Politics
Watch – Boris Johnson says Putin is “overwhelmingly likely” to have sanctioned Skripal attack
Vladimir Putin is "overwhelmingly likely" to have ordered the nerve agent attack on Sergei Skripal according to Boris Johnson. The foreign secretary said "our quarrel is with Putin's Kremlin, and with his decision" over the nerve agent attack. Russia denies ordering the attack and has said that the accusations against Putin are "shocking and unforgivable". Russian ex-spy Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia Skripal, 33, remain critically ill in hospital. Speaking alongside the Polish foreign minister, Mr Johnson said...
Refugee children a step closer to being reunited with families as MPs vote for “the right thing to do”
Children who have fled persecution, trafficking and torture to come to the UK are one step closer to being reunited with their close families abroad after MPs from across the political spectrum expressed their assent to the second reading of SNP's Angus MacNeil's Refugees (Family Reunion) Bill. The Refugee Council hailed the vote a "huge step forward towards refugees in the UK being able to be reunited with their families." However as this is a Private Member's Bill, without Theresa...
Corbyn wants to avoid “new cold war” with Russia
Jeremy Corbyn has been coming under fire from the Conservative Party, and his own party, for his stance over Russia in the wake of the poisoning of Sergei Skripal. The Labour leader said that, although Russia is probably culpable of the attack, he wanted proof and a calm response to the Russian state. Responding to the backlash, he wrote in the Guardian that "to rush way ahead of the evidence being gathered by the police, in a fevered parliamentary atmosphere,...
Brexit strikes again as Unilever moves HQ to Rotterdam
Unilever has delivered a fresh blow to beleaguered Britain after it announced its permanent HQ would be based in Rotterdam over London. The announcement is one of the latest corporate moves that questions the impact of Brexit on the UK economy. Despite the brand distancing itself from the UK's exit from the European Union, experts agree that the timing shows it was undoubtedly a big consideration. Dr Carmen Stoian, Lecturer in International Business in the Kent Business School at the University...
Scene at the Russian Embassy as 23 diplomats are expelled
The Russian flag was temporarily lowered at their embassy in West London yesterday following Theresa May's announcement that 23 diplomats were to be expelled from the UK. A man was pictured removing the Russian flag from a pole from the roof of the diplomatic mission in Kensington. Moments later, the same man appeared with a different flag before hoisting it up the flag pole. A journalist for the BBC tweeted: "Just got all excited as a bloke jumped out of...
These are all the MPs who voted for a cruel cap on free school meals from low income families – unless it’s Northern Ireland
This is a full list of MPs who voted to remove the guarantee of a hot meal from the bellies of a million children from lower income families in England. Theresa May is ploughing ahead with changes to free school meals, childcare vouchers and free childcare as part of the flagship Conservative Universal Credit welfare policy. Shadow education secretary Angela Rayner had to fight to be granted a vote on the changes after chancellor Philip Hammond’s spring statement last night....
Britain First Facebook ban is “a long time in coming, and long overdue”
Facebook has removed the pages of the anti-Islamic group Britain First and its leaders. The social media company said the group had repeatedly violated its community standards. London's mayor, Sadiq Khan has also issued a statement. He said: "Britain First is a vile and hate-fuelled group. "Their sick intentions to incite hatred within our society via social media are reprehensible, and Facebook's decision to remove their content is welcome." Matthew Collins, head of research, HOPE not hate, said: “HOPE not...
“Spy poisoning scandal shows we can’t rely on Russia to keep Britain’s light on”
We cannot now, or in future, be reliant on Russia to heat our homes and keep the economy ticking GMB, the energy union, says the spy poisoning scandal shows the utter folly of relying on Russia to keep Britain’s lights on. Prime Minster Theresa May today announced a series of measures against Russia after it failed to meet her midnight deadline to explain how a nerve agent was used to poison a former double agent in the UK. Russia has...
“Cruel school dinner cap forces hard up families off financial cliff edge”
Thousands of families face the awful choice between cutting their working hours or losing their school dinners GMB, the union for school catering staff, has criticised the Government’s new free school meals cap for forcing hard up families off a financial cliff edge. Under the new rules, which come into force next week, children will only be eligible for a free dinner if their parents earn less than £7,400. There are no plans to raise the cap with inflation. This...