Archive for: Political Database

Today’s political headlines includes Johnson allies telling vanity candidates to withdraw, Johnson under pressure over TV debates, Umunna joining Lib Dems and the Mirror’s Grenfell, Never Again campaign. 

Johnson allies tell ‘vanity candidates’ to withdraw from contest
The Daily Telegraph reports that supporters of Boris Johnson are calling on ‘vanity candidates’ to pull out of the Conservative leadership election after seven of the ten candidates got through the first round, but Johnson secured 114 votes, ahead of Jeremy Hunt who had 71 fewer than him. Matt Hancock is apparently considering withdrawing and endorsing Sajid Javid.

Johnson under pressure over TV debates
According to The Times, Boris Johnson is under pressure to appear in television debates as all the other candidates did agree to. In a joint statement they said that debates would ‘shape and define’ their visions for the UK, while a spokesman for Johnson said that he was in talks with Channel 4. David Gauke, who supports Rory Stewart, said that if candidates ‘have something to hide they should not be running’.

Umunna joins Lib Dems
The Times reports that Chukka Umunna has joined the Liberal Democrats, saying that he was ‘wrong’ when he thought that a new party could succeed and had ‘vastly underestimated the importance of having an infrastructure’. He called on others to follow him and ‘to grab the chance to fundamentally change the system for ever now’. Lib Dem leader Vince Cable added that he was in talks with other MPs about possible defections.

Mirror launches ‘Grenfell, Never Again’ campaign
The Daily Mirror has launched a ‘Grenfell, Never Again’ campaign, marking two years after the fire at Grenfell Tower. It says that ‘tens of thousands of people are still living in unsafe buildings, families are still waiting to the rehoused and fire service funding has been cut’ and calls for the removal of risky cladding, sprinkler fitment, fire service cuts to be reversed and an independent body to oversee it, and an independent tenants’ rights regulator.

Major attacks leadership candidates over proroguing
The Guardian says that Sir John Major has ‘launched a blistering assault’ on the Tory candidates who have suggested that Parliament could be prorogued in order to ensure a no-deal Brexit. He accused them of ‘hypocrisy on a gold-plated standard’ and said that it was ‘fundamentally unconstitutional’. It adds that Rory Stewart has said that he would set up an ‘alternative parliament’ if Boris Johnson were to prorogue Parliament.

Raab claims he’s the candidate most feared by the EU
The Daily Telegraph says Dominic Raab has claimed that he is the Tory leadership contender who the EU would fear the most, telling the paper that as Prime Minister he would focus on those earning £15,000 a year, not those earning £50,000 a year. He denied having a ‘short temper’ and said he couldn’t speak about the NDA involving a former colleague.

IoD warns businesses aren’t prepared for October Brexit
The Financial Times reports that the Institute of Directors has warned that businesses have not made much progress in preparing for Brexit in October despite the growing probability of a no-deal Brexit. It calls on them to step up their preparations as they ‘cannot afford to put their faith in politicians to produce a Brexit resolution’.

Hammond tells candidates to promise to keep national debt falling
The Sun reports that Philip Hammond has written to the Conservative leadership candidates to ask them to commit to keeping the national debt falling, warning that failing to do so would risk losing the distinction between his party’s ‘fiscal responsibility’ and Labour’s ‘reckless promises’.

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Today’s political headlines includes polls favoring Boris for PM, Labour launching an attempt to block no-deal, May to make net zero emissions target legally binding and Oxfam given three weeks to reform. 

New poll shows Johnson would deliver best election results for Tories
The Daily Telegraph reports that Boris Johnson is to launch his Conservative leadership campaign today, pledging to leave the EU on 31 October no matter what, and warning that further delays will ensure that the party will ‘kick the bucket’. A new poll by ComRes released today suggests that Johnson could win up to 140 seats if he led the party, increasing its share of the vote from 23% to 37% – much more than any of his rivals.

Labour launches attempt to block no-deal Brexit
The Guardian says that Labour is today launching the first stage of a cross-party attempt to block a no-deal Brexit. It is tabling a motion backed by the SNP, Plaid Cymru, the Liberal Democrats, the Greens and Conservative MP Oliver Letwin which would give MPs control of the parliamentary agenda on 25 June, allowing legislation to prevent a no-deal Brexit to be commenced. To pass, the support of more Tory MPs will be needed.

