Political Headlines – Bank of England’s Brexit warning and ‘insulting’ Russian claims

Today’s Political Headlines include the Bank of England’s warning, Russia accused of insulting the public’s intelligence, Conservative MEPs criticised for not voting against Hungary and the union head’s claims against Israel. 

Bank of England warns house prices call fall by a third in no-deal Brexit scenario
The Times reports that the Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, has warned the Cabinet that a chaotic no-deal Brexit would cause house prices to fall by 35% and force mortgage rates up. A source told the paper that no Cabinet Brexiteers had challenged Carney’s vision. The Daily Telegraph has details of the no-deal papers published yesterday, including the news that travellers will need to have six months left on their passport when visiting the EU, driving licences may no longer by valid in the EU and that manufacturers in sectors such as furniture and bicycles would have to comply with different national regulations in order to continue exporting to the EU.

Russia accused of ‘insulting the public’s intelligence’ over Salisbury claims
The Daily Telegraph reports that Theresa May has accused Russia of ‘insulting the public’s intelligence’ after the two Salisbury poisoning suspects appeared on the state TV channel RT to claim that they went to the ‘wonderful’ city in order to visit the ‘beautiful’ cathedral. The Government claimed that their story consisted of ‘lies and blatant fabrications’.

Conservative MEPs criticised for not voting against Hungary
The Guardian says that Conservative MEPs have been criticised by Jewish and Muslim leaders for voting against censuring Hungary over reduced judicial and media independence, as well as corruption. The Board of Deputies of British Jews described the move as ‘very concerning’, while the Muslim Council of Britain said it was ‘deeply disappointing’.

Union head claims that Israel concocted antisemitism row to distract from ‘atrocities’
The Independent reports that Mark Serwotka, the leader of the Public and Commercial Services Union, has suggested that Israel created the antisemitism row into order to distract attention from its ‘atrocities’. He said that he was ‘not a conspiracy theorist’ but there had been a ‘systematic attempt to shut down all those advocating justice for the Palestinians’.

Duffield says Labour tensions have left her considering quitting
In an exclusive, The Guardian claims that Canterbury’s Labour MP Rosie Duffield, who faced a motion against her by her local party has said that the tensions have left her considering quitting Parliament. She said that it would be ‘nice if Jeremy could help each MP going through this with a personal statement’ so that it was clear people ‘don’t do it in his name.’

Union calls for immediate walkout by prison officers
The Daily Mirror reports that the Prison Officers Association has called for its members to walk out today as an immediate ‘protest’, the union having been banned from striking after legal action last year. The move follows the release of an urgent report into the ‘dangerous’ conditions at HMP Bedford by the Chief Inspector of Prisons, Peter Clarke.

Latte levy to be extended to takeaway soft drinks
The Sun reveals that the Treasury is planning to extend the so-called ‘latte levy’ on coffee cups to also cover soft drinks and shakes served in containers with a plastic lining. Conservative MP Robert Halfon criticised the plan, claiming that the Government ‘shouldn’t be charging people more for a milkshake at Burger King’.

Freeman calls for May to step down
Speaking at an event organised by The Times, George Freeman, the former chair of Theresa May’s policy board, has called on her to step down after Brexit so that a new leader can be elected to shape the UK’s future relationship with the EU, ‘liberated from the poisonous politics of the EU referendum and the shambles that has followed.’

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