Political news

• EU agrees tough post-Brexit financial services rules

  26-02-2019 23:53 via ft.com
  UK groups will have to stick closely to standards in exchange for market access
  
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• Sterling bulls still have the matador for company

  26-02-2019 22:22 via ft.com
  Mike Mackenzie’s daily analysis of what’s moving global markets
  
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• Northern Ireland abortion protests held at Westminster

  26-02-2019 21:51 via bbc.co.uk
  Opposing groups in the ongoing debate about abortion in NI stage simultaneous protests.
  
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• Independent Group targets Labour with move for second referendum

  26-02-2019 21:24
  Amendment demands that the government starts preparing for new public vote on BrexitThe Independent Group has tabled an amendment in the Commons demanding that the government starts preparing for a second EU referendum, in an attempt to recapture the initiative on Brexit a day after Labour promised to support moves for a public vote next month.The amendment from the 11-strong group of MPs has the support of the SNP, the Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru and is aimed at provoking a fresh split in
  
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• Parliament should use a delay to rethink Brexit

  26-02-2019 21:20 via ft.com
  A softer withdrawal or a second referendum are the only realistic options
  
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• Brexit: No-deal impact assessment published

  26-02-2019 21:15 via bbc.co.uk
  It says there is "little evidence" that businesses are "preparing in earnest for a no-deal scenario".
  
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• Economy could be 9% weaker under no-deal Brexit, government says

  26-02-2019 20:59
  Latest no-deal notice forecasts Northern Ireland to be hit hard and food prices likely to rise
  The government has issued a bleak warning over a no-deal Brexit, estimating the UK economy could be 9% weaker in the long run, businesses in Northern Ireland might go bust and food prices will increase.In an official document only published after repeated demands by the former Conservative MP Anna Soubry, the government also revealed it was behind on contingency planning for a third of “critical
  
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• Britain ill-prepared for no-deal Brexit, warns Dexeu

  26-02-2019 20:49 via ft.com
  Businesses and public failing to take steps to avoid potential disruptions
  
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• Former Downing Street aide jailed for raping second woman

  26-02-2019 20:48 via bbc.co.uk
  Mark Adams, who worked for both Tony Blair and John Major, was convicted of attacking a teenager in Edinburgh.
  
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• Labour MP faces party censure over antisemitism film

  26-02-2019 20:37
  Chris Williamson booked room in parliament to screen film about suspended activist
  The Labour MP, Chris Williamson, faces a dressing-down from party officials after he helped to arrange a screening in parliament of a film defending Jackie Walker, the activist suspended from the party over comments about antisemitism.A Labour spokeswoman said it was “completely inappropriate” for the Derby North MP to have booked a room in parliament next Monday for a screening of the film, entitled W
  
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• Steve Bell on Theresa May giving MPs a say in stopping a no-deal Brexit – cartoon

  26-02-2019 20:32
  Continue reading...
  
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• May accepts reality and executes Brexit U-turn

  26-02-2019 20:27 via ft.com
  PM offers vote on delaying UK departure from EU after pressure from ministers and MPs
  
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• Corbyn criticised for questioning Hizbollah ban

  26-02-2019 19:59 via ft.com
  UK opposition leader accused of ‘poor judgement’ for not accepting proscription
  
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• Business warns that Brexit delay poses problems

  26-02-2019 19:52 via ft.com
  While welcoming parliament say on no-deal, industry groups worry over prolonged “chaos”
  
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• Another referendum has edged closer. With Labour behind it, remain can win | Zoe Williams

  26-02-2019 19:48
  The prospect of a public vote is a triumph for the Labour grassroots. They’ve been preparing for two yearsNo unnamed Labour source can mask what’s happened, and no professional Corbyn-sceptics can derail it. There is now a real prospect of another referendum. Labour has committed to several parliamentary manoeuvres including one final stab at its own Brexit, which will certainly fail; another to support Yvette Cooper’s attempt to push no deal further into the realm of destructi
  
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• The Guardian view on May’s Brexit: coming not together but apart | Editorial

  26-02-2019 19:30
  The prime minister’s manoeuvring is about stifling – rather than giving voice to – antagonisms in her party. The same can be said of LabourThe government of Theresa May has survived another parliamentary cliffhanger, with a vote that threatened a cabinet walkout almost certainly shelved. She remains in office – to procrastinate another day. The prime minister did so by admitting she has a plan B if her deal to leave the European Union does not win Commons support in a mea
  
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• Labour to accept Hezbollah ban but queries Javid's motives

  26-02-2019 18:43
  Spokesman says party will not oppose measure but cites lack of sufficient evidenceLabour has said it will not seek to block the government’s decision to ban the political wing of Hezbollah in the UK, but suggested the move by Sajid Javid was motivated by his leadership ambitions rather than actual evidence.Membership of the Lebanon-based group’s military wing is already outlawed, but the proscription will now be extended to its political arm, the home secretary announced on Monday. C
  
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• If not 29 March, then when?

