Archive for: Political Services

Today’s Political Headlines include May’s vow to fight any leadership bids, pro-EU Tories fear entryism from UKIP voters, the former chief Rabbi who says Corbyn’s remarks are most offensive since rivers of blood, and tackling modern slavery. 

May would fight Boris Johnson leadership bid
The Guardian reports that Prime Minister Theresa May has said she would fight any leadership bid from Boris Johnson and she is planning to take the Conservatives into the next general election. She signalled her intention to deliver for the country despite the unhappiness at her Chequers deal. May also stated her intention to address the big issues at the upcoming Conservative Party conference, specifically mentioning her ambition to tackle housing.

Pro-EU Tories fear entryism from UKIP voters
The Times are reporting that pro-EU Conservative MPs are seeing an increase in applications to join their local parties, leading to concerns that UKIP voters are seeking to unseat them in favour of pro-Brexit candidates. This comes after key Leave.EU donor Arron Banks called for members of the Brexit campaign group to join the Conservatives and help select candidates sympathetic to Brexit.

Former chief Rabbi says reported Corbyn remarks most offensive since Enoch Powell
The New Statesman has an interview with the former Chief Rabbi, Jonathan Sacks, who says reported remarks made by Jeremy Corbyn on ‘Zionists’ are the most offensive remarks by a senior politician since Enoch Powell’s rivers of blood speech. Sacks called the remarks hateful, divisive and undermining to an entire group of British citizens. Sacks was also asked about Israel’s new nationality law, he said he is not a legal expert but as far as he understands it, there is nothing apartheid about it.

Crackdown on illegal and unsafe migration as part of attempts to tackle modern slavery
The Express reports that Theresa May will announce further measures on modern slavery today. A partnership with Nigeria will see the two nations work together to combat modern slavery. The plans will see support given to victims of modern slavery returning to Nigeria, this support will consist of counselling to deal with their distress and training to get them into jobs.

Scrap tax relief for entrepreneurs, says thinktank
The Guardian are reporting on research carried out by the Resolution Foundation, which has urged Chancellor Philip Hammond to abolish entrepreneur’s relief in the autumn budget. In a report released today, the thinktank has claimed scrapping the tax break would save roughly £2.7bn, which could then be spent on the NHS.

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Today’s Political Headlines include Hammond’s no-deal warnings, Salmond accused of sexual assault, the no-deal Brexit papers and Luciana Berger feeling unwelcome in Labour as a Jew. 

Hammond warns of ‘large fiscal consequences’ of no-deal
According to The Daily Telegraph, Philip Hammond has been accused of undermining the Government’s Brexit strategy by warning that a no-deal Brexit would have ‘large fiscal consequences’ for the UK in a letter which he wrote to the Commons Treasury Committee. The letter did not receive approval from Downing Street and the paper claims that it has been ‘infuriated’ by Hammond’s intervention.

Salmond accused of sexual assault
The Daily Record says that former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond has been reported to police over historic allegations of sexual assault, dating from his time in the role. Salmond denies the allegations and has launched legal action against the Scottish Government, claiming that its Permanent Secretary ‘is behaving unlawfully in the application of a complaints procedure, introduced by her more than three years after I left office.’

Government publishes no-deal Brexit papers
The Times reports that the 24 technical papers outlining what would happen in the event of a no-deal Brexit published by the Government yesterday would increase bureaucracy, impede access to medicines and increase credit and debit card charges for holidaymakers.

Berger claims that Corbyn comments make her feel ‘unwelcome’ in Labour as a Jew
The Daily Mail reports that Labour MP Luciana Berger has attacked Jeremy Corbyn after footage emerged of him claiming that British Zionists ‘don’t understand English irony’ despite ‘having lived in this country for a long time, probably all their lives’. Berger said that the comments made her ‘as a proud British Jew feel unwelcome in my own party’. Jewish Chronicle editor Stephen Pollard said that the recording showed that Corbyn thought Jews were ‘somehow a breed apart from ‘normal’ English people’.

Tories block Arron Banks from joining party
The Guardian reports that the Conservatives have blocked an attempt by Leave.EU founder Arron Banks and Andy Wigmore, his business partner, to join the party. They claimed that they had joined the party to have their say in a leadership contest which they believe will happen shortly, arguing ‘that the battle for Brexit is now within the Conservative party’.

