Today’s Political Headlines – 30 November 2017

A round-up of the latest political headlines, including the Trump’s twitter spat, the Irish border deal, May’s vision of the UK in the Middle East and Boris Johnson’s opinion that £50bn is worth paying for Brexit. 

President Trump in Twitter spat with Theresa May
Yesterday, US President Donald Trump shared a number of anti-Muslim videos posted on Twitter by the deputy leader of the far-right group Britain First. As The Times reports, this prompted criticism from Theresa May. Trump responded by tweeting that May should ‘focus on the destructive Radical Islamic Terrorism that is taking place within the United Kingdom.’

UK ‘close to Irish border deal’
The Times claims that the UK and EU are close to reaching a deal on the Irish border, which could lead to the offer of a two-year transition deal as soon as January. The British Government is understood to have committed to work towards ‘avoiding regulatory divergence’ in Ireland by devolving a package of powers to Northern Ireland.

May outlines vision of the UK’s role in the Middle East
The Guardian says that May is to set out her vision for the UK’s Middle Eastern role today, as she completes her trip to the region. She will speak about the UK’s efforts against Islamic State and its wider help on economic and social reforms in a major speech in Jordan, in front of an audience which will include the country’s prime minister, Hani al-Mulki.

Boris Johnson: £50bn Brexit bill worth paying
The Daily Telegraph reports remarks by Boris Johnson, in which he said that a £50bn Brexit bill would be worth paying to get ‘the ship off the rocks’. He described the potential agreement on the financial settlement as ‘a fantastic opportunity now to get going’.

Government set to lose £800m on student loan sale
The Government will lose £800m on its latest privatisation of student loans, according to analysis by the Financial Times. The paper warns that this raises ‘questions over the valuation of tens of billions of pounds of remaining graduate debt.’ The Government refused to comment.

First year of school ‘a waste of time’ Ofsted warns
The Daily Mail has details of a new report by Ofsted, warning that the first year of school is a ‘false start’ for many children because basic reading and maths are not being taught well. As a result, children face ‘years of catching up’, with a third not having ‘essential knowledge’ when they move into Year One, rising to nearly half of disadvantaged children.

East Coast rail franchise ‘bailout’
According to The Guardian, Labour has accused the Government as using its new rail strategy as a ‘a total smokescreen’, as ‘the East Coast franchise has failed again and the taxpayer will bail it out.’ The strategy will lead to the termination of the franchise, held by Stagecoach and Virgin Group, three years early and its replacement by a new partnership model. Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has denied that the franchise is being bailed out.

Plastic waste highlighted in Daily Mail campaign
The Daily Mail dedicated its front page to its campaign to reduce plastic waste. It announced that the volume of rubbish found on the country’s coasts had risen by 10% in the last year according to the Marine Conservation Society, whilst Iceland and the Co-op have joined calls for a deposit and return scheme for disposable bottles. The paper adds that there are ‘signs’ that Waitrose and Marks and Spencer are also ‘coming round to the idea’. The Government confirmed that it was launching a call for evidence on the scheme and would be working with industry to explore further reductions in single-use plastics.

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