Political news

• Ministers win key Brexit bill vote after concession

  12-06-2018 23:55 via bbc.co.uk
  The government avoids a defeat over what happens next if Parliament rejects the final Brexit deal.
  
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• New UK business visa will accept people without degrees

  12-06-2018 23:30
  Policy will launch next spring but experts say not many people will benefit from changeForeign entrepreneurs could find it easier to come to the UK to set up businesses after the government planned to introduce a new startup visa, which it said would begin welcoming people without a university education and improve the application process.The announcement came in the wake of Theresa May, the architect of the “hostile environment” immigration policy, defending her government’s r
  
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• Theresa May is a hostage to her own party after Brexit non-rebellion

  12-06-2018 22:08
  The government scraped through avoiding a defeat – but not without paying a priceTheresa May has ultimately persuaded all but two of her MPs to back her in the decisive vote in Westminster but she increasingly appears little more than a hostage to the warring factions in a bitterly divided Conservative party.As the Brexit debate reached its fraught climax, she was holed up in the same House of Commons office, behind the Speaker’s chair, where she spent more than an hour last Thursday
  
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• UK’s Theresa May makes Brexit concession to avoid vote defeat

  12-06-2018 22:06 via ft.com
  Late compromise to pro-EU MPs all but rules out no-deal departure from bloc
  
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• UK PM Theresa May makes Brexit concession to avoid vote defeat

  12-06-2018 22:06 via ft.com
  Late compromise to pro-EU MPs all but rules out no-deal departure from bloc
  
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• How ministers dodged a Brexit defeat

  12-06-2018 21:50 via bbc.co.uk
  In a day of wrangling and compromise, one minister resigned there were rows behind closed doors, but ministers have avoided defeat on the EU Withdrawal bill.
  
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• Statistics regulator says he would abolish RPI if he could

  12-06-2018 21:38 via ft.com
  Measure described as flawed for overstating inflating
  
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• Steve Bell on the Trump-Kim summit – cartoon

  12-06-2018 21:23
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• May escapes Brexit bill defeat as Tory rebels accept concessions

  12-06-2018 21:19
  Day of extraordinary drama as MPs vote by 324 votes to 298 to back governmentTheresa May has narrowly avoided a humiliating defeat over the Brexit bill after Conservative rebels accepted significant concessions from the government on the “meaningful vote” when it returns to the House of Lords next week.
  Just moments before voting began, the prime minister held 11th-hour talks with more than 14 Tory rebels in her Commons office, after which they received personal assurances that she w
  
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• Brexit: government blocks 'meaningful vote' amendment after concessions to rebel Tories – as it happened

  12-06-2018 21:05
  MPs are voting on Lords amendments to EU withdrawal billHow MPs are voting on the amendments – at a glanceMay narrowly avoids Brexit bill defeat over ‘meaningful vote’
  How did your MP vote on the ‘meaningful vote’ amendment? 8.00pm BSTRelated: May narrowly avoids Brexit bill defeat over 'meaningful vote'Related: How did your MP vote on the 'meaningful vote' amendment?Related: Strongly shambolic leadership as MPs vote on Brexit amendments | John Crace7.57pm BST The S
  
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• Strongly shambolic leadership as MPs vote on Brexit amendments | John Crace

  12-06-2018 20:48
  Theresa May’s government is barely able to negotiate with itself, let alone the EUAs a metaphor for Brexit, the debate on the Lords amendments could hardly have been bettered. A speech cut off in mid-sentence due to an arbitrary time limit set by the government, and the chief whip darting around the chamber desperately pleading with Tory rebels not to defeat the government over a meaningful vote.The solicitor general making up government policy on the hoof while making plea bargain concess
  
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• Brexit: government blocks 'meaningful vote' amendment after concessions to rebel Tories - Politics live

  12-06-2018 20:47
  MPs are voting on Lords amendments to EU withdrawal billHow MPs are voting on the amendments – at a glanceMay narrowly avoids Brexit bill defeat over ‘meaningful vote’
  How did your MP vote on the ‘meaningful vote’ amendment? 7.47pm BST The Brexit department has just put out a statement about the government’s “meaningful vote” compromise. (See 4.55pm.) This is from a spokesman.On the meaningful vote we have agreed to look for a compromise when this
  
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• Theresa May’s retreat closes door on a no-deal Brexit

  12-06-2018 20:37 via ft.com
  A day of chaos and compromise in Westminster as parliament asserts authority over PM
  
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• Leave.EU founder admits to ‘alternative methods’ to win Brexit vote

  12-06-2018 20:11 via ft.com
  Arron Banks says he was prepared to ‘lead people up the garden path’
  
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• A bleak day in parliament but Grieve amendment could still prove crucial

  12-06-2018 19:58
  
  MPs mute and obedient as government gives itself mighty powers
  
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• How did your MP vote on the 'meaningful vote' amendment?