Corbyn accused of ‘hypocrisy’ over BBC class plans
According to The Daily Telegraph, Jeremy Corbyn has been accused of hypocrisy after he urged the BBC to publish data on its journalists’ class, despite the fact that much of his team went to independent schools. The Daily Mirror lists Corbyn’s seven ‘most radical ideas to shake up the media’, including a digital licence fee, journalists electing editors and a state-owned version of Facebook.

Starmer slaps down Gardiner over second referendum claims
The Daily Mirror claims that Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer has ‘slapped down’ Shadow International Trade Secretary Barry Gardiner for suggesting that a second referendum on Brexit might cause ‘civil disobedience’ and give ‘succour to the extreme right’. While he refused to back another referendum, Starmer said that ‘all options should be on the table’.

Gibb fails to explain new GCSE grading system
The Sun reports that Schools Minister Nick Gibb failed to explain the new GCSE grading system in an interview yesterday, telling LBC’s Nick Ferrari that grade 8 is the ‘midway point between grades 7 and 9’. Later, he refused to answer a maths question posed to him by TalkRadio’s James Max, claiming that he’d been told ‘not to answer them’.

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Today’s Political Headlines include Raab’s blame game, Corbyn’s tech giants plan to subsidise the licence fee, Williamson’s crackpot ideas and Rees-Mogg urging the PM to chuck Chequers. 

Raab to ask the EU to do more to prepare for no-deal Brexit
The Times reports that Dominic Raab is to use his first major speech as Brexit Secretary to start a ‘blame game’ with the EU. He will accuse the bloc of failing to do enough to keep data and goods moving in the event of a no-deal Brexit. The first batch of UK plans for a no-deal Brexit will be published today, including a commitment to fund EU aid projects carried out by British organisations. The Sun adds that the 25 notes show that UK citizens who work or have worked in the EU may lose access to their pensions, the City could face ‘turmoil’ and that borders will be opened ‘unilaterally’ for goods by the Government.

Corbyn to make tech giants subsidise licence fee
The Guardian says that Jeremy Corbyn is to propose taxing large technology firms in order to subsidise the BBC licence fee. Other ideas to be outlined by the Labour leader in a speech today include having representatives elected by licence fee payers on the BBC’s board and making the corporation publish equality data, including social class, for all content creators.

Williamson attacked over ‘crackpot ideas’
According to The Sun, the Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has ‘stunned military chiefs with crackpot ideas’, such as mounting guns on tractors, converting old ferries into beach assault craft and disguising missile systems as Coca-Cola lorries. A source told the paper that ‘The man is out of his mind. No one knows what to do.’ Military leaders are now said to fear that Williamson’s behaviour will prevent them from receiving extra Treasury funding.

Rees-Mogg uses letter to urge Prime Minister to ‘chuck Chequers’
The Daily Telegraph says that Jacob Rees-Mogg and over 60 other Conservative Eurosceptics have written to Conservative Associations, with a point-by-point analysis of Theresa may’s Chequers plan, which claims that it is the ‘wrong deal for Britain’. The letter insists that the Prime Minister should ‘believe in Britain’ and ‘chuck Chequers’, claiming that the EU needs a deal with the UK but the UK does not need a deal with the EU.

Founders of ‘pioneering’ free school hand it over to academy chain
The Guardian reports that the Greenwich Free School, which was one of the first to be approved by Michael Gove, and whose founders include a former Department for Education head of strategy, have decided to hand it over to a larger academy trust as the governors did not have the ‘capacity’ to provide the level of oversight needed.

Poll shows May would perform better in election than rivals
The Daily Mail carries the findings of an ICM poll which shows that the Conservatives would do better at a general election if they were led by Theresa May than by any of five named alternatives, including Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg. The only scenario in which may would do worse was if the party was led by someone ‘quite young and able’ and ‘not currently in Government’.

Labour raised £10m more than the Conservatives last year
The Financial Times reports that the Labour Party’s membership surge led to it raising £10m more than the Conservative Party last year, according to figures released by the Electoral Commission. The party’s revenue from subscriptions rose from £6m in 2014 to £16m in 2017.

Government asked to take action against ‘essay mills’
The Times claims that the Government is being urged by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education to ban so-called ‘essay mills’ which enable cheating by students. The Government has previously pressed the agency to tackle the problem without legislation but the QAA now believes further action is needed.

