Theresa May faces backlash after insisting police cuts have 'no direct correlation' to rising knife crime
Theresa May sparked a fierce backlash over the government’s handling of knife crime after denying police cuts are linked to the latest wave of fatal stabbings. Senior police officers and politicians have spoken out to warn that Britons are losing faith in the government’s ability to put an end to the violence. The backlash comes after two 17-year-olds were stabbed to death in separate incidents in London and Greater Manchester at the weekend. Mrs May had said there "was no direct correlation between certain crimes and police numbers".
EU must learn from Brexit and reform, says Emmanuel Macron
Emmanuel Macron has called for a new European agency to fight against international cyber-attacks and the manipulation of election campaigns, as well as a ban on foreign powers funding European parties, as he set out plans to overhaul the EU in response to Britain’s vote to leave. The French president, a pro-European centrist, made the rare move of appealing directly to citizens across the bloc in a long letter published by the Guardian and 27 other newspapers. Macron’s move comes weeks before the UK is scheduled to leave the EU, and months before European parliament elections in which nationalist parties are expected to increase their share of the vote. He said it was urgent to address the failings exposed by the Brexit vote.
“Who told the British people the truth about their post-Brexit future?” he asked. “Who spoke to them about losing access to the European market? Who mentioned the risks to peace in Ireland of restoring the former border? Nationalist retrenchment offers nothing. It is rejection without an alternative. And this trap threatens the whole of Europe. The anger-mongers, backed by fake news, promise anything and everything.
Labour anti-Semitism row: Hodge claims Corbyn 'misled' her
Jewish Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge has expressed fresh concerns about how her party is handling accusations of anti-Semitism. In a letter to Jeremy Corbyn, she claims she has been misled over assurances that his office was not involved in any disciplinary process. "Either you have intentionally misled me or your staff have been misleading you," she complained.
Dame Margaret's letter references a report by the Observer claiming that internal documents showed senior Labour figures last year opposed recommendations to suspend several party activists accused of anti-Semitism. The Barking MP wrote that she had been left "bewildered" by the account in the newspaper which "contradicts what you told me to my face last week".
Last week Corbyn reassured me categorically that his office never intervened in antisemitism complaints. @ObserverUK whistleblower account clearly shows Corbyn’s office have intervened. Either Corbyn has intentionally misled me or his staff have misled him. Full letter below
"However, it is clear from the whistleblower's account [in the Observer] that your staff did intervene and have had a direct role in complaints."
Chris Grayling under fire from MPs for Brexit ferry absence
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has been accused by MPs of evading scrutiny over his department's £33m Brexit payout to Eurotunnel, after another minister took his place in the Commons. Health Secretary Matt Hancock responded to questions about Friday's settlement. He defended his appearance, saying the out-of-court payment had secured the "unhindered" supply of medicines if there was no Brexit deal this month. But Labour said Mr Grayling had become an "international embarrassment". Its transport spokesman, Andy McDonald, said the cabinet minister had shown his "disregard for taxpayers" by his absence and must be sacked immediately.
Theresa May branded an 'IDIOT' sparking HUGE row - 'Thatcher wouldn't have done that!' PRIME MINISTER Theresa May was branded an “idiot” live on-air by a radio host sparking a huge row with a Conservative Party MP.
Second referendum WARNING: Brexiteers opposed 'because Leave could LOSE' claims expert BREXITEERS are vehemently opposed to a second referendum because they fear the decision to leave the EU could be overturned, according to a top academic.
Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London, said a shift in public opinion means Theresa May and pro-Brexit MPs “do not want to risk” a rerun of the 2016 vote. Prof Bale said Brexiteers’ opposition to the Irish border backstop is partly fuelled by the fact Britain did not secure the sort of deal they had hoped for. And he played down the prospects for Nigel Farage’s new Brexit Party.
Speaking to German business news magazine Wirtschaftswoche, Prof Bale acknowledged scrapping Brexit would “cause a lot of anger” among Leave supporters. But he said warnings of violent street protests are “probably exaggerated”. Asked if the fear of losing is driving Breixteer opposition to a second referendum, the academic said: “That's the case, I think. Of course we cannot be sure how a second referendum would turn out. But there has been a shift in public opinion towards staying in the EU.
