evidence from Facebook's chief technology officer was unsatisfactory.
  
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• Donald Trump's UK Visit On 13th July Confirmed By White House

  26-04-2018 17:39
  US President Donald Trump will visit the United Kingdom on 13 July this year, the White House has confirmed.White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump would make a “working visit” to the UK.And British Ambassador Kim Darroch said he was “delighted” Trump would “hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister May” during his stay.Delighted that President @realDonaldTrump will visit the UK on 13 July and hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister May.&
  
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• Donald Trump's UK Visit On 13 July Confirmed As Mass Protests Planned

  26-04-2018 17:39
  Donald Trump is set to face wave of protests when he visits the UK in July as Sadiq Khan warned the US President should expect to see Londoners exercise “their liberal values of freedom of speech”.On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump would make a “working visit” to the UK on July 13.As long-threatened protests began to be organised and politicians stated they would join in, Khan tweeted: “If he comes to London, President Tr
  
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• Yes, Universal Credit Should Make Work Pay - But The Welfare State Must Protect Us All From Poverty And Hunger

  26-04-2018 17:37
  Since its inception we have supported – and still support – the key principles of Universal Credit. We agree that a simplified benefits system that is easier to navigate would help millions of people across the UK. We agree that work should always pay for those supported by this new benefit.But there is a third principle that must underpin our entire welfare state: it must provide enough money for those who need it to afford the basics – at the very least, food and shelter. As
  
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• Being Part Of A Customs Union Would Keep UK Manufacturing In The Champions League

  26-04-2018 17:37
  I’ve been in a lot of negotiations over the years.  I know what a good deal looks like.  I know how getting from point A to point B works.  I’m not sure I need to spell this out, at this stage, but our Brexit negotiations are not going well.  Alarm bells are starting to ring, not just for trade unionists, but for employers and entire sectors. I am not an uncritical enthusiast of the European Union.  I voted ‘remain’ but I saw the flaws. 
  
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• Ruth Davidson announces she is pregnant

  26-04-2018 17:28 via bbc.co.uk
  The Scottish Conservative leader says she will go on maternity leave in October but will return early next year.
  
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• Tax transparency

  26-04-2018 17:26 via bbc.co.uk
  Theresa May is facing a Commons defeat next week from a cross-party alliance of MPs over tax havens.
  
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• MPs to force Theresa May to take tougher action on money laundering

  26-04-2018 17:26 via bbc.co.uk
  Theresa May is facing a Commons defeat next week from a cross-party alliance of MPs over tax havens.
  
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• Facebook chief's select committee session: five things we heard

  26-04-2018 17:20
  MPs grilled Mike Schroepfer on Cambridge Analytica. Here’s what he and they had to sayMike Schroepfer may not have been Mark Zuckerberg, but Facebook’s chief technology officer was nevertheless forced to admit in front of MPs that the company had made errors in its handling of the Cambridge Analytica data breach, faced questions over what the company had not told MPs in a previous hearing, and apologised for threatening the Guardian with legal action. Here are the five main points fr
  
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• London's flagship Tory boroughs may be out of Labour's reach, poll predicts

  26-04-2018 17:01
  Party might not win Wandsworth and Westminster next month but is still on course for ‘astonishing performance’, expert saysA poll indicating that Labour may fall short of taking two flagship Tory councils may aid the party’s efforts to get the vote out in London, according to the political analyst who commissioned the research.Related: Tories say they’re fighting the local elections. But where are they? | Laura ParkerContinue reading...
  
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• Amber Rudd stumbles toward total ineptitude over Windrush | John Crace

  26-04-2018 17:00
  Unable to do the obvious thing and blame her predecessor, the home secretary flounders After the best part of two weeks trying to firefight the Windrush scandal, Amber Rudd is a shell of a human being. Devoid of honour and credibility, her ambition narrowed down to mere survival. Putting one foot in front of the other and keeping on keeping on. One day after another, one blunder after another. She now knows so little she can barely remember her own name. Or what her job is. Her incompetence is n
  
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• Resignation calls for Rudd, Johnson, Corbyn and Clarke

  26-04-2018 16:42 via bbc.co.uk
  Archive footages of some leading politicians being told it was time for them to go.
  
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• Amber Rudd Claims Government Is 'Still Working On' Customs Union Position Post-Brexit

  26-04-2018 16:40
  Amber Rudd has claimed the government is “still working” on its position on whether the UK will remain in the Customs Union after Brexit, despite Theresa May’s vow to leave it.The home secretary refused to be drawn on how she would vote on the issue if she were a backbencher, telling reporters at a Parliamentary Press Gallery lunch: “I’m committed to the government’s position, which to some extent we are still working on.”She added: “We still have
  
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