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Today’s Political Headlines include Jeremy Hunt’s call for the EU to copy US sanctions on Russia, NHS trusts warning against a no-deal Brexit, Liam Fox’s pledge to make the UK an exporting superpower and the Corbyn staffer writing the guide to rid Parliament of Israel-supporting MPs. 

Hunt calls for EU to copy US sanctions on Russia
The BBC says that Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt is to use a speech during his trip to the USA to call on the EU to impose further sanctions on Russia, emulating those introduced by the USA. He will warn that there must be a ‘serious price’ for violating international rules of conduct. During the trip, Hunt will meet the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and address the UN Security Council on Islamic terrorism.

NHS trusts warn of no-deal Brexit impact
The Times has obtained a leaked warning by NHS Providers (the association of NHS trusts) to NHS England and NHS Improvement. In a letter, the body’s chief executive Chris Hopson warns of the impact of a no-deal Brexit on the pharmaceutical supply chain, public health, disease control and the workforce. He claims that both other bodies have not planned sufficiently for this scenario and that communication has been poor.

Fox pledges to make UK an ‘exporting superpower’
The BBC reports that International Trade Secretary Liam Fox will claim that the UK can be a ’21st century exporting superpower’ in a speech later today, promising to increase exports from 30% of the country’s GDP to 35%. He will say that the UK needs to ‘set its sights high’.

Corbyn staffer wrote guide to ridding Parliament of Israel-supporting MPs
The Sun reveals that Nicolette Petersen, who has worked for Jeremy Corbyn since 1994, wrote a guide advising people on how to rid Parliament of Israel supporters for the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign. She advised readers to look at the Jewish Chronicle and ‘look at websites that will show you who not to vote for’. Jewish Chronicle Editor Stephen Pollard told The Sun that ‘This isn’t about helping Palestinians. It’s about attacking Jews.’

Umunna to call for ‘national mission’ to combat youth violence
The Guardian says that Labour MP Chuka Umunna is to use a speech in Brixton this evening to call for a ‘paradigm shift’ in the understanding of youth violence, rejecting the ‘populism of left and right’ and calling for a ‘national mission’ to tackle the problem, arguing  that it was necessary to go further than Scotland, which treats it as a public health issue.

Hague warns against changing Tory leadership election rules
Writing in The Daily Telegraph, former Conservative leader Lord Hague warns that his party should not change its rules to give its membership a greater say in choosing the next leader, warning that this could lead to entryism and the party being ‘swamped by new recruits’. He pointed to the example of Labour’s changes to its election rules and warned that party activists are ‘not remotely representative of society at large or even of their voters’.

Over 60,000 left in lurch after mortgage benefit withdrawn
According to The Daily Mirror over 60,000 people have been ‘left in the lurch’ following the abolition of Support for Mortgage Interest. It was replaced by a loan, but over half of those affected turned down this down when they were offered it. Lib Dem MP Stephen Lloyd has written to Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey, asking her to conduct a study into the reasons people are rejecting the loan.

Treasury guidance too ‘negative’ about no-deal Brexit
The Daily Telegraph claims that Chancellor Philip Hammond was forced to amend the Treasury’s technical notices on a no-deal Brexit because they were too similar to ‘Project Fear’. Sources told the paper that the documents were too ‘upbeat’ about EU membership and too ‘negative’ about no-deal, but had now been made ‘more factual’.

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Today’s Political Headlines include Len McCluskey’s input in the anti-Semitism row, Hunt says no-deal Brexit would be a mistake, £10m crackdown on drugs and phones in prisons and the vaping report. 

Len McCluskey accuses Jewish leaders of ‘truculent hostility’ towards Labour
The Guardian reports that Unite general secretary Len McCluskey has accused Jewish leaders of ‘truculent hostility’ towards Labour, but also called for the party to adopt the full International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism. Margaret Hodge has told Sky News that when she was investigated for confronting Corbyn over antisemitism, it made her think about ‘what it felt like to be a Jew in Germany in the 30s’.

Hunt says no-deal Brexit ‘would be a mistake we would regret for generations’
The BBC says that Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who has just completed a tour of northern Europe has warned that a no-deal Brexit ‘would be a mistake we would regret for generations’ and refused to rule out accepting EU environmental and social legislation. The Times reports that Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary Greg Clark warned in a meeting with Austrian and Finnish counterparts that if the European Commission rejected the UK’s proposals it would cause ‘lasting economic harm’ to millions across the continent. The Sun adds that the UK will publish its first batch of technical notices for a no-deal Brexit next week, covering topics including farming, fishing, customs and cigarette packets.