  12-06-2018 19:55
  May narrowly avoids Brexit bill defeat over ‘meaningful vote’
  The government has blocked a key Lords amendment on giving parliament a “meaningful vote” on Brexit.Only two Conservative MPs – Anna Soubry and Kenneth Clarke – voted against their party after significant concessions prevented an all-out Tory rebellion. Five Labour MPs sided with the government.Continue reading...
  
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• MPs condemn UK cannabis laws after epileptic boy's medication seized

  12-06-2018 19:39
  Urgent reform called for after government denies Billy Caldwell access to treatmentMPs have criticised the UK’s cannabis laws and called for urgent reform after a boy had his first epileptic seizure in 300 days because the government had ordered his doctor to stop prescribing him potentially life-saving cannabis oil.Charlotte Caldwell, whose son Billy, 12, has scores of seizures every day without cannabis oil, had his medicine confiscated from her by customs agents at Heathrow on Monday. C
  
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• Alleged neo-Nazi pleads guilty to plotting murder of Rosie Cooper MP

  12-06-2018 19:32
  Jack Renshaw accused of being member of banned far-right group National ActionAn alleged member of the banned neo-Nazi group National Action has admitted to plotting to kill a British MP for “white jihad” and making threats to kill a police officer.Jack Renshaw, 23, of Skelmersdale, Lancashire, bought a 19-inch Gladius machete to kill the West Lancashire Labour MP Rosie Cooper last summer.Continue reading...
  
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• Alleged neo-Nazi admits plotting murder of MP Rosie Cooper

  12-06-2018 19:32
  Jack Renshaw accused of being member of banned far-right group National ActionAn alleged member of the banned neo-Nazi group National Action has admitted to plotting to kill a British MP for “white jihad” and making threats to kill a police officer.Jack Renshaw, 23, of Skelmersdale, Lancashire, bought a 48cm (19in) gladius machete to kill the West Lancashire Labour MP Rosie Cooper last summer. Continue reading...
  
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• Minister Phillip Lee quits over Brexit strategy

  12-06-2018 19:21 via bbc.co.uk
  The justice minister says the government is sidelining Parliament and calls for another referendum.
  
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• UK appeals for Galileo satellite vote to be delayed

  12-06-2018 19:18 via ft.com
  Gyimah writes to commission in attempt to be part of next procurement round
  
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• BoE chief economist warns universities to prepare for automation

  12-06-2018 19:12 via ft.com
  Andy Haldane says revolution in AI could leave ‘swaths of society in its slipstream’
  
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• Bank economist warns universities to prepare for automation

  12-06-2018 19:12 via ft.com
  Andy Haldane says revolution in AI could leave ‘swaths of society in its slipstream’
  
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• May narrowly avoids Brexit bill defeat over 'meaningful vote'

  12-06-2018 19:08
  MPs vote by 324 votes to 298 to back government but rebels claim to have won concessionsGovernment blocks ‘meaningful vote’ amendment after concessions to rebel Tories – politics live
  Theresa May has narrowly avoided a humiliating defeat over the Brexit bill after Conservative rebels accepted significant concessions from the government on the “meaningful vote” before the bill returns to the House of Lords next week.MPs voted by 324 to 298 to back the government in r
  
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• UK prime minister Theresa May avoids defeat in key Brexit vote

  12-06-2018 19:03 via ft.com
  Last-minute concession to pro-EU MPs prevented embarrassing turn for UK government
  
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• Leave.EU led people up the garden path - Arron Banks

  12-06-2018 18:21 via bbc.co.uk
  Brexit donor Arron Banks admits to spin but says there's no evidence of a conspiracy with Russian officials.
  
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• Brexit: MPs vote on Lords amendments to the EU withdrawal bill - Politics live

  12-06-2018 17:47
  Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments, including MPs debating and voting on Lords amendmentsHow MPs are voting on the amendments – at a glancePhillip Lee’s resignation statement - Summary and analysisWhat the various ‘meaningful vote on Brexit’ plans actually mean 4.47pm BST The government has won the second vote, again rejecting a Lords amendment relating to the sifting committee. It won by 325 votes to 304 - a majority of 21.
  MPs are now voting for
  
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• How MPs are voting on the EU withdrawal bill amendments – at a glance

  12-06-2018 17:16
  The Commons verdicts on Lords Brexit amendments in full, updated as MPs vote on Tuesday and Wednesday
  Refresh the page for latest updates
  The EU withdrawal bill returns to the Commons on Tuesday for the first of two six-hour sessions – the second comes on Wednesday – in which MPs will consider amendments imposed by the Lords, and another set of fresh amendments. Related: Brexit: MPs debate Lords amendments to the EU withdrawal bill - Politics liveContinue reading...
  
