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Today’s political headlines includes senior Conservatives tell May to reject customs union, top economist warns of rising inequality and Hunt calls for more defence spending. 

Senior Conservatives tell May to reject customs union
The Times reports that thirteen former Cabinet ministers and Sir Graham Brady, Chair of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs, have written to Theresa May, arguing that she should reject Labour’s demands for a customs union with the EU after Brexit. All of the members of the group, which includes Gavin Williamson, Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab, point out that they voted for May’s deal in March. The BBC says that the UK’s chief Brexit negotiator, Olly Robbins, is visiting Brussels today to discuss how quickly changes could be made to the political declaration on future relations between the UK and the EU.

Top economist warns of rising inequality
The Guardian says that Sir Angus Deaton, the Nobel-prize winning economist leading a review of inequality in the UK with the Institute for Fiscal Studies, has said that rising levels of inequality mean that the UK is at risk of following the example of the USA, one of the world’s most unequal nations. He told the paper that ‘there’s a real question about whether democratic capitalism is working, when it’s only working for part of the population’.

Hunt calls for more defence spending
The Daily Telegraph says Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said the UK should ‘decisively increase’ defence spending, claiming he favours spending 4% of GDP on the armed forces, rather than 2%. He warned of the risks posed by Russia and China, cyber warfare, and a ‘conflict happening by accident’ as tensions between the USA and Iran increase.

Eight of the UK’s top 20 hedge fund managers donated to Tories in last two years
In an exclusive, the Daily Mirror carries details of research by Labour which reveals that eight of the 20 wealthiest hedge fund managers in the UK have donated to the Conservatives in the last two years, amounting to £2.9m. Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Jon Trickett said that this explained why ‘the Tories have failed to tackle runaway inequality’.

Gove backs calls for tougher fines for leaving engines on
The Times says that Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Michael Gove is backing calls from Westminster City Council for councils to be empowered to instantly fine drivers who repeatedly leave their engine running while parked. Council leader Nickie Aitken also called for a ‘four-figure’ fine for company vehicles, in place of the current £20 to £80 fine.

Organised crime offenders double the size of the army
The Financial Times reports that Lynne Owens, Director of the National Crime Agency, said there are more than 180,000 offenders linked to organised crime, more than double the size of the army. She is calling for her agency’s budget to be doubled to tackle this threat.

Javid resists pressure to allow asylum seekers to work
The Sun says that Home Secretary Sajid Javid is resisting demands from the Treasury to allow asylum seekers to work, in a bid to reduce the cost of benefits and bring in more income tax. The change could form part of the new post-Brexit immigration rules, but a Home Office source asked how it could ‘allow people to work in any job that involves a degree of trust when we are yet to establish exactly who they are’.

Heidi Allen challenges Nigel Farage to a debate
The Guardian reports that Heidi Allen, the leader of Change UK, has challenged her counterpart at the Brexit Party, Nigel Farage, to a televised debate ahead of the European elections. She said that the debate would be between a vision ‘which seeks to divide communities, demonise migrants and blame all of the world’s problems on the EU’ and one which puts the UK ‘at the centre of the global community and leading on the world stage’.

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Today’s political headlines includes Cabinet ministers to urge May to abandon talks with Labour, Starmer doubts Parliament would approve a cross-party deal with no referendum, Treasury confirms world’s first plastic tax and councils to be required to give domestic abuse victims safe accommodation. 

Cabinet ministers to urge May to abandon talks with Labour
The Times says that Cabinet ministers are pressuring Theresa May to abandon the Government’s talks with Labour over Brexit. Instead, ministers who favour reaching a deal with the EU will tomorrow ask the Prime Minister to outline a timetable for indicative votes by MPs to take place after the European elections and resist attempts to increase no-deal planning. Chancellor Philip Hammond reportedly told colleagues that the idea that an acceptable deal could emerge from the talks was a ‘false premise’.

Starmer doubts Parliament would approve a cross-party deal with no referendum
Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer has told The Guardian that he doubts that a cross-party Brexit deal would pass through Parliament without a confirmatory referendum being included, but claimed that only Labour could deliver such a referendum. He said that the Government had ‘not really’ shown willingness to change its red lines, adding that if Theresa May set a date for her resignation this would undermine the talks and that ‘it would be wrong’ for the talks to continue for much longer if progress seemed unattainable.

Treasury confirms world’s first plastic tax
The Daily Mail is celebrating a ‘major victory’ for its ‘Turn the Tide on Plastic’ campaign, after the Treasury confirmed that it is going ahead with plans for the world’s first plastic tax, which will affect manufacturers who don’t use at least 30% recycled content in their plastic. This will also boost the recycling industry, by increasing demand. Treasury Secretary Robert Jenrick said that less than half of plastic is recycled and ‘we can’t go on like this’.

Councils to be required to give domestic abuse victims safe accommodation
The Sun says that Theresa May will announce today that all councils will be legally required to give safe accommodation to domestic abuse victims, ending the present ‘postcode lottery’ of provision. The paper hails the news as a victory for its ‘Give Me Shelter’ campaign and carries an article by May, in which she vows that ‘whoever you are, wherever you live and whatever the abuse you face, you will have access to the services you need to be safe.’

European drivers buy twice as many electric cars as British drivers
The Times claims that a new report by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association shows that drivers in other European countries bought twice as many electric cars as those in the UK, as the Government made significant cuts to its grants for the vehicles. The Department for Transport said that the UK was at the ‘forefront’ of green cars.