£10m crackdown on drugs and phones in prisons
The BBC reports that the Ministry of Justice is to invest £10m to counter the proliferation of drugs and mobile phones at ten of England’s most ‘challenging’ prisons. The policy will see the introduction of new body scanners and sniffer dogs, prison governors sent to military-style colleges and repairs and improvements to windows and perimeter walls.

Committee’s vaping report causes ‘outcry’ from scientists
The Daily Mail claims that a new report by the Commons Science and Technology Committee on vaping has caused ‘outcry’, with leading scientists describing it as ‘one-sided’. The report recommends reconsidering bans on vaping in public places, making it easier to obtain vaping devices on prescription and relaxing advertising restrictions.

Lord Sheikh claims calls for his expulsion from Tories are ‘politically motivated’
The Times reports that Lord Sheikh has claimed that Zac Goldsmith and Robert Halfon’s calls for him to be expelled from the Conservatives for attending the same event in Tunisia as Jeremy Corbyn are a ‘politically motivated’ attack. He denies meeting Hamas and says that he did not participate in the wreath-laying ceremony.

BMA warns of ‘potentially catastrophic consequences’ of no-deal Brexit
The Financial Times says that the British Medical Association has ‘stepped up’ its warnings about a no-deal Brexit, claiming that it poses ‘potentially catastrophic consequences for patients, the health workforce, services and the nation’s health’. A briefing paper suggests that care for those suffering from rare diseases and cancer would be disrupted, while the country’s response to pandemics would also be put at risk.

Ministers considering ‘inheritance insurance’ plan to fund social care
In an exclusive, The Sun reveals health ministers are considering proposals for ‘inheritance insurance’, under which elderly people would take money out of their pension on a tax-free basis and buy insurance to pay for their care. The insurer would guarantee to protect their home, allowing it to be passed onto their children.

New apprenticeships fall by 31% as business groups call for reforms
The Financial Times reports that new figures show that there has been a 31% drop in the people starting apprenticeships. Business groups have warned that the Government is in danger of missing its target of 3m apprenticeships by 2020 and called for it to take action.

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Today’s Political Headlines include Ministers considering the closure of the road outside Parliament, Grayling criticised by the RMT, Labour dismissing Corbyn cemetery claims and Brown to attack child poverty. 

Ministers consider closing road following attack on Parliament
The BBC reports that police are searching three addresses in the Midlands and a man has been arrested on suspicion of terrorism after a car hit pedestrians and cyclists outside Parliament before colliding with a barrier yesterday. The Daily Telegraph says ministers are now in talks about closing the road outside Parliament in order to prevent future attacks and have committed £5m to fund a feasibility study.

Rail union accuses Grayling of imposing ‘pay cap’
The BBC reports that the RMT has accused Transport Secretary Chris Grayling of trying to impose a ‘pay cap’ on its members by basing future rail fare and wage increases on the lower Consumer Prices Index measure on inflation, rather than the higher Retail Prices Index.

Labour dismisses cemetery visit claims as ‘false and misleading’
The Guardian says that the Labour Party has dismissed what is calls ‘false and misleading’ claims about Jeremy Corbyn’s visit to a Palestinian cemetery in Tunis, insisting that he was actually attending a memorial for victims of an Israeli air strike on the PLO headquarters in 1985, not commemorating Salah Khalaf, the mastermind of the 1972 Munich terror attack. The Times adds that Corbyn is facing an inquiry into claims that he failed to declare who paid for the visit and The Daily Telegraph reports that he has been condemned for making a Muslim Brotherhood salute during a visit to Finsbury Park mosque.

Brown to attack child poverty
The Guardian reports that Gordon Brown is to make a ‘scathing attack’ on the failure to address quickly rising child poverty levels today. He will use an event at the Edinburgh International Book Festival to claim that it is a national disgrace that the number of children below the poverty line is due to increase to over five million by the early 2020s.

May promises ‘new generation of council homes’ amid scepticism from sector
The Financial Times says that Theresa May used the launch of yesterday’s green paper on social housing to promise ‘a new generation of council homes to help fix our broken housing market’. However, the paper reports that councils and housing associations are sceptical that the proposed measures go far enough and criticised the absence of new funding.