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• Arron Banks tells MPs: I have no business interests in Russia

  12-06-2018 16:58
  Brexiter questioned about where his £9m of backing for leave campaign came fromArron Banks, the pro-Brexit financier, told MPs that he thought it would be worthwhile meeting a Russian businessman fronting a gold-mining deal at the suggestion of the country’s ambassador in the UK, but pulled out after City grandees warned him not to become more deeply involved.Banks told the Commons digital, culture, media and sport committee that he thought it was worth attending the initial meeting
  
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• Will Theresa May be defeated on the Brexit meaningful vote?

  12-06-2018 16:54
  From a damaging defeat to being let off the hook, these are the possible scenariosWith a deal on the customs union already in the bag, all eyes are on the meaningful vote amendment. Most of the last year’s 11 Tory rebels, led by the former attorney general Dominic Grieve, have indicated they will stand firm. Their number was boosted on Tuesday morning by the resignation of Philip Lee, and rumours were swirling at Westminster that others might yet join the rebel alliance. But the Tory backb
  
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• Brexit bill negotiations enter frantic final hours

  12-06-2018 15:41
  Government whips locked in talks to head off damaging defeat over detail of the ‘meaningful vote’ given to MPsFrantic negotiations to prevent a damaging government defeat over parliament’s ability to block a no-deal Brexit look set to come down to the wire, with rebels and government whips locked in deep discussions hours before the vote.The mood appeared to shift against the government over the course of the afternoon. The justice minister Philip Lee resigned on the morning of
  
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• I’m standing up to the far right in Lewisham – because Labour isn’t | Mandu Reid

  12-06-2018 15:30
  It is painful for me to share a stage with an ex-Ukip candidate. But, unlike the two main parties, I won’t dodge my dutyRunning for parliament is a steep learning curve, full of challenges, and this week brought the most personal one yet: whether to attend a hustings where far-right characters who have brought their vile agenda to my south London constituency would be on the same platform. Related: Ukip allows anti-Muslim activist to stand in leadership contestContinue reading...
  
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• Brexit: MPs debate Lords amendments to the EU withdrawal bill - Politics live

  12-06-2018 15:29
  Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments, including MPs debating and voting on Lords amendmentsEU withdrawal bill: full list of proposed amendments
  Phillip Lee’s resignation statement - Summary and analysisWhat the various ‘meaningful vote on Brexit’ plans actually mean 2.29pm BST Peter Grant, the SNP’s Europe spokesman, says more time should have been set aside for the debate.He says the UK is heading for dictatorship if people who disagree with the maj
  
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• Arron Banks walks out as MPs' questions on Brexit and Russia run late – live

  12-06-2018 15:01
  Key players from the Leave.EU campaign answer questions about Brexit and Russia. Follow the latest developmentsCarole Cadwalladr: 10 questions Banks and Wigmore must answer1.55pm BST Over an occasionally fiery three hours, Andy Wigmore and Arron Banks faced down the DCMS committee’s questions over Banks’ insurance business, dealings with Russia, and abortive collaborations with Cambridge Analytica and the University of Mississippi.Repeating a pattern started by the Cambridge Analytic
  
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• Brexit: high court throws out challenge to legality of article 50

  12-06-2018 14:35
  Judges dismiss crowdfunded bid as ‘hopeless’ and ‘totally without merit’Campaigners have lost a high court challenge over the legality of article 50.They had hoped to win permission for a judicial review which, they claimed, could result in Brexit negotiations coming to a halt. Continue reading...
  
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• Man pleads guilty to plot to murder Labour MP Rosie Cooper

  12-06-2018 14:29
  Jack Renshaw, 23, an alleged member of National Action, admits plan to kill West Lancashire MPAn alleged member of the banned neo-Nazi group National Action has admitted to plotting to kill a British MP and making threats to kill a police officer.Jack Renshaw, 23, of Skelmersdale, Lancashire, bought a Gladius machete to kill the West Lancashire Labour MP Rosie Cooper last summer. Continue reading...
  
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• Leave.EU founder plays down dealings with Russians

  12-06-2018 14:00 via ft.com
  Arron Banks says he met ambassador in hope of a ‘good lunch’
  
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• Do Brexiters want immigration caps or NHS doctors? They must choose | Gaby Hinsliff

  12-06-2018 14:00
  More than 2,300 foreign doctors have been refused visas. Now leavers must face the consequences of their Brexit promisesThis may not do much for the blood pressure of anyone currently stuck on an NHS waiting list. But in the past six months more than 2,300 foreign doctors who would otherwise be filling vacancies on British wards have been refused visas to come here, according to figures released following a freedom of information request. Related: Thousands of UK visa applications by doctors ref
  
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• UK public services don't need 'reform', they need hard cash | David Walker

  12-06-2018 13:40
  Everyone wants efficient services, but outdated ideas about reform won’t put right brutal cuts to the NHS and councils If the whispers in lobby correspondents’ ears are to be believed, Theresa May and her ministers are contemplating taking steps towards alleviating austerity, perhaps as part of their attempt to manage or distract attention away from Brexit. It’s not inconceivable that a bung for the NHS on its anniversary might just be accompanied by moves to stop local authori
  
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• Why is no one talking about the City?

