Politics

Theresa May's Chequers plan has fallen at the first hurdle after the EU's chief negotiator ruled out allowing the UK to collect customs duties on its behalf. Michel Barnier said the UK wanted to "take back control" of its money, law and borders - but so did the EU. He said the EU would not delegate "excises duty collection to a non-member", effectively sabotaging the compromised plan May put to the cabinet earlier this month. Although both he and the new...

A Brexit activist fined £20,000 for breaching spending rules during the EU referendum campaign has raised funds to appeal the decision in just two hours. Darren Grimes, who insists he was "completely innocent" of making false declarations in relation to a £680,000 donation to his BeLeave youth group from the main Vote Leave campaign, raised £20,000 through a crowdfunding campaign backed by right-wing media outlet Guido, who dubbed Grimes a "Brexit hero". He accused the Electoral Commission of acting out...

Stockpiles of medicines, medical devices and "substances of human origin" thought to be blood will be collected in preparation for a Brexit no-deal, the Health Secretary has said today. Matt Hancock, the new Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, confirmed that provisions were been put in place by the department, adding that there will "obviously be a cost for this". He said medicines and medical devices will be stockpiled as well as substances of human origin, which under...

The Government has failed to publish the long-awaited Green Paper on social housing before summer recess, despite repeated promises to outline and consult on plans to tackle the current crisis. This preliminary report was due to set out what the Government intends to do to improve social housing, and mental health charity Mind was hoping to see it specifically address the issues faced by people with mental health problems living in, or waiting for, social housing. Vicki Nash, Head of...

Jeremy Corbyn has told a crowd, in Birmingham, that he would focus government contracts in the UK and would not send projects abroad. Mr Corbyn said a future Labour government will back manufacturing, "because we want to see well-paid jobs in the industries of the future, fuel the tax revenues that fund our public services and the NHS and increase living standards for all." In his speech, Corbyn mentioned that a Labour government would ensure the state used “more of...

Yesterday Amazon warned that a no-deal Brexit would lead to civil unrest within weeks, now MPs have raised concerns about high profile criminals entering our shores if we leave the EU without a deal. Recent reports have raised concerns about the future safety of the UK in a situation were nothing was formally agreed with the other EU member states They reported that the UK could risk access to the SIS II crime database. If this happened then dangerous criminals...

"A lot of people said that what we wanted to achieve was impossible,” the Prime Minister said. “We showed that there is an alternative.”

When you start a new job it is not always the best idea to wind up your stakeholders with threats. However after his predecessor, Boris Johnson, thought that was a good idea, Jeremy Hunt has threatened the EU. On a trip to Berlin, his first trip abroad as Foreign Secretary, he said that citizens on the UK will blame EU for a no-deal Brexit. Hunt said: “Without a real change in approach from the EU negotiators we do now face...

The head of operations in the UK for Amazon made some very worrying claims over a no deal Brexit. He claimed that civil unrest could break out across the UK within days of a no deal Brexit kicking in. UK boss Doug Gurr told a meeting organised by new Brexit secretary Dominic Raab that Amazon was now considering this worst-case outcome as part of their contingency planning. His remarks make Amazon UK the first company to make such a stark...