May to make net zero emissions target legally-binding
The Guardian reports that Theresa May is to make a commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050 law, putting forward an amendment to the Climate Change Act today. This has been welcomed by environmental campaigners, though concerns have been raised by the use of international carbon credits which Greenpeace argues will ‘shift the burden to developing nations’.

Oxfam given three weeks to reform or it will lose aid funding
The Times reports that the Charity Commission has told Oxfam to produce a reform plan within three weeks or lose access to funding from the taxpayer permanently. The official warning was issued following a report into the charity after revelations about sexual exploitation in Haiti and harassment and discrimination in the UK became public last year. A source at the commission said that Oxfam’s ‘broken promises were a recurring theme’.

Javid tells Tories not to pick a ‘comfort zone choice’
The Times reports that Sajid Javid will today tell Conservative MPs that they shouldn’t make a ‘comfort zone choice’, arguing that he offers ‘a new kind of leadership and a new kind of leader’. He will be introduced by the Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson who will claim that her leadership shows that success follows picking ‘someone totally different’.

MPs raise concerns about NHS waiting times
The Financial Times carries details of a warning by the Public Accounts Committee that health leaders have a ‘troubling’ lack of understanding about the harm caused to patients by growing waiting lists. Just 38% of NHS trusts meet the 62-day waiting time limit to treat urgently-referred cancer patients.

Thousands sign petition on pensioners’ TV licences
The Sun says that over 249,000 people have signed an Age UK petition calling on the BBC to change its mind about abolishing free TV licences for the over-75s. Tory leadership candidate Matt Hancock said that the decision should be reversed, while Michael Gove and Esther McVey pledged to decriminalise non-payment of the licence fee.

Cabinet bickers over no-deal Brexit preparations
According to The Times, Cabinet ministers were split over no-deal Brexit preparations at their meeting yesterday. Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay criticised the Treasury, raising concerns about a ‘drift’ in planning, while Home Secretary Sajid Javid claimed that Chancellor Philip Hammond had ignored a request for more border force funding; Hammond said that he hadn’t seen it, with Javid later submitting a formal request.

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Today’s political headlines includes Gove battling to save his leadership bid after cocaine revelations, Johnson to cut income tax for three million, Rudd backs Hunt for leader and Corbyn defending Lisa Forbes. 

Gove battles to save campaign after cocaine revelations
The Times reports Michael Gove is in a battle to ‘save his campaign’ after he was accused of hypocrisy over his past use of cocaine. He has insisted that ‘people should be given the chance to redeem themselves and to change’, but leadership rival Sajid Javid said that drug-users ‘should be thinking about the impact they’re having on others’. As Education Secretary he introduced rules saying that teachers should be permanently banned if convicted of using Class A drugs, while as a journalist he condemned drug-using ‘middle-class professionals’.

Johnson to cut income tax for three million
The Daily Telegraph says that Boris Johnson would cut three million people’s income tax if he becomes Prime Minister, increasing the 40p rate threshold to £80,000 from £50,000. This will cost £9.6bn a year, which he intends to fund from the £26.6bn ‘fiscal headroom’ set aside by the Treasury for no-deal Brexit preparations. He claims that this will ‘stimulate’ the economy, allowing ‘for much greater economic growth’.

Rudd backs Hunt for leader as he endorses cutting abortion time limit
The Times says that Amber Rudd is backing Jeremy Hunt’s campaign for the Tory leadership, claiming he would be a ‘serious leader’, adding the UK needs ‘a skilled negotiator and deal-maker, not an instruction for more optimism’. The Guardian adds Hunt has been criticised after he argued in favour of halving the legal time limit for abortions from 24 to 12 weeks.

New Labour MP ‘not a racist’, Corbyn says
The Guardian says Jeremy Corbyn has defended Lisa Forbes, elected for the party in last week’s Peterborough by-election, as ‘not a racist in any way’. The Jewish Labour Movement has called for Forbes to have the whip suspended over antisemitic posts on social media, including liking a Facebook post claiming Theresa May had a ‘Zionist slave masters agenda’ and endorsing a post which claimed that the CIA and Mossad had created Islamic extremists.