  12-06-2018 13:15 via ft.com
  Financial services is one of the few areas where UK ought to be able to exert leverage
  
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• Thousands of UK visa applications by doctors refused, figures show

  12-06-2018 13:03
  Only one-third of requests by overseas medics accepted, despite NHS staff shortagesMore than 2,300 visa applications by doctors looking to work in the UK have been refused in five months, official figures show. There were 3,597 requests from doctors for tier 2 visas between 6 November and 5 April, but only 34% were successful. Continue reading...
  
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• Justice minister Phillip Lee resigns in protest at Brexit policy

  12-06-2018 13:02 via ft.com
  Remain supporter wants voters to have a second referendum on final terms of a deal
  
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• 'Winning an election isn't about facts': Arron Banks and Andy Wigmore face MPs' questions – live

  12-06-2018 12:49
  Key players from the Leave.EU campaign answer questions about Brexit and Russia. Follow the latest developmentsCarole Cadwalladr: 10 questions Banks and Wigmore must answer11.49am BST Lucas: “You said you wanted to bring the skills of the insurance industry to the campaign. How did you do that?”Banks: “You’ve got two parts of the eferednum, you’ve got the short period, and then you’ve got the run-up, before the spending limits kick in when it’s open seas
  
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• Brexit: Justice minister Phillip Lee resigns ahead of key debate - Politics live

  12-06-2018 12:43
  Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments, including MPs debating and voting on Lords amendments to the EU withdrawal billEU withdrawal bill: full list of proposed amendments
  Phillip Lee’s resignation statement - Summary and analysis 11.43am BST These are from the Telegraph’s Christopher Hope.BREAKING Another Remain-supporting minister could resign today says anti-Brexit campaigner Lord Adonis. The minister is "seriously considering their position" and could resign t
  
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• Remain MPs defiant on Brexit papers' front page 'bullying'

  12-06-2018 12:34
  The Sun and Daily Express run editorials warning MPs not to ‘betray’ EU referendum resultRemain MPs have pledged to defy the Daily Express and the Sun after the newspapers published front page editorials urging politicians to back the government when the House of Commons votes on Brexit legislation.In a front page article under the headline “Ignore the will of the people at your peril”, the Express warned politicians that “any betrayal of Brexit will not be forgotte
  
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• Justice minister Phillip Lee resigns over Brexit policy

  12-06-2018 11:23
  Remain supporter says he believes government’s position is detrimental to constituents
  The justice minister Phillip Lee has resigned over the UK government’s handling of Brexit, dealing a significant blow to Theresa May before key Commons votes on the EU withdrawal bill.The minister for victims, youth and family justice, who supported remain at the referendum, said he was “incredibly sad” to stand down, but that he believed the government’s Brexit policy was detrime
  
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• Chuka Umunna, there’s no excuse for unpaid ‘student placements’ | Phil McDuff

  12-06-2018 11:23
  Whether called internships or placements, these schemes damage the economy as well as young people’s prospectsLabour MP Chuka Umunna didn’t set out to cause controversy when he advertised a student placement role in his office. Until the advert was picked up by the Graduate Fog website, which campaigns for fair internships and better treatment of graduates by employers, nobody thought there would be an issue. After all, while it’s Labour party policy to ban unpaid internships,
  
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• Barristers narrowly call off UK legal aid strike

  12-06-2018 11:11 via ft.com
  Thousands of advocates have refused to take on legal aid work in the past two months
  
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• UK wage growth cools even as unemployment dips

  12-06-2018 10:49 via ft.com
  Figures expected to weaken calls for interest rate rise
  
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• Brexit: No 10 rules out backing compromise amendment to EU withdrawal bill

  12-06-2018 09:34
  Move against Dominic Grieve amendment paves way for Commons showdown over no-deal BrexitThe government will not back a compromise deal offered by the leading Conservative pro-Europe rebel Dominic Grieve, paving the way for a Commons showdown over whether parliament can prevent a “no deal” Brexit.Downing Street ruled out backing Grieve’s 11th-hour amendment, tabled late on Monday, which would give parliament more control over the outcome should MPs vote down Theresa May’s
  
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