Category: Uncategorized

Brexit: EU 'ready to improve' Irish border proposal The EU is “ready to improve” its offer on the Irish border, Michel Barnier has said as he warned the “moment of truth” was nearing for Brexit negotiations. The EU’s negotiator said he wanted most new physical checks to be carried out away from the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, a key demand of Conservative MPs. He also said any backstop solution must respect the UK’s territorial integrity. It comes as Theresa May prepares to win support for…

Harriet Harman accepts Tory MP Kemi Badenoch's hacking apology Labour’s Harriet Harman says she has accepted an apology from a Conservative MP for hacking into her website. Kemi Badenoch said her “foolish prank” took place more than 10 years ago before she was elected to Parliament. The 38-year-old became MP for Saffron Walden in the 2017 election and in January was appointed the Conservative Party’s vice-chairwoman for candidates. Former minister for women Ms Harman said on Twitter she had received a written apology from Mrs Badenoch. Mrs Badenoch had revealed…

Damian Green dismisses Brexit 'conspiracy theories' Theresa May’s former right-hand man has criticised colleagues “who won’t accept evidence” on Brexit, and suggested more of Whitehall’s economic forecasts should be published. Damian Green rejected “conspiracy theories” that there was a plot to thwart the Leave vote. And he acknowledged differences of opinion between ministers on Brexit. Meanwhile ex-Brexit Minister David Jones said the Treasury was trying to “drag out” and “soften” the UK’s exit. Forecasts suggest economic hit from Brexit Rees-Mogg attacks Treasury over Brexit Mr Green, the former first secretary…

Arlene Foster: 'No stand-alone Irish language act' Media playback is unsupported on your device Democratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster has said there will be no free-standing Irish Language act. She told BBC News NI she wanted to “clarify matters,” because some speculation had been “off the mark”. However, Sinn Féin said an Irish Language act is “essential” to any deal that restores the power-sharing executive at Stormont. It was widely anticipated that the DUP and Sinn Féin were close to ending their 13-month stalemate. But, despite a visit from…

Ben Bradley: I cocked up over blog posts about jobless A Conservative MP who has faced criticism over a 2012 blog post suggesting vasectomies for benefit claimants says he “cocked up”. Ben Bradley, who also wrote about a “vast sea of unemployed wasters”, said he couldn’t “unsay” the remarks. But he called for a debate about how young people’s online “mistakes” are handled when they enter politics in later life. The 28-year-old Mansfield MP is the Tory vice-chairman for youth. The blog, which was backing the benefits cap being proposed…

Nigel Farage: UKIP's Henry Bolton can emulate Corbyn UKIP leader Henry Bolton can emulate Jeremy Corbyn by winning over party members to keep his job, his predecessor Nigel Farage has claimed. Mr Farage said his successor had shown “very bad judgement” in recent weeks amid allegations over his private life. But he said UKIP’s National Executive Committee was full of “hopeless amateurs” holding the party back and Mr Bolton could “go round their back”. Like Mr Corbyn, Mr Bolton must show he could “make big political arguments”. Mr Bolton has…

No judicial review into Worboys case Judicial review will not take place into case of rapist John Worboys, UK justice secretary announces This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly. Please refresh the page for the fullest version. You can receive Breaking News on a smartphone or tablet via the BBC News App. You can also follow @BBCBreaking on Twitter to get the latest alerts. Let’s block ads! (Why?) Source: BBC Politics

'I can't report boss for bullying': MPs' staff tell their stories “I’d worked for years to get a full-time job in Westminster and the bullying began after half an hour.” The experience of one man working for an MP in Parliament is revealed in new research by BBC 5 live. It found 24 members of staff claimed to have been bullied by the MP they work for at Westminster. The claims were made in a response to a questionnaire sent by BBC 5 live to all staff publicly listed as…

James Brokenshire: Northern Ireland Secretary resigns Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire has resigned from government, the Northern Ireland Office has confirmed. It’s understood he requires surgery soon for a lung condition. Mr Brokenshire took the role in July 2016, replacing Theresa Villiers. More to follow. Let’s block ads! (Why?) Source: BBC Politics

MP Fiona Onasanya slips Big Shaq's Man's Not Hot lyrics into Commons Media playback is unsupported on your device He has racked up nearly 80 million YouTube views and is at Number 6 in charts - but when a Labour MP quoted Big Shaq in the House of Commons no one seemed to get it. Fiona Onasanya couldn’t resist throwing in a line from Shaq’s Man’s Not Hot as MPs debated Chancellor Philip Hammond’s Budget statement on Tuesday afternoon. “There was no extra money in the Budget for the education…