Archive for: Political Services

Today’s political headlines includes Brexit talks unlikely to conclude early, the watchdog that tried to suppress details of MPs’ credit cards, defence space strategy leaked and a UKIP EU election candidate investigated over rape threat. 

Early conclusion of Brexit talks unlikely as May given deadline to set resignation roadmap
The Financial Times says that the chances of a cross-party deal on Brexit being reached soon have faded, with talks ending without a ‘firm conclusion’. A Labour figure told the paper that the talks had been ‘robust’. Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington admitted that the UK would take part in the European elections and suggested that the Government now aimed to agree a deal by the summer recess, which would imply Brexit occurring on 1 August. The Daily Telegraph adds that at a meeting yesterday Sir Graham Brady, Chair of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs, gave Theresa May until 4pm today – when the committee next meets – to lay out a ‘roadmap’ for her resignation as Prime Minister.

Watchdog tried to suppress details of MPs’ credit card suspensions
The Daily Telegraph reports that the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority tried to prevent the revelation that 377 MPs, including nine Cabinet ministers and Jeremy Corbyn have had their official credit cards suspended after breaking rules on expenses. However, the watchdog’s decision was overturned following a review by the former High Court judge Sir Robert Owen, who is a member of its board.

Defence space strategy leaked
The Times has obtained a copy of the UK’s first defence space strategy, which identifies ten key risks to British satellites and proposes new methods of protecting them, including a greater role for Defence Intelligence, a new National Space Operations Centre and a constellation of small satellites run by the RAF to help with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

UKIP European election candidate investigated over rape threat
The Guardian reports that Carl Benjamin, a UKIP candidate for the South West in the European elections better known online as Sargon of Akkad, is under investigation by police over a YouTube clip in which he made comments about raping the Labour MP Jess Phillips.

High streets must shrink, Brokenshire says
In an exclusive, The Sun reports that James Brokenshire, the Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary, has said that high streets would need to shrink in order to survive, with former shops becoming housing. He also said that there was a limit to what the Government could do, but that ‘councils have an important role to play’.

‘Incoherent’ climate change aid policy criticised by MPs
The Times carries details of a new report by the Commons International Development Committee which criticises the Government’s ‘incoherent’ aid policy for spending £4.9bn on projects to tackle climate change in developing countries, while simultaneously spending £4.8bn on schemes which produce carbon emissions.

Home Office to scrap asylum target
The Guardian reports that the Home Office is to scrap its target of processing most asylum claims within six months, causing consternation amongst human rights lawyers, who warned that the number of vulnerable asylum seekers facing delays might become even worse and that the Home Office would be likely to face more legal challenges.

Pensioners could oust Tory MPs over free TV licence cuts
The Daily Mirror says that research unveiled by Labour today shows that pensioners, set to lose their free TV licences, could oust enough Tory MPs to ensure that the Government loses its majority. MPs will today participate in a debate aimed at saving the benefit, the cost of which is due to be transferred to the BBC, which has suggested scrapping it.

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Today’s political headlines includes Conservatives and Labour suffer local election losses, smaller parties make gains amid Brexit dissatisfaction, May warned that Williamson could take revenge and violent crime rates in London fall. 

Conservatives and Labour suffer local election losses
The BBC reports on the results from yesterday’s local elections, in which the two main parties suffered losses across the UK. With over 250 elections taking place in councils across England and Northern Ireland, voters are said to have voiced their concerns over Brexit by rejecting the two parties. While results are still coming in, the Conservatives have so far lost 440 council seats, though their potential losses could reach 800 seats once results are finalised. It has been suggested that a north-south divide has been reflected in the polls, with most Conservative losses in the south and Labour losing more council seats in the north.

Lib Dems, Independents and Greens capitalise on Brexit dissatisfaction
The Guardian reports on the positive performance by the Lib Dems, who have gained 300 seats so far and taken control of councils such as Bath and North East Somerset, as well as Cotswolds district council. Commenting on the results, Lib Dem leader Vince Cable said voters no longer had confidence in the Conservatives, but had also expressed frustration at Labours indecisiveness over Brexit. Candidates from smaller parties and Independents have also performed well across the country, though UKIP failed to make any significant gains despite The Brexit Party not choosing to stand.

