Politics

Philip Hammond has been urged to use next month's Spring Statement to outline measures to fix the broken labour market and rescue the working poor. The Commons work and pensions committee chairman Frank Field called on the chancellor to tackle an "overwhelming precariousness" that has "engulfed families in low-waged work". His pleas come as a new survey found one in three workers are falling behind with household bills, with many turning to payday loans. Centre for Labour and Social Studies...

The Church of England has put forward plans for five days of Brexit prayers after Britain leaves the European Union at the end of next month. Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, the church's spiritual leader, says he wants to pray in public with the leaders of the Catholic, Methodist, Baptist and United Reformed churches on the day after Britain leaves. Speaking to the Sunday Times, a senior Church of England source said: "I would hope that it will resonate with...

A video of Chuka Umunna schooling his future self on the virtues of staying loyal to your party has gone viral after the MP left Labour to found the Independent Group. The video, which was first published in 2016, called on those considering leaving the Labour Party to stay. He said: "The only way you are going to see your values implemented in office is if Labour gets back into government, and we can't do that if the Labour family...

Austerity policies have resulted in nine years of slower growth and left us all £1,495 a year worse off, analysis by The New Economics Foundation has revealed. The think tank found the impact of tax and spending changes since the Conservatives came to power had left the economy £100 billion smaller than it would otherwise have been. As a result, the cumulative effect of tax, public spending and welfare adjustments on growth by the end of the 2018-19 financial year had left the...

A thoughtful document illustrating how to deal with Syrian returners has re-surfaced following Sajid Javid's decision to strip Shamima Begum of her British citizenship. The United Kingdom’s Strategy for Countering Terrorism, published in June last year, details a four step approach that should be used to deal with a British woman who travels to join ISIS and has a baby. They include a managed return to the UK, a criminal investigation, deradicalisation and care for the baby, none of which were applied in...

Tony Blair is odds-on favourite to be next to join the new Independent Group. The former Prime Minister joins Alistair Campbell, Heidi Allen and Nicky Morgan on a list of the potential next big names to join the group. It follows news that three Tory MPs have quit their party to join the centrist faction. Sarah Wollaston, Heidi Allen and Anna Soubry joined eight Labour MPs, with rumours circulating that more politicians are likely to jump ship. The Independent Group have been priced at...

Theresa May was welcomed back to Brussels with a giant billboard ad of her own pro-EU remarks as Brexit D-Day draws close. The Prime Minister is in Belgium today to continue talks with the European Union. She will try to renegotiate the Irish backstop as well as request legally-binding assurances that the backstop will not extend indefinitely. However, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has said he does not expect a "breakthrough" in talks. And to add insult to injury, May was welcomed to...

Three MPs - Sarah Wollaston, Heidi Allen and Anna Soubry - leave the Tory party to join Labour breakaway group. The Independent Group was formed yesterday by seven former Labour MPs, including Chuka Umunna, Luciana Berger and Chris Leslie. Late yesterday evening  Joan Ryan became the eighth MP to quit Labour and join the new group. In a letter to Theresa May to explain their reasons for leaving the Conservative Party, they wrote: “We no longer feel we can remain in the party...

The 59-year-old Leeds man was arrested in Castleford on Friday, 1 February over threats to the Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford MP