Concerns raised about ‘secretive’ Home Office visa algorithm
According to the Financial Times, the Home Office has been criticised for its use of a ‘secretive algorithm’ to process visa applications, grading them prior to forwarding them to caseworkers. It has refused to provide details about the factors the algorithm uses to makes decisions, leading Christina Blacklaws, President of the Law Society, to warn that it ‘may well disadvantage certain groups of people’ on grounds such as age or country of origin.

Corbyn considers reshuffling Thornberry over second referendum support
The Guardian claims Jeremy Corbyn is considering reshuffling his frontbench and moving Emily Thornberry from Shadow Foreign Secretary as punishment for calling for the party to back a second Brexit referendum. Some of Corbyn’s allies are also backing a new contest for Deputy Leader, so that Tom Watson can be replaced after his calls for a referendum.

Godsiff to be rebuked over support for anti-LGBT education campaigners
The Daily Mirror says Labour MP Roger Godsiff is to be rebuked by the party’s chief whip Nick Brown after he told campaigners protesting against the teaching of LGBT relationships at primary schools in Birmingham that they were ‘right’ and had a ‘just cause’. A party spokesperson said that it ‘has long supported and campaigned for LGBT inclusive education’.

Hancock vows to raise National Living Wage while Javid promises schools investment
The Sun says that Matt Hancock is to promise to make the next decade the ‘soaring twenties’ and increase the National Living Wage to £10.21 by 2022, giving millions an extra £3500 a year. The paper also reports that Sajid Javid has promised to end austerity if he becomes Prime Minister, and give ‘a multi-year, multibillion-pound boost’ to schools spending.

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Today’s political headlines includes Gove saying he would delay Brexit to get a deal, the ‘very close’ Peterborough by-election, Hancock comparing Corbyn to Hitler and the £1tn cost of net zero emissions. 

Gove says he would delay Brexit to get a deal
The Daily Telegraph reports that Michael Gove told the One Nation group of centrist Conservative MPs that he would delay Brexit beyond 31 October, if it would deliver a deal, and that, while no-deal should be ‘on the table’, it wasn’t ‘the best option’. However, Dominic Raab told the same group that he would definitely leave by that date, and was prepared to suspend Parliament in order to do so, and Jeremy Hunt warned that a ‘hardline approach’ from the UK would merely lead the EU to respond in kind.

Brexit Party and Labour ‘very, very close’ in Peterborough by-election
The Guardian reports from today’s by-election in Peterborough, with a source in the local Labour party claiming it is ‘very, very close’ between them and the Brexit Party, and warning Labour may find it hard to get its voters to turn out. According to the paper, the Tories, who held the seat from 2005 to 2017, ‘are widely thought to be out of the running’.

Hancock compares Corbyn to Hitler
The Times reports that Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock has compared Jeremy Corbyn to Hitler, warning that if the Conservative Party did not pick someone who could beat him, the UK ‘could end up with the first antisemitic leader of a western nation’ since World War Two. Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said that the remarks were ‘a disgrace’.

Chancellor warns of cost of net zero emissions
According to the Financial Times, Chancellor Philip Hammond has written to Theresa May to warn that reaching net zero emissions by 2050 will cost the country more than £1tn, meaning that less would be available for other areas of public spending and making some sectors of British industry ‘economically uncompetitive’.

Trump compares Irish border to that between USA and Mexico
The Guardian reports that Donald Trump started his visit to Ireland by comparing its border with Northern Ireland to that between the USA and Mexico, saying that he thought it would ‘all work out very well’ after Brexit ‘with your wall, your border’. Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkhar later said that Trump ‘shares our objective to keep the border open’.

Small employers may have to report gender pay gap
The Financial Times reports that Hilary Spencer, Director of the Government Equalities Office told members of the Commons Treasury Committee yesterday that the Government was considering bringing employers with under 250 employees into the scope of gender pay reporting, and increasing enforcement powers.

Grayling confirms HS2 is being reviewed
The Daily Mail says that Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has confirmed that a review is being conducted into the deliverability of HS2, with the new chairman of the rail projects, Allan Cook, assessing whether it can be built within its current £65bn budget. He also indicated that elements could be scaled back, following the problems with Crossrail.