May warned that Williamson could take revenge
The Daily Telegraph reports that Theresa May faces pressure to allow a police investigation into the Huawei scandal. Former Defence Secretary Williamson was sacked earlier this week after he was accused of leaking documents about giving Huawei a role in the UK’s 5G network, however, Number 10 later revealed that no crime had been committed. The Times claims that Theresa May has been warned that Williamson will ‘have his revenge’ and could make a statement in Parliament.

Violent crime rates in London fall
The Guardian features a story on the fall in the number of violent crime incidents in London. Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick has attributed the drop to an increase in officers and stop and search. Dick, comparing 2018-19 with the previous year, said the number of homicides were down 25% to 122, and knife injuries suffered by those under 25 were down 15% to 1,768.

Boris blocked from Scottish Tory conference
The Telegraph is reporting that Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson has prevented Boris Johnson from appearing at this weeks’ conference north of the border. Continuing her hostility towards Johnson, Davidson has rejected an apparent approach by the potential future Conservative leader who will instead visit Aberdeen next week for a campaign fundraiser for Aberdeen South MP Ross Thomson.

Deputy Speaker calls for more cats
Speaking to The Times, Deputy Speaker Lindsay Hoyle has suggested that cats could be brought into the Houses of Parliament to solve the ever-growing problem of mice. It has been suggested that the emptying of Parliament over Easter recess encouraged a resurgence in the numbers of rodents, with Hoyle saying ‘it is time we got some parliamentary cats’.

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Today’s political headlines includes ministers fearing May will ‘cave in’ to Labour, Corbyn faces down second referendum advocates, May’s dinner with Russian oligarch’s wide and Corbyn to urge MPs to declare a climate emergency. 

Ministers fear May will ‘cave in’ to Labour over Brexit
According to The Daily Telegraph, Eurosceptic ministers fear that Theresa May is ‘preparing to cave in to’ Labour’s Brexit demands and agree a post-Brexit customs union with the EU, with May indicating that she wants talks finished by the middle of next week. At yesterday’s Cabinet meeting, Michael Gove said that an ‘unpalatable’ deal with Labour was better than no Brexit, while Chief Whip Julian Smith said that ministers needed to ‘get real’.

Corbyn faces down second referendum advocates
The Guardian says that Jeremy Corbyn has ‘faced down’ a challenge by second referendum advocates, including Labour’s deputy leader Tom Watson. At a meeting yesterday, the party’s National Executive Committee decided that its European election manifesto would be ‘fully in line’ with its existing Brexit policy of an alternative plan for Brexit, with a public vote only if the Government’s deal isn’t changed and a general election doesn’t happen.

May’s dinner with Russian oligarch’s wife
The Daily Mail reveals that Lubov Chernukhin, the wife of a Russian oligarch, had dinner with Theresa May and six other female ministers after paying £135,000 for the privilege at the Conservative Party’s Black and White Ball. The meal was revealed after the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Liz Truss posted a photo of the gathering in Instagram. A source told the paper ‘it was bit like Cabinet at the start, very polite, but then a fair amount of wine was drunk and then it became a very relaxed and talkative dinner.’

Corbyn to urge MPs to declare climate emergency
The Daily Mirror reports that Jeremy Corbyn will today urge MPs to do their ‘historic duty’ by calling the world’s first climate emergency, forcing a vote to demand the Government to act on climate change ‘with commensurate urgency’. Yesterday, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Michael Gove said he was ‘open to a higher level of ambition’.

Corbyn wrote foreword to antisemitic book
The Times says Jeremy Corbyn wrote the foreword to a book arguing that Jews controlled the banks and the press. The book, a reissue of JA Hobson’s Imperialism: A Study, first published in 1902, came out in 2011 before he became Labour leader. In the foreword, Corbyn said it was a ‘great tome’ with ‘brilliant, and very controversial at the time’ analysis.