Report calls on UK to strengthen Arctic military presence
The Daily Mirror has details of a new report by the Commons Defence Committee which warns that the UK needs to expands its Arctic military presence in order to combat Russian expansion. As the Arctic ice sheet retreats, oil and minerals are being exposed and the report claims that the UK is behind in the race to exploit these.

Hunt starts second tour of European capitals
The Financial Times reports that Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has embarked upon a second tour of European capitals, visiting Finland, Latvia, Denmark and the Netherlands in an attempt to gain support for the UK’s Brexit proposals. The paper says that this underlines ‘the new activism of the Foreign Office on Brexit since the resignation of Boris Johnson’.

Chief executives’ pay grew by nine times that of the average worker
The Times carries figures from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and the High Pay Centre which show that the pay of FTSE100 chief executives increased by 23% in the last year, while that of the average worker grew by just 2.5%. Rachel Reeves, who chairs the Commons Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee, said that this was a sign that ‘something is going very wrong’.

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Today’s Political Headlines include the widows of the Munich massacre victims calling for Corbyn to apologise, the Muslim Council calling for an investigation into Boris, May’s fanciful customs plan and the Government’s £100m pledge to end rough sleeping. 

Widows of Munich massacre victims call for Corbyn to apologise
The Daily Mail reports that widows of the victims of the Munich massacre have called for an apology from Jeremy Corbyn after details of a trip he made to the Tunisian cemetery where members of terrorist group Black September are buried were revealed in Saturday’s Mail. Labour claimed that Corbyn was there to commemorate victims of an Israeli air strike on a PLO base, but in an article written at the time he said he had laid wreaths on other graves.

Muslim Council calls for investigation into Johnson as Islamophobic incidents increase
The Guardian says that the Muslim Council of Britain is to write to the Prime Minister to demand a full disciplinary investigation into Boris Johnson, claiming that there has been an increase in Islamophobic incidents since his article on the burqa was published. Data from the Tell Mama project shows that there has been an increase in abuse towards women wearing niqabs and hijabs in the last week.

May’s customs plan is ‘fanciful’, experts say
According to The Times, trade experts have described Theresa May’s planned customs deal with the EU as ‘fanciful’, questioning the pledge that most businesses would pay the correct or no tariff at the border, and the assertion that businesses would be able to reliably track goods in order to prevent smuggling. The paper says that if her proposal fails, she would have to choose between remaining in the customs union or pulling out completely.

Government pledges £100m to end rough sleeping
The BBC reports that the Government has promised to end rough sleeping in England by 2027 in its new Rough Sleeping Strategy, to be announced by Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary James Brokenshire today. It has promised to spend £100m ‘to help people turn their lives around’, including spending on mental health, substance misuse and housing.

Johnson calls for stamp duty cut
The Daily Telegraph carries a column by Boris Johnson, in which he claims that ‘absurdly high’ stamp duty should be cut and targets for affordable housing should be ditched in an attempt to increase rates of building. He claims that developers have become an ‘oligopoly’, land-banking and building poor-quality homes.

Minister apologises after Tory tweet leaves Chris Boardman ‘genuinely sick’
The Mirror says that Chris Boardman, the Olympic medal-winning cyclist whose mum was killed while cycling, has claimed that he was left ‘genuinely sick’ by a Conservative claim that new laws would protect ‘our most vulnerable road users’ from cyclists, leading transport minister Jesse Norman to issue an apology and the party to delete the tweet in question.

Moderate Tories set up ‘pragmatic Brexit’ group
The Daily Telegraph reveals that a bloc of 50 moderate Conservative MPs led by Simon Hart and Andrew Percy have established the Brexit Delivery Group, which aims ‘to find a pragmatic Brexit outcome’ and challenge the European Research Group. The party’s head of policy, Chris Skidmore, has called for the party to unite and to talk about domestic issues.

Stewart calls on military to boost prison leadership
The Times reports that prisons minister Rory Stewart is asking for assistance from military leaders to set up a military-style staff college for prison governors, although he has abandoned the idea of making governors wear uniforms. The paper adds that prison sources have cast doubt on the idea that the military’s experience is relevant.

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Today’s Political Headlines include Davidson calling Johnson’s burka remarks gratuitously offensive, residents to be given a direct say over local decisions, no deal Brexit fears causing the pound to fall and May writing to Tory members about her Brexit plans.  