Gibb defends teaching of same-sex relationships
Writing in The Times, schools minister Nick Gibb says that pupils in Birmingham schools, should be taught about British values, including same-sex relationships, despite protests against this by Muslim parents. He also describes Ann Widdecombe’s defence of gay conversion therapy as ‘deeply offensive’ and warned Conservative leadership candidates that members and the public would not be ‘impressed’ if they sided with the protesters.

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Today’s political headlines includes warnings against Gove, Hunt and Javid raise concerns about Huawei, Widdecombe in gay cure row and Brokenshire’s suggestions that young people could use pensions to buy houses. 

Rivals warn that Gove would hand keys of Number 10 to Corbyn
The Times says that leadership rivals have said that electing Michael Gove would help to ensure that Jeremy Corbyn becomes Prime Minister, after it emerged that Gove was thinking about extending the Brexit process as the UK is not prepared enough for a no-deal Brexit. Priti Patel warned that the ‘longer we delay Brexit the more oxygen we give to alternative political parties’. It has also been suggested that he may win the backing of Amber Rudd after talks between her and Boris Johnson collapsed over Johnson’s support for no-deal.

Hunt and Javid raise concerns about Huawei ahead of Trump visit
The Daily Telegraph reports that Jeremy Hunt has said that the UK would ‘never take a decision that would affect our intelligence-sharing capabilities with the US’ while Sajid Javid also raised concerns as the US Ambassador to the UK, Woody Johnson, described the UK’s intention to let Huawei bid for 5G contracts as a ‘big risk’, ahead of President Trump’s visit today. The Daily Mirror says that Trump’s visit will be the most expensive in history, costing around £40m in security provision, with 10,000 police officers brought into central London.

Widdecombe in gay cure row
The Daily Mirror says that there has been a backlash against Ann Widdecombe, the former Tory minister and newly-elected Brexit Party MEP after she suggested that ‘science may produce an answer’ to homosexuality and defended her support for ‘gay cure’ treatments. Labour MP Wes Streeting called her ‘a relic from a bygone era’.

Brokenshire to say young should use pensions to buy houses
The Daily Telegraph reports that Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary James Brokenshire will today say that young people should be able to take money out of their pensions to fund a deposit on their first home, but former pensions minister Sir Steve Webb warned that this would force prices up and leave people working longer. The BBC adds that Brokenshire will also call on the least popular Tory leadership contenders to withdraw.

Labour MPs call for independent complaints procedure after Prescott allegations
The Guardian says that Labour MPs Jess Phillips and Stella Creasy are urging the party to adopt an independent complains procedure, after e-mails leaked to The Sunday Timesshowed that the suspension of staff member David Prescott from the party over harassment allegations was blocked after the intervention of members of Jeremy Corbyn’s office.

Gyimah enters leadership election and pledges second referendum
The Times reports that a thirteenth candidate, Sam Gyimah, has entered the Conservative leadership election, becoming the first one to back a second Brexit referendum, but pledging that if he became Prime Minister he would not campaign for either side, but would vote to remain in the EU.

Johnson campaign foils Gove’s attempt at spying
The Sun claims that an attempt by Michael Gove’s leadership campaign team to spy on Boris Johnson’s campaign and find out when he was holding his launch event to avoid a clash has been foiled. Johnson is expected to announce his plans to reform education today, and may reveal his ‘army’ of supporters tomorrow

Hancock to promise no immigration restrictions on medics
The Guardian reports that Matt Hancock, the Health and Social Care Secretary, will today promise to lift all immigration restrictions on qualified doctors and nurses, should he become Prime Minister. He will say the NHS was ‘the best health service in the world’ and under his leadership he would ‘make sure it has access to the very best talent in the world’.

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Today’s political headlines includes the Lib Dems are top of the polls as Swinson launches leadership campaign, Trump indicates support for Johnson and a record number of patients are forced to change surgery as GPs close.

Lib Dems top poll as Swinson launches leadership campaign
A new poll by YouGov for The Times shows that the Liberal Democrats have taken the lead, with 24% of the vote, followed by the Brexit Party on 22%. The Conservatives and Labour are each on 19%. The unprecedented finding appears to reflect the electorate dividing between those who want a no-deal Brexit and those who’d rather remain in the EU. The Guardian says that Lib Dem deputy leader Jo Swinson has confirmed that she is standing for the leadership, saying that the ‘country is crying out for a liberal movement that will challenge the forces of nationalism and populism’.