Hancock says people shouldn’t have to sell their home to fund their care
The Daily Telegraph reports that Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock has told a House of Lords committee that people shouldn’t have to sell their home to pay for social care, saying that ensuring ‘that the home is in the means test under all circumstances’ would extend ‘one of the injustices’ of the current system. Care Minister Caroline Dinenage separately said that she had found the delays to the social care green paper ‘frustrating’, telling the paper that a draft had been ready since December.

Social mobility has stagnated, commission warns
The Financial Times says that the Government’s Social Mobility Commission’s State of the Nation report warns that class privilege is still entrenched in the UK, with the ability to gain higher pay and social position having stagnated since 2014. It blames Government policies for the lack of progress, including schools funding cuts and disadvantaged young people being less likely to undertake apprenticeships or relocate to other regions.

Trump unlikely to address Parliament
The Times reports that Donald Trump is unlikely to address Parliament during his visit next month in order to avoid embarrassing the Queen. She would have to formally request permission for him to address Parliament from the Speakers of both houses, but Commons Speaker John Bercow is opposed to such a speech taking place.

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Today’s political headlines includes the fracking chief quitting, Home Office asylum unit criticised, Hunt warns of Huawei risks, May looks for legislation to avoid Queen’s Speech. 

Fracking chief quits, claiming Government has imposed a ‘de facto ban’
The Times reports that the Government’s shale gas commissioner Natascha Engel has quit after seven months in the role. She claimed that the Government had ‘instituted a de facto ban’ on fracking by shying away from reviewing a rule which means that operations must be suspended whenever a tremor above 0.5 magnitude is recorded. She said that climate activism, such as that of Greta Thunberg, ‘will hustle politicians into making bad decisions’, while ‘Brexit paralysis’ was also to blame for a temporary rule becoming permanent.

Home Office asylum unit criticised
The Guardian reveals that whistleblowers from a Home Office unit known as the Dublin Cessation Team, which determines which EU member states should determine an asylum-seeker’s claim, have claimed that its ‘overworked, under-skilled, bullied and highly stressed DCT caseworkers’ are frequently making mistakes causing individuals to be held in unlawful detention. A range of other allegations have also been made, including long delays and targets incentivising applications to be rejected.

Hunt warns of Huawei risks
The Daily Telegraph says that Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has warned that Huawei has a legal obligation to cooperate with Chinese’s intelligence services. He said it was ‘right to have a degree of caution about the role of large Chinese companies’ and rejected the idea that the UK was being influenced by the USA as ‘absolute nonsense’. He added that he was happy to hand over his phone – and that of his special advisor – to the ongoing leak inquiry.

May looks for legislation to avoid Queen’s Speech
The Times says that Theresa May is looking for legislation to justify delaying the Queen’s Speech until the autumn. A list produced by Downing Street includes changes to tax for sporting testimonials and increasing sentences for animal cruelty, with other proposals including legislation on domestic abuse, tenants’ rights and restoring Parliament.

Damian Green publishes social care proposals
The Daily Mail carries details of a new report on social care by Theresa May’s former deputy, Damian Green for the Centre for Policy Studies. His plans would deliver a basic state-funded level of social care, which recipients could upgrade using savings, and would be funded by a lump sum on retirement, a surcharge on National Insurance for over-50s or a tax on the winter fuel allowance.

Damian Hinds blames social media firms for fuelling eating disorders
In an exclusive, The Sun reports that Education Secretary Damian Hinds has blamed social media firms for fuelling teenage eating disorders by disseminating ‘dangerous ideas of perfection’. He will be meeting executives from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat today and says they ‘get serious about their responsibility to young people’.

Tories set to lose 800 councillors
The Guardian reports Conservative election analyst Lord Hayward believes that his party is on course to lose around 500 seats to the Liberal Democrats and a further 300 to Labour in this week’s local elections. He attributed this to the failure to deliver a Brexit deal, adding that he also expected ‘disenchantment’ with the main parties to reduce turnout.