  26-02-2019 18:23 via bbc.co.uk
  The PM has bowed to demands to hold a vote on pushing back the 29 March exit date. What are the other options?
  
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• Brexit: May mimics TV meerkat's catchphrase

  26-02-2019 18:15 via bbc.co.uk
  Aleksandr the Meerkat gets a surprise mention in the Brexit debate when the prime minister uses his catchphrase.
  
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• A second Brexit referendum is now essential

  26-02-2019 18:14 via ft.com
  If democracy means anything, it means a country’s right to change its mind
  
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• May bows to MPs’ threats and concedes Brexit delay

  26-02-2019 18:11 via ft.com
  Secret report warns business and government are woefully unprepared for no-deal
  
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• May bows to MPs’ quit threats and signals Brexit delay

  26-02-2019 18:11 via ft.com
  Secret report warns business and government are woefully unprepared for no-deal
  
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• ScottishPower to spend £2bn in clean energy drive

  26-02-2019 18:04 via ft.com
  Investment comes despite uncertainty over Brexit
  
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• UK income inequality driven by benefit cuts, says ONS

  26-02-2019 17:39 via ft.com
  Poorest hit as wage rises offset tax burden for richer households
  
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• UK risks midsummer no deal 'if MPs fail to back Brexit deal after article 50 extension'

  26-02-2019 17:26
  EU sources say there will be ‘guaranteed no deal’ if agreement not reached by end of JuneFollow the day’s political developments - live updatesThe UK risks hurtling into “guaranteed no deal” if MPs fail to back a Brexit agreement at the end of a short extension period, according to senior EU sources.Theresa May promised MPs on Tuesday that she would seek a “short, limited extension to article 50” beyond 29 March if parliament refuses to back her withdraw
  
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• Property funds likely to halt trading, says rating agency

  26-02-2019 17:06 via ft.com
  Investors face potential liquidity crunch
  
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• May backs down to buy herself more time on Brexit

  26-02-2019 16:57 via ft.com
  Everything now points to a delay of the Article 50 divorce process
  
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• Put May's Brexit deal to a public vote if MPs back it - Labour

  26-02-2019 16:41 via bbc.co.uk
  If the PM gets her Brexit deal through Parliament it should be put to a public vote, Labour says.
  
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• May's Article 50 extension is a trick to take us to the real cliff edge

  26-02-2019 16:30
  
  This is not an extension, it is a road to her ideal outcome - no-deal or her deal.
  
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• Brexit liquidity is a go, but cui bono?

  26-02-2019 16:19 via ftalphaville.ft.com
  The BoE's actions make it much easier to obtain sterling liquidity against fairly rubbish euro-denominated assets.
  
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• Government cleaners and security staff strike before landmark labour case

  26-02-2019 16:00
  Unions lead march in London to mark collective bargaining verdict they hope will change outsourcingStaff from government departments have walked out in the latest in a series of strikes over pay, before a landmark employment rights case at the high court.Hundreds of facilities workers at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Ministry of Justice, who earn as little as £7.83 an hour, joined cleaners from the University of London on Tuesday in a day-long s
  
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• Corbyn says Labour would back EU citizens' rights amendment

  26-02-2019 15:53
  Costa amendment aims to force PM to seek new mandate for bloc-wide Brexit dealTheresa May is facing a fresh Brexit showdown after Jeremy Corbyn said Labour would support an amendment on EU citizens’ rights that already has the backing of 130 MPs including 60 Conservative backbenchers, some of whom are Eurosceptics.If selected by the Commons Speaker for a vote on Wednesday, there would be a “comfortable victory” on a “very uncontroversial issue”, said the Conservativ
  
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• Pound rises amid Brexit delay speculation

  26-02-2019 15:21 via bbc.co.uk
  Sterling hits a 21-month high against the euro as markets price in a possible Article 50 extension.
  