Trump indicates support for Johnson
According to The Daily Telegraph, Donald Trump has indicated that Boris Johnson is his preferred leader of the Conservative Party. While he hasn’t formally endorsed him, yesterday he said that Johnson was a ‘friend’ and that he had ‘a lot of respect’ for him. The two men are expected to hold private talks when Trump visits the UK next week, which would be a breach of convention, while Nigel Farage could also be invited.

Record number of patients forced to change surgery as GPs close
The Daily Mirror reports that last year 519,000 patients had to change GP because their clinic closed, which is a record high. According to the Patients Association, this is because of ‘long-term failures in workforce planning and shortage of funding for the NHS in the face of rising patient need’. The number of surgeries closing has increased sevenfold since 2013.

Harper joins Tory race
The Daily Telegraph reports that Mark Harper, the former Chief Whip, has announced his candidacy for the Conservative leadership. He is the twelfth MP to do so, and admits that he is an ‘underdog’. However, he claims that he has an advantage over ministers who ‘shared the responsibility’ for failing to deliver Brexit with Theresa May, telling the paper ‘we’ve seen basically the same faces saying the same things that they’ve been saying for the last three years’.

Labour peer claimed £50,000 in expenses but didn’t speak
An investigation by The Guardian reveals that Labour peer David Brockman claimed almost £50,000 in expenses from the House of Lords despite not speaking or asking questions. Other findings include that 88 peers didn’t speak, hold posts or take part in committees, and that 46 didn’t vote, sit on committees or hold posts.

Trump to confront May over Huawei
The Times says that Donald Trump will confront Theresa May about the security risk posed by Huawei when he visits next week. His national security advisor, John Bolton, said that the USA would only be happy with ‘zero’ risk in its federal telecoms network, suggesting that it was trying to convince its intelligence partners to follow its lead.

Most Tory leadership contenders say they’re feminists
The Guardian says that eight of the Tory leadership contenders, including frontrunner Boris Johnson, have said that they are feminists. This follows Dominic Raab saying that he ‘probably’ wasn’t one, choosing to defend a claim he made in 2011 that feminists were ‘obnoxious bigots’.

Candidates endorse report calling for increased public spending
The Daily Mail reports that five Conservative leadership candidates, including Michael Gove and Jeremy Hunt, have backed a report from the think tank Onward calling on the Government to ‘turn on all the taps’ and boost spending on schools, hire more police officers and cut corporation tax. However, Chancellor Philip Hammond has warned that radical tax cuts could be unaffordable.

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Today’s political headlines includes Bercow says that he’s staying as Speaker, Hunt is losing support to Gove and Corbyn faces mutiny over Campbell expulsion and antisemitism investigation.

Bercow says that he’s staying as Speaker
The Guardian has been told by Commons Speaker John Bercow that he now intends to remain in post as it would not be ‘sensible to vacate the chair’ while there were ‘great issues to be resolved’. He described as ‘unimaginable’ the suggestion that Parliament would ‘be evacuated from the centre-stage of the debate on Brexit’ despite Conservative leadership candidates advocating a no-deal Brexit.

Hunt loses support to Gove
According to The Times, Jeremy Hunt is losing support to Michael Gove in the Conservative leadership contest after suggesting a no-deal Brexit would be ‘political suicide’ for the party, despite previously claiming he would rather no-deal to no Brexit. Crispin Blunt said that Hunt ‘has the best personal skill’ but he had ‘to have a plan B’. Brexit Minister James Cleverly has now also announced his candidacy, saying he would prefer to leave with a deal and the party needed to be united, which could not happen ‘if it is led from the fringes’.

Corbyn faces mutiny over Campbell expulsion and antisemitism investigation
The Daily Telegraph reports that Jeremy Corbyn is facing a mutiny following a ‘series of crises’. The party has expelled Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair’s old communications director, for revealing that he voted for the Liberal Democrats in the European elections, prompting former Cabinet ministers Charles Clarke and Bob Ainsworth to reveal that they had also done so. The Equalities and Human Rights Commission announced that it was launching a statutory investigation into antisemitism in the party, prompting MP Margaret Hodge to say that yesterday was ‘one of the most depressing in my 56 years as a member’.