Government advisors to recommend stricter greenhouse gas targets
The Daily Telegraph reports that the Climate Change Committee, which advises the Government, will recommend on Thursday that the Government should axe its target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050, instead saying that it should aim to have eradicated or offset all greenhouse gases by then. Policy suggestions include reducing red meat consumption, planting more trees and building new onshore wind turbines.

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Today’s political headlines includes Gove’s guilt, Huawei’s help, Brexit latest and Trump’s visit.

Gove admits ‘guilt’ after teenager climate change campaigner’s speech
The Times reports on yesterday’s speech to Parliament by the 16-year-old Swedish climate change campaigner Greta Thunberg. Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Michael Gove said she made him feel ‘guilt’ because ‘we have not done nearly enough to deal with the problem’, but Thunberg accused the Government of ‘creative accounting’ and criticised its support for fracking, North Sea oil and gas, airport expansion and climate change.

Huawei to help build new 5G network despite security concerns
The Daily Telegraph says Theresa May has agreed that Huawei can be involved in the UK’s new 5G network following a meeting of the National Security Council, at which ministers including Sajid Javid, Jeremy Hunt, Gavin Williamson, Liam Fox and Penny Mordaunt raised concerns about the firm. The paper says the decision ‘is likely to anger’ the USA, which banned Huawei from Government networks and has pressed the UK to follow suit.

Labour says Government is failing to offer changes in Brexit talks
The Guardian reports that Labour has accused Theresa May of not offering any substantive changes to the Brexit deal in cross-party talks, and refusing to accept alterations to the political declaration. Instead, ministers suggested redrafting the withdrawal act implementation bill and modifying other planned bills. According to The Daily Telegraph, Cabinet ministers have told May to end the talks ‘immediately’ and focus on persuading the DUP to back the deal instead. Meanwhile, a meeting of the executive of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs didn’t reach a conclusion on changing leadership challenge rules yesterday, but will meet again today.

Clash over Trump visit
The Times says the Speakers of the two Houses of Parliament disagree over whether Donald Trump should address parliamentarians during his visit in June. Lords Speaker Lord Fowler said that there was a ‘strong case’ as it would be the anniversary of the D-day landings, but Commons Speaker John Bercow has suggested the honour should be earned. Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry said that hosting the visit would be a waste of taxpayers’ money.

Javid under pressure to act over language test scandal
The Guardian says Home Secretary Sajid Javid is under pressure to act over an immigration scandal, which MP Mike Gapes has warned is ‘a bigger scandal than Windrush in terms of the number of individuals removed form the country’. It involves around 34,000 foreign students whose visas have been cancelled or curtailed and over 1000 who have been forcibly removed after being accused of cheating in English language tests with no right of appeal.

Rachel Johnson to stand as Change UK candidate
The Daily Telegraph reports that Change UK have selected Rachel Johnson, the sister of the Conservative MPs Boris and Jo Johnson, as one of its candidates for the European elections. She said she has ‘entered politics to spend more time with my family’. Other candidates include former BBC presenter Gavin Esler and former Conservative and Labour MPs. One candidate, Ali Sadjady, has had to step down after inappropriate tweets were discovered.

Farage unveils more Brexit Party candidates as Widdecombe defects
The Sun says Nigel Farage said yesterday that his Brexit Party will target voters in Labour heartlands during the European elections and unveiled more candidates, including a former Royal Marine, a millionaire, a former Communist, a former charity boss and a former nurse. The Daily Express adds that ex-Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe will stand for the party.

Universal Credit to hit ‘the persistently poor the hardest’
The Daily Mirror says that Institute for Fiscal Studies research on Universal Credit shows it will leave at least 1.9m people worse off by at least £1000 a year, hitting ‘the persistently poor the hardest’. The Department for Work and Pensions said the study ‘wrongly assumes that everyone was claiming their full benefit entitlement under the old system’.