Davidson calls Johnson’s burka remarks ‘gratuitously offensive’
The Daily Telegraph reports that Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson has said that Muslim women who wear burkas should be treated in the same way as Christians who wear crucifixes, describing comments by Boris Johnson about the garment as ‘gratuitously offensive’. The Times adds that a ‘senior iman’, Taj Hargey of the Oxford Islamic Congregation, has said that Johnson should ‘not apologise for telling the truth’, while The Sun claims that the party has been accused of ‘blinking’ by not launching an investigation, despite deceiving ‘dozens’ of complaints.

Residents to be given direct say over local decisions
The Times carries details of the Government’s new civil society strategy, which it says will give residents the power to have their say on local proposals, using online polls or ‘citizen juries’, with local authorities in six areas taking part in a trial over the next year. The Guardian adds that the ‘big society’-style policy will also see charities playing a larger role in providing public services, such as social care, homelessness and libraries.

No deal Brexit fears cause pound to fall, as EU leaders prepare new offer
The Guardian says that the pound has fallen against the dollar and the euro to the lowest level this year, which it links to increasing concerns that the UK could leave the EU without a deal. The Times adds that European leaders are preparing to offer a deal allowing the UK to remain in the single market for goods but opt out of free movement of people, in return for further concessions from May, under a plan to be discussed in Salzburg next month.

May writes to Tory members about Brexit plan
The Guardian reports that Theresa May has written a letter to Conservative members in an attempt to persuade them to back her Chequers plan for Brexit. The letter, which carries the endorsement of prominent Brexiteers including Andrea Leadsom and Liam Fox, claims that her proposals are ‘in no sense a concession’ to the EU’s demands.

McDonnell claimed Israel tried to commit ‘genocide’ against Palestinians
According to The Daily Telegraph, in 2016 Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell told a meeting of the Labour Representation Committee that Israel was trying to commit ‘genocide’ against the Palestinians and shared a platform with Jackie Wilson, who had previously accused Jews of being the ‘chief financiers of the sugar and slave trade’.

Corbyn faces ‘ambush’ by local parties over second Brexit referendum
The Sun claims the Jeremy Corbyn is facing ‘an ambush’ by 300 local Labour parties in an attempt to force him to back a second Brexit referendum. A campaign is to be launched next week to persuade activists to sign a motion to be voted on at the party’s conference next month calling for a ‘People’s Vote’ and possibly also for the UK to stay in the EU.

Lewis announces aim to make MP shortlists gender-balanced
The Financial Times says that Conservative Party Chairman Brandon Lewis has announced that the party is aiming to have shortlists for prospective MPs split equally between male and female candidates. He said that the current situation under which around 30% of the people selected by the party to stand at the next election are women was ‘not enough’.

Tory MP calls on Government to learn lessons from council’s collapse
The Guardian reports that Andrew Lewer, the Conservative MP for Northamptonshire South, has asked ministers to ‘learn the lessons’ from the financial collapse of Northamptonshire County Council in order to prevent it from happening elsewhere. He said that there needed to be ‘a discussion on how future local government is structured, financed and delivered’.

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Today’s Political Headlines include the extradition request for Russian nerve agent suspects, the Labour plot in a Sussex B&B, tougher sentences for downloading child abuse images and the no deal Brexit warning from police chiefs. 

UK ready to submit extradition request for Russian nerve agent suspects
In an exclusive, The Guardian asserts that the UK is about to submit an extradition request to Russia for two people suspected of carrying out the nerve agent attack in Salisbury. The paper claims that the move follows months of investigation by the police and the security investigations and that the Crown Prosecution Service has now completed its process and is ready to file its request, although a ‘scornful response’ is expected from Russia.

Labour moderates plot at luxury Sussex venue
The Daily Express reveals that a group of around 12 moderate Labour MPs have held at least two away days in a luxury Sussex B&B ‘to discuss how to take back control of the party’. One MP claimed that a plan discussed was to allow Corbyn to win the next election and for the moderates to then form their own party or a separate Labour party in Parliament. Chris Leslie claimed that the meetings were about policy and that Corbyn had not been discussed.

Tougher sentences for viewers of child abuse images
Robert Buckland, the Solicitor General, has told The Daily Telegraph that paedophiles who download child abuse images will face tougher sentences and should be dealt with as harshly as those who abuse children. The offence will be brought into the ‘unduly lenient sentence’ scheme, allowing members of the public to challenge sentences. Official figures show that less than one in four people convicted of the offence goes to jail.