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• For the Independent Group, even Nando's is a photo opportunity | Hannah Jane Parkinson

  26-02-2019 15:14
  It’s day eight, and no one could accuse the Tiggers of being shy and retiring. Here are my favourite momentsIt is day eight of the existence of the Independent Group, which is currently polling at 18% (according to YouGov). The group has said it will hold off calling byelections for now, and is not at this stage registered as a political party, but in its early days it is, of course, keen to raise its profile. This has led to a number of beautiful photo opportunities, press conferences and
  
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• BoE more likely than not to cut rates in no-deal Brexit

  26-02-2019 15:03 via ft.com
  Governor Mark Carney confirms shift in stance in evidence to MPs
  
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• Theresa May opens way to Brexit delay

  26-02-2019 15:01 via ft.com
  Prime minister says if her EU divorce deal is voted down, MPs will have choice of no-deal or extension
  
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• May's deal, no deal or Brexit delay: what happens now?

  26-02-2019 15:00
  Jessica Elgot considers the likely support for options put forward by prime ministerFollow the latest political developments - live
  Theresa May has promised MPs the chance to reject a no-deal Brexit and, if they do so, a chance to extend the UK’s date of departure from the EU, in a series of votes set for mid-March. But how will the votes play out? Continue reading...
  
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• Labour's Jeremy Corbyn calls for public vote on final Brexit deal

  26-02-2019 14:45 via ft.com
  Opposition leader supports second referendum if agreement is passed
  
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• Gunboat diplomacy can only harm Britain’s relationship with China | Liu Xiaoming

  26-02-2019 14:40
  Our cooperation is like a symphony: it relies on mutual respect and trust to keep out the noises of enmity
  • Liu Xiaoming is China’s ambassador to the UKA certain British politician’s hyping up of the “China threat” in a recent speech struck a discordant note with the mainstream view in the UK that the country has a strong and constructive relationship with China. It has led me to think about how much could be learned from the world-class concerts by London’s l
  
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• What do Labour MPs think of the party’s shift on a second Brexit vote? | Lisa Nandy, David Lammy and Caroline Flint

  26-02-2019 14:28
  Jeremy Corbyn’s backing for a ‘public vote’ appears to be a change in policy. Our panel of MPs give their verdict Continue reading...
  
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• UKIP barmaid clip 'demeaning of Labour AM'

  26-02-2019 14:21 via bbc.co.uk
  An AM broke rules by posting a video that placed a politician's face on a barmaid's body, a probe finds.
  
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• Theresa May offers vote on Brexit extension

  26-02-2019 14:21 via ft.com
  UK prime minister says no-deal cannot be taken off the table
  
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• Brexit: Corbyn reaction to May statement on EU deal

  26-02-2019 14:19 via bbc.co.uk
  Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn describes the prime minister's handling of Brexit negotiations as "grotesquely reckless".
  
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• Grexit lessons for Brexit

  26-02-2019 14:07 via ft.com
  Greek former finance minister says incompetence and ignorance are common themes 
  
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• UK faces years-long wait for post-Brexit data deal, warns European supervisor

  26-02-2019 13:49 via ft.com
  Officials had privately expected deal could be struck in months as UK is GDPR compliant
  
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• UK faces long wait for post-Brexit data deal, warns EU

  26-02-2019 13:49 via ft.com
  Officials had expected deal could be struck in months as Britain is GDPR compliant
  
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• Experts debate the Brexit outlook: 'Stand by for gale-force winds'

  26-02-2019 13:13
  Two former members of Bank of England’s rate-setting committee assess the economic futureBrexit uncertainty slows economy and raises risk of job losses
  How has Brexit vote affected the UK economy? February verdict
  Independent business economist and member of the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee (MPC) from 2006 to 2011 Continue reading...
  
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• Pound rallies as likelihood of Brexit delay rises

  26-02-2019 11:48 via ft.com
  Sterling reaches highest level against the euro in 21 months
  
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• MSCI to drop British Airways parent IAG from Spanish index

  26-02-2019 11:30 via ft.com
  Shares in airline group fall almost 4 per cent following announcement
  
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• Starmer vows Remain would be on new referendum ballot

  26-02-2019 10:51 via ft.com
  Shadow Brexit secretary moves to clarify Labour’s new position
  
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