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Today’s political headlines includes Corbyn’s promise to abolish SATs, Corbyn’s warning, Tory chairs plotting against May and Burgon regrets his Zionism remarks. 

Corbyn promises to abolish SATs
The Times says that Jeremy Corbyn has promised to abolish the SATs exams sat by primary school children in a bid to tackle the ‘extreme pressure’ on teachers and pupils. They would be replaced by a more flexible system, which Labour will consult on over the summer. However, the Conservatives have said that this would be a ‘retrograde’ move which would ‘keep parents in the dark’.

Corbyn warns that Government inflexibility is stalling Brexit talks
The Guardian reports that Jeremy Corbyn has said that talks over Brexit between Labour and the Government are stalling because of the Government’s plans for deregulation and a trade deal with the USA after Brexit. He said he didn’t want a ‘deregulated, low-tax society’ and hinted that he would rather hold binding Indicative votes in the Commons.

Tory chairs plot no confidence vote in May
The Daily Telegraph claims chairs of local Conservative associations are circulating a petition asking the party’s National Convention to call an emergency general meeting at which a vote of no confidence in Theresa May would be held. The party is obliged to hold the meeting if over 65 chairs sign the petition; between 40 and 50 are believed to have done so. Such a vote would not force May to resign, but it would put pressure on her.

Burgon regrets Zionism remarks
The Guardian says that the Shadow Justice Secretary Richard Burgon has expressed regret after a video of him saying ‘Zionism is the enemy of peace’ emerged. He had previously denied making such a remark, but when the evidence emerged said that ‘it is now clear that I did and I regret doing so’. The Jewish Leadership Council called for a ‘full apology’.

Javid reviews disclosure of criminal records
The Daily Telegraph reports that Home Secretary Sajid Javid is reviewing the rule which means that anyone with more than one criminal conviction will automatically have them disclosed to prospective employers for the rest of their lives. He wants to give juvenile criminals a second chance, but victims’ rights groups have raised concerns.

Electoral Commission approves Change UK’s application
The Times reports that the Electoral Commission has approved a request from The Independent Group of breakaway MPs to register a new political party under the name of Change UK ahead of next month’s European elections. However, the new party’s proposed logo has been rejected as it was ‘likely to mislead voters’.

Candidate in Tory video accused of selling fake wine
The Daily Mirror says that Gurch Singh, a council candidate in Theresa May’s constituency who appeared in the Conservatives’ most recent election broadcast ran a shop which had additional conditions placed on its licence after it was found to be stocking counterfeit wine and selling alcohol to under-age children. Singh said that the wine came from a reputable supplier and that the only proof of the sales to children came from an anonymous complaint.

Westminster at risk of Notre Dame style fire
The Sun reports that Labour MP Chris Bryant has warned that the Palace of Westminster could be ravaged by fire if a further two year delay to restoration work goes ahead. Under the revised plans work would not start until 2028. Bryant said ‘Parliament has become a potential death trap of catastrophic proportions because we have allowed years of neglect.’

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Today’s political headlines includes short notice evictions to be banned, Leadership contenders want May to stay for months, Hammond mocks Brexiteer leadership campaigners and progress unlikely in Brexit talks. 

Short notice evictions to be banned
The Guardian says that housing campaigners have backed Government plans to ban ‘no-fault evictions’, with a consultation on abolishing ‘section 21 evictions’ which allow landlords to evict tenants at short notice and with no good reason. The Government says that this is one of the main causes of family homelessness, and Theresa May said the change ‘will not only protect tenants from unethical behaviour, but also give them the long-term certainty and the peace of mind they deserve.’ The news was welcomed by Shelter but the Residential Landlords Association warned that it could result in fewer homes being available to rent.

Leadership contenders want May to stay for months
According to The Times, Cabinet contenders for the leadership want Theresa May to stay in place until the first stage of Brexit is completed, even if this takes until the end of the year. They fear that a summer leadership content would aid those, such as Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab, who want to reopen the Brexit deal. However, former leader Iain Duncan Smith yesterday called on May to step down by the end of June.