Police chiefs issue no deal Brexit warning to Javid
The Guardian has seen a leaked letter from the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners to Home Secretary Sajid Javid, warning that a no deal Brexit would ‘pose significant risks to our local communities’ and cause ‘a significant loss of operational capacity’. The letter details 32 different measures which rely on EU membership.

May blamed for chaotic no deal preparations
The Daily Telegraph claims that Theresa May is being blamed for ‘chaotic’ preparations for a no deal Brexit. Officials are currently compiling seventy technical notices to explain what firms and self-employed workers need to do to prepare, but ministers have complained that they were not consulted before the papers were announced, while civil servants are having to create extra documents in order to meet May’s promise.

May holds talks with Sturgeon
The BBC says that Theresa May is to hold talks with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon today. May is in Scotland to launch the Edinburgh and South East Scotland city deal and will also visit the Edinburgh Festival. Ahead of the meeting, Sturgeon has called on May to set out her ‘plan B’ if European leaders reject her Brexit proposals.

Labour abandons action against Hodge
The Times reports that Margaret Hodge has accused the Labour Party of lying in its explanation for the abandonment of the disciplinary action against her. She rejected the suggestion that the investigation had been dropped because she had expressed regret to the party’s chief whip, Nick Brown. She admits telling Jeremy Corbyn that he was ‘perceived as being antisemitic’ but denies swearing at him.

Truss calls for planning restrictions to be lifted
The Daily Mail says that the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Liz Truss, is facing a ‘furious backlash’ after she called for more houses to be built on greenfield sites and for planning rules to be liberalised, allowing houses to be extended upwards without planning permission. She claimed that if this did not happen, Corbyn would win the next election.

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Today’s Political Headlines include the Jewish Museum blocking Corbyn’s speech, May set to meet Macron, another Tory MP backing a second Brexit referendum and the need to speed up NHS training. 

Jewish Museum blocks Corbyn speech
The Telegraph is reporting that the Jewish Museum has rejected Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s request to make a speech at the venue, over fears that the event would be a stunt rather than a constructive exercise. This follows the decision by Momentum to pull their support for NEC candidate Peter Willsman, after he questioned legitimacy of anti-Semitism complaints, a decision that The Guardian has said split Corbyn’s allies. The Times also reports that a former wizard of the Ku Klux Klan praised the election of Corbyn in 2015, saying that it proved that people were recognising ‘Zionist power’.

May set to meet Macron for Brexit crunch talks
Theresa May is set to meet with French president Emmanuel Macron today, in an attempt to gain support for her Chequers plan, according to The Guardian. May is hopeful that she can win over Macron, a move that would help influence other EU partners and potentially shift chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier away from his opposition to the deal.

Tory MP backs second Brexit referendum
According to Business Insider, Conservative MP Sarah Wollaston has pledged her support for the People’s Vote campaign, a group that is calling for a vote on the final Brexit deal. Wollaston joins party colleagues Justine Greening, Anna Soubry and Philip Lee in calling for a second vote, but is only the second Tory MP to publicly back the People’s Vote campaign itself. Fellow Conservative MPs Amber Russ, Nicky Morgan and Antoinette Sandbach are also rumoured to be joining the People’s Vote.

Speed up NHS training to solve Brexit shortages, says Health Minister
The Telegraph reports that Health Minister Stephen Barclay has suggested NHS staff shortages after Brexit could be solved by accelerating the qualification process. Currently medical students must train for five years before becoming doctors, however Barclay has suggested this could be shortened to ease staffing pressures. Patients’ groups have warned against any watering down of training, saying that patient safety must not be compromised.

Government department under fire for advertising low-paying jobs
The Times has revealed that an initiative by the Department for Work and Pensions to get young people into summer employment has listed job vacancies paying as little as £2 an hour. The scheme, overseen by work and pensions secretary Esther McVey, has been exposed for offering positions paying lower than the national minimum wage, with some adverts described as apprenticeships and others offering zero-hour contracts.

No investigation into DUP spending during the EU referendum
The Guardian is reporting that the Electoral Commission will not open an investigation into spending by the Democratic Unionist Party during the EU referendum. Allegations that the party had coordinated spending with the Vote Leave campaign in order to break legal spending limits have been dismissed, with the commission citing a lack of evidence for the claims.

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