Corbyn could announce support for a second referendum this week
The Daily Mirror claims that Jeremy Corbyn could announce his support for a second referendum ‘within days’, following Labour’s poor showing at the European elections. Welsh Labour leader Mark Drakeford said that Corbyn was continuing to receive advice, the party’s position was ‘still evolving’ and more would be revealed ‘over this week’, while Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott said the party was ‘supporting a people’s vote strongly now’.

IFS warns that council spending has fallen by over a fifth since 2010
The Guardian carries details of a report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies which finds that spending by councils on local services has fallen by 21% since 2010 and that the funds available for them would become ever-more inadequate in the 2020s, making the current financing system unsustainable.

Stewart doubles aid spending on global warming
The Times says that International Development Secretary, and Tory leadership contender, Rory Stewart has announced that the Government will double the amount of aid spending on the environment, investing in British research to prevent a ‘climate cataclysm’. The doubling will take place over five years, with spending reaching £2.2bn in 2025.

Hancock criticises Johnson for his anti-business position
In an interview with the Financial Times, Matt Hancock has criticised Boris Johnson for his anti-business position, saying that ‘to the people who say “fuck business”, I say “fuck, fuck business”’. He said that if he were elected as leader, he wouldn’t pursue a no-deal Brexit, adding that Speaker John Bercow would ensure that MPs blocked such an option.

Javid promises to recruit more police officers
Writing in The Sun, Home Secretary Sajid Javid says he will recruit 20,000 extra police officers if he becomes Prime Minister, spending £1bn over three years to end criminals’ ‘culture of impunity’, claiming ‘more police on the beat means less crime on our streets’.

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Today’s political headlines includes The Times’ claim that May is set to announce her resignation today, analysis suggesting that the Brexit Party could lead Rudd and Johnson to lose seats and a call for review after NAO raises concerns about visa revocations. 

May to announce resignation today
The Times says that Theresa May is set to announce her resignation as Conservative leader today, allowing a new Prime Minister to take over by the end of July. She may, however, try to pass part of her Brexit deal during the interim period, and the leadership contest is not expected to start until 10 June, after President Trump has visited. Yesterday, the Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt told May to abandon attempts to pass the Withdrawal Agreement Bill.

Analysis suggests that Brexit Party could lead Rudd and Johnson to lose seats
The Daily Telegraph says that new analysis by Professor Matthew Goodwin of the University of Kent based on opinion polling shows that Tory MPs including Boris Johnson and Amber Rudd would lose their seats in a general election if support for the Brexit Party continues at its current levels. If the party secured 30% of the vote at a general election, the Tories would lose 113 seats, while 67 would be lost if it got 15%, still enough to mean that the Conservatives would be likely to lose power.

Call for review after NAO raises concerns about visa revocations
The Financial Times reports that Meg Hillier, Chair of the Public Accounts Committee, is calling on the Government to conduct a review, after the National Audit Office raised concerns about the fairness of the Home Office revoking 36,000 visas issued to students and workers based on allegations that they had cheated in English language tests. The report warned that the way the department acted meant that it was possible that some of those affected weren’t guilty and didn’t have an ‘adequate opportunity’ to prove their innocence.

Rory Stewart backs campaign to save Post Offices
The Daily Mail says that the International Development Secretary Rory Stewart is the first senior politician to back the paper’s campaign against Post Office closures. He said that they were the ‘hub of the community’, demanding that Government subsidies be continued after 2021. Theresa May said that she ‘recognised how vital’ they were, but promised no new actions to support them.

Government may be sued after some EU citizens are denied the right to vote
The Guardian says that the Government is being called on to investigate the treatment of EU citizens in the European elections, after many reported being unable to vote yesterday owing to clerical errors, in what Labour MP David Lammy called a case of ‘ugly discrimination’. A barrister warned that the Government might be sued over the issues.