Hammond mocks Brexiteer leadership campaigners
The Daily Telegraph says Chancellor Philip Hammond used a speech in Washington to mock Brexiteer candidates in the last Conservative leadership election, saying Boris Johnson and Michael Gove formed an ‘unintended suicide pact’ while Andrea Leadsom had a ‘private suicide pact’. He also joked he was the only Tory MP not running for leader and that if a no-deal Brexit had happened he would have been visiting as the ‘designated survivor’.

Progress unlikely in Brexit talks unless red line shifts
The Guardian has been told by ‘sources close to the talks’ between Labour and the Government over Brexit that further advances are unlikely unless the Government’s red line over a customs union with the EU moves. Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington said ‘there is going to have to be movement on both sides’. Three working groups are to be established next week, covering security, environmental protection and consumers’ and workers’ rights.

Corbyn links youth service cuts to crime
The Daily Mirror reveals that Jeremy Corbyn will use a visit to an educational activity centre in Yorkshire to claim that the Conservatives have cut council spending in youth services by 70% since 2010. He will warn that ‘these cuts are creating the conditions in which crime can thrive’ and pledge to legislate ‘to guarantee quality youth services’.

NHS giving doctors cash to avoid early retirements
The Financial Times says that there is a ‘growing staffing crisis’ in the NHS, with the service topping-up doctors’ salaries with cash to help them avoid higher taxes as a result of stricter pension rules which have led many staff to take early retirement or to reduce the hours they are working. The paper warns that this ‘threatens to undermine the multibillion-pound funding injection’ announced by Theresa May last year.

Javid to make ‘veiled leadership pitch’
The Daily Telegraph reports that Home Secretary Sajid Javid is to make a speech on crime today, which it describes as a ‘veiled leadership pitch’. He will say that ‘we cannot afford to leave anyone behind’ and advocate a ‘public health’ approach to tackling knife crime, coordinating teachers, medical professionals and other branches of Government.

Lammy criticised over ‘Nazi’ remarks
The Times says that Labour MP David Lammy has been criticised after he compared Conservative Brexiteers to Nazis yesterday, saying that they should not be ‘appeased’. He said the ‘BBC should not allow this extreme hard-right fascism to flourish’, but Conservative MP Conor Burns suggested that Lammy had ‘lost it’.

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Today’s political headlines includes Corbyn saying Assange should not be extradited to the USA, Government stands down no-deal Brexit planning and May’s attempts to break the deadlock. 

Corbyn says Assange should not be extradited to the USA
As the BBC reports, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has called on the UK not to extradite Julian Assange to the USA as he had revealed ‘evidence of atrocities in Iraq and Afghanistan’. The WikiLeaks founder, who was arrested yesterday after losing the diplomatic protection which had allowed him to stay in the Ecuadorian embassy for the last seven years, faces a computer hacking charge in the USA, while Sweden is considering whether to reopen a sexual assault case against him. Theresa May said his arrest showed ‘no-one is above the law’.

Government stands down no-deal Brexit planning
Sky News has obtained an email sent to civil servants in a ‘frontline Brexit department’ announcing that the Government has ‘stood down our no-deal operational planning with immediate effect’ following a meeting chaired by Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill yesterday. A Government spokesperson said it would ‘continue to make all necessary preparations’.

May hints at using Withdrawal Agreement Bill to break deadlock
The Times says that Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn agreed to continue Brexit talks after a short meeting yesterday, with May suggesting that the two sides were closer than thought but that if no agreement could be reached they would agree on a ‘small number’ of options to put to MPs. She suggested that the Withdrawal Agreement Bill could be introduced ‘soon’ and that it might be ‘a useful forum to resolve some of the outstanding issues’.

Labour considering automatic voter registration
The Guardian reports that Cat Smith, Labour’s shadow minister for voter engagement has said that the party is considering automatic voter registration in a bid to increase turnout at elections. An estimated 7 million people in the UK are not on the electoral register and the policy has been introduced in places such as Canada and Belgium.