Tory MPs angered by party’s own election leaflets
The Daily Telegraph reports that Conservative MPs have been angered by a leaflet produced by the party ahead of the European elections, which encourages recipients to lobby Brexiteer MPs to back Theresa May’s Brexit deal in order to stop the elections from going ahead. Priti Patel described the leaflet, and associated website, as an ‘outrage’.

Cashless society will affect elderly and poor
The Financial Times carries details of a new report by the Commons Treasury Committee, which warns the UK risks ‘inadvertently becoming a cashless society’ unless the Government takes action, leaving people, such as the elderly and those on low incomes, vulnerable. The committee says the Government should be prepared to force banks to keep branches open.

Food businesses pledge to cut waste
The Daily Telegraph says that some of the UK largest food businesses are to pledge to halve food waste by 2030 at a symposium hosted by Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Michael Gove today. Participating firms include Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Nestle.

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Today’s political headlines includes medics warning Government is ignoring air pollution advice, at least five men killed after being deported to Jamaica, Home Office to review charge for calling police, emergency services communications overhaul delayed and over-budget. 

Medics warn Government is ignoring air pollution advice
The Times says that the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health are warning that the Government is ignoring medical advice and doing the ‘minimum possible’ to tackle air pollution, focusing on a ‘series of distractions’ including wood-burning stoves, instead of concentrating on the problems caused by traffic fumes.

At least five men killed after being deported to Jamaica
The Guardian claims that at least five men have been killed in Jamaica since last March after being deported there by the Home Office, despite rules banning it from deporting individuals to countries where their life might be at risk. The Home Office does not monitor what happens to deportees, but following an investigation the paper was able to verify at least five deaths, with one deportee telling it that he feared they were being targeted.

Home Office to review charge for calling police
The Daily Telegraph says that the Home Office has said that it will review the charges for calls to 101, meaning that victims of crime may no longer have to pay to call the police. The department might pay the £3.3m cost itself, or make telecoms firms pay for it. Vodafone has already announced that it will stop charging customers for calling the number.

Emergency services communications overhaul delayed and over-budget
The Daily Mirror reports that a National Audit Office report warns that a ‘critical’ overhaul of the communications network, Airwave, used by the emergency services is likely to be further delayed, despite the Home Office having already put it back by three years, to 2022. The project will cost £3.1bn more than planned, and key technology has yet to be proven.

Fox says he sympathises with Brexit Party voters
International Trade Secretary Liam Fox has told The Sun that he sympathises with Conservatives who are considering voting for the Brexit Party in the European elections. He said he would be campaigning for Tory candidates as the election was about ‘more than one issue’ and revealed that his department has increased no-deal Brexit preparations this week.

Tories fear coming sixth in European election
The Guardian claims that Conservative Party officials fear coming sixth in the European elections, with candidates claiming that the party was ‘almost in denial’ about the election happening and that it was ‘seriously embarrassing’. The party plans to spend no money on candidate campaigning, won’t have a manifesto and isn’t having a campaign launch.

May considering new indicative votes
According to The Daily Telegraph, Theresa May has been warned by a Cabinet minister that she could end up with an ‘Auf Wiedershen, Pet’ Brexit deal that nobody wants if she presses ahead with new indicative votes (a reference to an episode of the TV show in which the builders paint their shed yellow based on second preferences, despite it being no-one’s first preference). May is reportedly considering making MPs rank their preferred Brexit outcomes.

Attempt to stand joint pro-remain candidate in Peterborough fails
The Times reports that an attempt by the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and Change UK to stand a joint candidate at the Peterborough by-election has failed, resulting in ‘chaos and bitter recrimination’ and resulting in Change UK not standing. The parties would have backed Femi Oluwole, of Our Future, Our Choice, but he pulled out at the last minute, with Change UK blaming ‘senior Labour figures’ for warning they would ‘disrupt the campaign’.

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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 Williamson’s sacking, Mordaunt’s appointment and Johnson claiming to fight the Heathrow expansion. 

Williamson sacked over Huawei leak
The BBC reports on Gavin Williamson being sacked as Defence Secretary as he is suspected of being responsible for the Huawei leak, Williamson denies the allegations. Opposition MPs have called for an investigation into whether the Official Secrets Act has been breached. Williamson has since sworn on his children’s lives that he was not the source of the leak, and has blamed his poor relationship with the National Security Adviser for the decision.

Mordaunt appointed first female Defence Secretary
The Guardian reports on Williamson’s replacement, Penny Mordaunt who has become the first female Secretary of State for Defence. Her experience as a Royal Navy reservist and MP for Portsmouth saw her get the role. Mordaunt is a supporter of Brexit and has also been in the frame as a potential party leader when Theresa May leaves her post.

Johnson fighting Heathrow expansion
Boris Johnson has vowed to keep fighting the third runway at Heathrow as reported by The Sun. The claim comes after the High Court threw out a legal challenge over the construction of the runway, with Johnson saying this is not the end of the story. Johnson has concerns over increases in traffic, pollution and noise.

‘Catastrophic’ election losses may see PM forced out of Downing Street
The Daily Express reports that the Conservative Party could lose between 800 and 1,000 seats in today’s local elections, with Bow Group’s Ben Harris-Quincey suggesting that anything less could be spun as a reasonable night.

UK Parliament declares ‘climate emergency’
The BBC is reporting on the decision taken yesterday by MPs to declare a climate emergency. The declaration was one of the key demands put to the government by Extinction Rebellion, the environmental activist group, in a series of protests over recent weeks. The Welsh and Scottish governments have both already declared a climate emergency, along with dozens of towns and cities, including Manchester and London.

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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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