Brexit is an 'irresponsible lie peddled by anger mongers backed by fake news' that has caused Europe's biggest crisis since WWII, rages French President Macron France's President Macron said the UK's withdrawal from the EU 'offers nothing' He published his open letter in 22 EU languages last night and shared it online It comes as Theresa May tries desperately to secure a last-minute deal
If the Conservatives aren’t careful, their next leader could be their last
The thought of who might be the next leader of their party is never too far from a politician’s mind, particularly if the person doing the thinking has any chance of being elected to that position. Yet in the days of Thatcher, Wilson or Blair, this could only be a fanciful daydream as the incumbent leaders went on and on, seemingly for a political lifetime. Today, by contrast, an aspiring leader in any of Britain’s main parties can live in a state of permanent and anxious expectation. All the leaders are in trouble, or have said they are going before long. Anybody can be elected, and Jeremy Corbyn has proved it. If you think you have the answer to all the nation’s problems, you can be fairly...
May 'did not understand EU when she triggered Brexit'
Theresa May and her circle of advisers did not understand how the European Union works, and consequently followed a negotiating strategy in 2016 that was doomed to fail, the former UK ambassador to the EU Sir Ivan Rogers has said. Speaking to the Institute for Government on Monday, Rogers said the people around the prime minister at the start of the article 50 process “didn’t know very much about European councils or that much about the EU”.
Angela Rayner has panic buttons fitted after online threats Labour MP says ‘someone claiming to be Jeremy Corbyn supporter’ arrested
Labour MP Angela Rayner has said she recently received rape and death threats from “someone claiming to be a Jeremy Corbyn supporter” and that she had had panic buttons fitted at her home. The shadow education secretary spoke out about her experience on Monday after receiving a string of “nasty tweets and social media comments”, after she had praised Tony Blair’s performance in a Sunday television interview.
Rayner said that the abuse she had received “proves we have a problem with some on the left that cannot disagree respectfully” in a Facebook posting. “We have to stop the personal attacks and be kinder to each other,” she wrote. The MP added: “It was only a couple of weeks ago someone claiming to be a Jeremy Corbyn supporter was arrested for making threats to rape and murder me on social media. My house has panic buttons fitted.”
Labour general secretary fails to placate angry MPs over antisemitism Jennie Formby fails to win over critics at tense meeting with parliamentary party
Labour MPs have claimed the party’s general secretary, Jennie Formby, had “not learned anything” when they confronted her about the handling of antisemitism at a tense meeting in Westminster on Monday. Formby faced a coordinated onslaught from MPs, who challenged her over a report in Sunday’s Observer that members of Jeremy Corbyn’s inner circle had taken a direct role in sifting out some disciplinary cases. She told MPs that political appointees were no longer given any role in disciplinary cases. But Louise Ellman, the MP for Liverpool Riverside, who has repeatedly expressed concerns about the party’s record on the issue, emerged from the weekly meeting of the parliamentary Labour party (PLP) to say she felt “angry” about Formby’s responses. The unanswered question: why do antisemites think Labour is the party for them? John Harris
“She was talking about ‘rightwing antisemitism’. She still said it was a small percentage [of Labour members involved in antisemitism], which is completely beside the point. I don’t think she’s learned anything,” she said. “The problems with the party’s failure to deal with antisemitism are political.” Ellman suggested some senior Labour party figures would “find every reason possible not to discipline someone who is from their group”. Labour was forced to deny last week that Corbyn had been directly involved in the initial decision not to suspend the Derby North MP and close ally Chris Williamson while a “pattern of behaviour” was investigated.
Brexit: Tory MPs should risk long delay rather than back May's 'poisonous' deal, expert advises Verdict from QC advising hardline Conservatives on Irish backstop would sink prime minister's deal in next week's 'meaningful vote' - if followed
Pro-Brexit Tories should risk a long delay to leaving the EU rather than bow to pressure to back Theresa May’s “poisonous” deal, says the QC advising them. Conservative MPs who sank the agreement in January have been told to stand firm in next week’s repeat “meaningful vote” – even if the price is an extension of the Article 50 exit notice until the end of 2020.
Significantly, the advice comes from Martin Howe, a barrister specialising in EU law appointed by anti-EU Tories to analyse the legal implications of any changes to the Irish backstop secured by the prime minister.
Comments
Theresa May sparked a fierce backlash over the government’s handling of knife crime after denying police cuts are linked to the latest wave of fatal stabbings.
Senior police officers and politicians have spoken out to warn that Britons are losing faith in the government’s ability to put an end to the violence.
The backlash comes after two 17-year-olds were stabbed to death in separate incidents in London and Greater Manchester at the weekend.
Mrs May had said there "was no direct correlation between certain crimes and police numbers".