Johnson meets DUP leadership
The Times says that Boris Johnson and his leadership campaign team held a private meeting with the DUP’s leader Arlene Foster and deputy leader Nigel Dpdds yesterday, with a source telling the paper that potential Conservative leadership candidates wanted to ‘pay homage’ to the Northern Irish party.  Foster refused to say if she had confidence in Theresa May.

Conservative Party plans leadership contest
The Daily Mail reveals that the Conservative Party has drawn up plans for a summer leadership contest, including locations around the country for six hustings between the candidates. Yesterday, Anne Marie Morris and Greg Hands called for new leadership, but other MPs such as Ken Clarke and Nicky Morgan said Theresa May should continue.

Tory MPs may refuse to campaign in European elections
According to The Guardian, some Conservative MPs have threatened to boycott the European elections, saying that they will instruct their local associations not to campaign, claiming that they are concerned about the safety of their activists. Conservative MP Anne Marie Morris refused to rule out voting for Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party, which launches today.

May tells MPs to reflect during Easter recess
The Sun reports that it was confirmed yesterday that MPs would now enter an 11-day recess, with Theresa May telling them to use the time to ‘reflect’ on Brexit. The news came mere hours after European Council President Donald Tusk told the UK not to ‘waste’ the extension it had been granted.

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Today’s political headlines includes Tusk rejecting the short extension request, Withdrawal Agreement Bill could be voted on in days, talks between Labour and Government having no resolution and plots to end May’s premiership. 

Tusk rejects short extension request
The Guardian reports that European Council President Donald Tusk has used a letter to EU leaders ahead of their summit today to reject Theresa May’s request for a short delay to Brexit, with an EU diplomat suggesting that the leaders will instead agree an extension until either the end of this year, or until March 2020. Tusk wrote that the EU’s ‘experience so far’ and the ‘deep divisions’ among MPs meant that there was ‘little reason to believe’ that the deal would be ratified by the end of May’s proposed extension in June. He warned a short extension would lead to more ‘short extensions and emergency summits’, continuing uncertainty, overshadowing other EU business and risking an ‘accidental no-deal Brexit’.

Withdrawal Agreement Bill could be voted on in days
The Daily Mail claims that if a deal is reached with Labour, the Withdrawal Agreement Bill to ratify the deal with the EU could be put to MPs within days. One option would allow free votes on issues such as a customs union or a second referendum which, if successful, would then be incorporated. However, this is felt to be a high-risk option as Parliament would have to be prorogued if the bill failed and the Government wanted to try again.

Talks between Labour and Government over Brexit reach no resolution
The Times says that talks between Labour and the Government over Brexit ‘broke down without progress’ yesterday. According to sources, four hours of negotiation showed that the parties were ‘far away’ from each other, with Labour claiming that ministers had offered no further concessions while the Conservatives suggested that Labour was not negotiating sincerely. Discussions will resume tomorrow, but the paper suggests the lack of progress will not help Theresa May at today’s European Council summit

Local Tories debate telling May to go, while 1922 Committee plots leadership election
According to The Daily Telegraph, a number of local Conservative associations are to debate motions calling for Theresa May to be removed as party leader in an attempt to pressure MPs into taking action. The paper adds that members of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs are working on plans for May to step down as leader on May 23 but remain as Prime Minister, allowing a new leader to be in place by July.

Tory MPs fail to vote for Article 50 extension
The Guardian reports that most Conservative MPs either voted against or abstained on a motion to approve Theresa May’s request for a delay to Brexit yesterday, with four cabinet ministers joining those abstaining. Just 31% of the MPs who voted for her proposal were Conservatives, with Brexiteers suggesting that this showed that the party would not back a softer Brexit, such as a customs union with the EU.

IMF warns of no-deal Brexit economic impact
The Financial Times reports that analysis by the International Monetary Fund shows that the British economy would be hit seven times harder than that of the EU in a no-deal Brexit scenario, and would fall into a recession. The IMF has modelled two no-deal scenarios, with the economic impact being even worse if there is also border disruption.