Wellbeing should be the Government’s main aim, new report claims
The Guardian carries details of a new report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Wellbeing Economics, which is being launched by Gus O’Donnell, the former Cabinet Secretary. He is calling for personal wellbeing to be the main aim of Government spending, rather than economic growth. The report says the Government should use the spending review to boost spending on mental health services, schools and social care.

Government to be sued over air pollution
The Times reports that ClientEarth, which has already won three air quality court cases against the Government, is preparing to challenge it at the High Court for not acting on illegal pollution levels on 100 roads. This could force it to impose speed limits, build barriers or restrict older diesels.

Hain makes further allegations about Sir Philip Green
The BBC reports that Lord Hain has made further claims in the House of Lords about the conduct of Sir Philip Green, who he named last year as the person responsible for a legal injunction preventing details of sexual harassment and racial abuse being published. He quoted the complainant as saying that Green ‘was touching and repeatedly slapping women staff’s bottoms, grabbing thighs and touching legs’.

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Today’s political headlines includes May’s ‘bold offer’ being accused of being a ‘retread’, ministers accused of breaking the law, benefits policy accused of breaching human rights, Farage claims it would be hard to work with a deal-backing Tory leader. 

May’s ‘bold offer’ on Brexit accused of being a ‘retread’
The Daily Telegraph has obtained a leaked summary of Theresa May’s proposed Withdrawal Agreement Bill, which she has said will be a ‘bold offer’. According to the paper, it appears to be a ‘retread’ of previous concessions, including giving Parliament the final say on implementing the backstop, an obligation for the Government to find alternative arrangements for it by 2020, giving Parliament a say on the objectives of trade negotiations and giving the Northern Ireland Assembly a ‘role’ in any backstop decision.

Ministers accused of breaking law with secret torture policy
The Times says that the Ministry of Defence is accused of drawing-up a secret torture policy, allowing ministers to approve intelligence-sharing with allies where there is a risk of torture, so long as they feel that the benefits justify it. David Davis says that the policy ‘betrayed’ British values, and is calling on new Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt to overturn it. Kirsty Brimelow QC said that the ‘document is supporting ministers breaking the law’.

Benefits policy accused of breaching human rights
The Daily Mirror reports that Human Rights Watch has accused the Government of breaking human rights with its cuts to welfare. The watchdog claims that the right to food has been breached by Government policies and has called on it to ‘take urgent and concerted action to ensure that its poorest residents aren’t forced to go hungry’.

Farage claims it would be hard to work with deal-backing Tory leader
The Daily Telegraph reports that Nigel Farage has claimed that it would be hard for him to work with a Conservative leader who had backed Theresa May’s Brexit deal, such as Boris Johnson or Dominic Raab. Conservative MP Crispin Blunt has suggested that a pact between the two parties will be an ‘unavoidable necessity’.

Brexit Party funding under scrutiny
The Daily Mirror says that Nigel Farage’s company made nearly half-a-million pounds in two years, and he appealed for funding for his Brexit Party during afternoon tea at the Ritz, despite portraying himself ‘as a man of the people’. The Guardian adds that Gordon Brown has written to the Electoral Commission, calling for it to urgently investigate Farage’s party funding, while it has also emerged that a convicted money launderer may be helping to fundraise for the party.

Standards Commissioner suggests new penalties for misbehaving MPs
The Sun reveals that a letter from Standards Commissioner Kathryn Stone suggests a new range of sanctions for MPs found to have abused staff or colleagues, ranging from ‘words of advice or warning’, to sending them on training courses, such as on ‘anger management’. Further penalties could include banning them from services such as restaurants, or from sitting on select committees. The Standards Committee will now consider the suggestions.

Local leaders warn against HS2 cancellation
The Times reports that over 20 high-profile local government and business figures have warned the Treasury that not building HS2 would be a ‘disaster’ for the economy of the Midlands and Northern England. The group, which includes Conservative West Midlands Mayor Andy Street has written to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Liz Truss, who has said that HS2 will form part of this year’s spending review. A poll of Tory members show that most want the project to be cancelled, with most leadership contenders also opposed.

Cabinet set for new no-deal Brexit row
The Financial Times says that the Cabinet is set for a new row over no-deal Brexit planning. Eurosceptic ministers including Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay want preparations for no-deal in the autumn to be increased. However, others warn that a no-deal Brexit would put the country and the Conservative Party at risk.

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