Political Headlines – Lord Pickles, Afghanistan, Bercow and Leadsom, and betting machines

Today’s Political Headlines include Conservative peers potentially including Eric Pickles, troops to Afghanistan, Bercow calling Leadsom a ‘stupid woman’ and betting machine stakes delayed by two years. 

May to use royal wedding to distract from announcement of new peers
The Daily Mirror claims that Theresa May is using the royal wedding as a distraction from the announcement of ten more Conservative peers. A source in the Cabinet Office told the paper that it would be ‘a good time to bury bad news’, with potential candidates being former MPs Sir Eric Pickles, Peter Lilley, Sir Edward Garnier, Julian Brazier and Andrew Tyrie. New Labour peers are expected to include Martha Osamor and Iain McNicol, while former DUP MP William McCrea is also expected to join the House of Lords.

UK considers sending hundreds more troops to Afghanistan
According to The Times, the Government is considering sending hundreds more troops to Afghanistan following pressure from President Trump. An announcement is due to me made at a Nato summit in July, with one plan under consideration being for around 400 additional personnel to be deployed as part of a Nato training mission, almost doubling the number of UK troops in the country.

Bercow accused of calling Leadsom a ‘stupid woman’
The Daily Telegraph reports that Commons Speaker John Bercow has been accused of calling the Leader of the House of Commons, Andrea Leadsom, a ‘stupid woman’ in what the paper calls a ‘foul-mouthed tirade’ on Wednesday. The Speaker’s Office claimed that it was ‘an unusual and controversial day’ on which ‘some strong and differing views were expressed on all sides’.

Cut to betting stakes may be delayed by two years
The Times claims that the cut on the maximum stake on fixed-odds betting terminals from £100 to £2 may not be implemented for another two years, with the Treasury advocating that the measure comes into force in 2020. Tracey Crouch, the minister responsible, told the Commons that bookmakers would be given a ‘reasonable’ time to adjust.

Government set to ban flammable cladding
The Daily Mail reports that the Government is set to ban flammable cladding on tower blocks, following an angry reaction to Dame Judith Hackitt’s review of fire safety rules which did not back a wholesale ban of the material. Despite her recommendation, Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary told the Commons that the Government would consult on introducing a ban.

Greg Clark asks CMA to consider Sainsbury’s-Asda deal’s impact on suppliers
The Financial Times reports that Business Secretary Greg Clark has written to the Competition and Markets Authority to insist that its inquiry to the proposed takeover of Asda by Sainsbury’s examines the implications for supermarket suppliers. He wrote that this issue had been raised as part of his engagement with the sector.

Varadkar says that UK must keep somes ties to single market to avoid hard border
The Daily Mail says that the Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, has warned that the UK must keep some ties to the single market after Brexit in order to avoid a hard border with the Republic of Ireland. He met Theresa May yesterday, cautioning that addressing the border issue would ‘require more than just customs’. The Sun claims the EU believes that a proposed ‘max fac’ customs system would not be ready for decades, with an official sarcastically suggesting that it might not be ready until 2085.

Neil Hamilton ousted as leader of UKIP in the Welsh Assembly
The BBC reports that Neil Hamilton has been ousted as leader of the UKIP group in the Welsh Assembly. His replacement is Caroline Jones, who won a vote held by the group yesterday afternoon. She said Hamilton had ‘done a good job’ and would be ‘difficult to follow’.

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