160 MPs make £42m profit on taxpayer-subsidised homes
The Daily Mirror reveals that 160 MPs have made a £42m profit by selling homes whose mortgage interest was paid for under the old expenses system. Beneficiaries include Michael Gove, Maria Miller and Sir Graham Brady. The former chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, Sir Alistair Graham, has suggested that they ought to ‘repay any gain’.

Stanley Johnson says he wants to be Conservative MEP
Stanley Johnson, the father of Boris Johnson and a former MEP, has confirmed to The Daily Telegraph that he has put his name forward to stand as a Conservative candidate in the forthcoming European elections, saying there was ‘a really important job to do. Current MEP David Campbell Bannerman is stepping down as it would be ‘dishonourable’ to continue.

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Today’s political headlines includes Labour expecting to hold further Brexit talks with the Government, tech firms to face new regulation, Johnson’s thoughts on Brexit latest and the majority who want a strong leader. 

Labour expects to hold further Brexit talks with Government
The BBC reports that Labour has said it is expecting to hold further talks to find a Brexit compromise with the Government, as peers continue considering a bill put forward by Yvette Cooper which would force Theresa May to request a Brexit extension, rather than accepting a no-deal Brexit. Solicitor General Robert Buckland said the likely outcome of talks was ‘something approximating a customs arrangement or customs union’. The Financial Times says French President Emmanuel Macron is demanding ‘tough political conditions’ on any Brexit extension, including guarantees that the UK will not disrupt the EU’s business.

Tech firms to face new regulation as Wright says industry has ‘reached a turning point’
Writing in The Sun, Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Jeremy Wright says that he used a face-to-face meeting with Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg to warn him that the UK had ‘reached a turning point’ over the social media firm’s failure to tackle harmful content, with new laws the ‘only option’. The Online Harms White Paper, published today, will contain new measures to make firms responsible for protecting their users, with senior management at risk of prosecution, and companies potentially being banned from the UK.

Johnson says May shouldn’t ‘surrender’ to Corbyn over customs union
Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Boris Johnson insists that Conservative MPs won’t let Theresa May ‘surrender’ to Jeremy Corbyn, insisting that agreeing to a customs union with the EU ‘cannot, must not and will not happen.’ The paper adds that May has given ‘the clearest signal yet’ that she will agree a customs union, saying that a cross-party deal is needed and would require ‘compromise on both sides’.

Over half the population want a ‘strong leader’
The Times reports that new research by the Hansard Society finds that over half the population wants a ‘strong leader willing to break the rules’, with nearly-three quarters agreeing that the country’s governance needed ‘quite a lot’ or ‘a great deal’ of improvement. Ruth Fox, the society’s director said that this ‘would challenge core tenets of our democracy’ and was ‘a potentially toxic recipe for the future of British politics’.

Jewish Labour Movement says it has no confidence in Corbyn
The Guardian reports that the Jewish Labour Movement has voted for a motion of no confidence in Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the Labour Party which claimed that the party was ‘institutionally antisemitic’. Separately, the party has denied a story in The Sunday Times criticising its handling of complaints about antisemitism.

No Afghan translators have arrived in the UK despite Williamson’s promise
The Daily Mail reveals that despite Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson’s pledge last June to allow 50 Afghan interpreters who had helped British troops to settle in the UK with their families, none have yet arrived despite increasing danger in their home country. So far just one interpreter has been given permission to come to the UK, and will arrive within weeks.

Brexit confusion could cause problems for EU tenants
The Guardian says that the Residential Landlords Association has warned that confusion over Brexit will cause problems for tenants from the EU, criticising the Government for not giving clear guidance about the settled status scheme. Landlords face fines of up to £5000 if they are found to be renting a property to an illegal immigrant.

Rudd plays down Johnson alliance rumours
According to The Times, Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd has been playing down suggestions that she will back Boris Johnson’s campaign for the Conservative leadership in a ‘Bamber’ alliance, which would see her become Chancellor and unite the remain and leave strands of the party.

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