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/theresa-may-faces-backlash-after-insisting-police-cuts-have-no-direct-correlation-to-rising-knife-crime/ar-BBUn7Ol?ocid=spartanntp
Emmanuel Macron has called for a new European agency to fight against international cyber-attacks and the manipulation of election campaigns, as well as a ban on foreign powers funding European parties, as he set out plans to overhaul the EU in response to Britain’s vote to leave.
The French president, a pro-European centrist, made the rare move of appealing directly to citizens across the bloc in a long letter published by the Guardian and 27 other newspapers.
Macron’s move comes weeks before the UK is scheduled to leave the EU, and months before European parliament elections in which nationalist parties are expected to increase their share of the vote. He said it was urgent to address the failings exposed by the Brexit vote.
“Who told the British people the truth about their post-Brexit future?” he asked. “Who spoke to them about losing access to the European market? Who mentioned the risks to peace in Ireland of restoring the former border? Nationalist retrenchment offers nothing. It is rejection without an alternative. And this trap threatens the whole of Europe. The anger-mongers, backed by fake news, promise anything and everything.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/eu-must-learn-from-brexit-and-reform-says-emmanuel-macron/ar-BBUmQYo?ocid=spartandhp
Jewish Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge has expressed fresh concerns about how her party is handling accusations of anti-Semitism.
In a letter to Jeremy Corbyn, she claims she has been misled over assurances that his office was not involved in any disciplinary process.
"Either you have intentionally misled me or your staff have been misleading you," she complained.
Dame Margaret's letter references a report by the Observer claiming that internal documents showed senior Labour figures last year opposed recommendations to suspend several party activists accused of anti-Semitism.
The Barking MP wrote that she had been left "bewildered" by the account in the newspaper which "contradicts what you told me to my face last week".
Last week Corbyn reassured me categorically that his office never intervened in antisemitism complaints. @ObserverUK whistleblower account clearly shows Corbyn’s office have intervened. Either Corbyn has intentionally misled me or his staff have misled him. Full letter below
"However, it is clear from the whistleblower's account [in the Observer] that your staff did intervene and have had a direct role in complaints."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-47451023
Average council tax bills in England will increase by 4.5% a year from April, reaching more than £1,800 in some regions, research suggests.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-47442652
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has been accused by MPs of evading scrutiny over his department's £33m Brexit payout to Eurotunnel, after another minister took his place in the Commons.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock responded to questions about Friday's settlement.
He defended his appearance, saying the out-of-court payment had secured the "unhindered" supply of medicines if there was no Brexit deal this month.
But Labour said Mr Grayling had become an "international embarrassment".
Its transport spokesman, Andy McDonald, said the cabinet minister had shown his "disregard for taxpayers" by his absence and must be sacked immediately.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-47446459
PRIME MINISTER Theresa May was branded an “idiot” live on-air by a radio host sparking a huge row with a Conservative Party MP.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1095621/Brexit-news-UK-Theresa-May-European-Union-Conservative-Party-EU
BREXITEERS are vehemently opposed to a second referendum because they fear the decision to leave the EU could be overturned, according to a top academic.
Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London, said a shift in public opinion means Theresa May and pro-Brexit MPs “do not want to risk” a rerun of the 2016 vote. Prof Bale said Brexiteers’ opposition to the Irish border backstop is partly fuelled by the fact Britain did not secure the sort of deal they had hoped for. And he played down the prospects for Nigel Farage’s new Brexit Party.
Speaking to German business news magazine Wirtschaftswoche, Prof Bale acknowledged scrapping Brexit would “cause a lot of anger” among Leave supporters.
But he said warnings of violent street protests are “probably exaggerated”.
Asked if the fear of losing is driving Breixteer opposition to a second referendum, the academic said: “That's the case, I think. Of course we cannot be sure how a second referendum would turn out. But there has been a shift in public opinion towards staying in the EU.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1095543/brexit-news-second-referendum-latest-professor-tim-bale-brexit-party-prediction
France's President Macron said the UK's withdrawal from the EU 'offers nothing'
He published his open letter in 22 EU languages last night and shared it online
It comes as Theresa May tries desperately to secure a last-minute deal
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6771177/Emmanuel-Macron-calls-Brexit-irresponsible-lie.html
The thought of who might be the next leader of their party is never too far from a politician’s mind, particularly if the person doing the thinking has any chance of being elected to that position. Yet in the days of Thatcher, Wilson or Blair, this could only be a fanciful daydream as the incumbent leaders went on and on, seemingly for a political lifetime.
Today, by contrast, an aspiring leader in any of Britain’s main parties can live in a state of permanent and anxious expectation. All the leaders are in trouble, or have said they are going before long. Anybody can be elected, and Jeremy Corbyn has proved it. If you think you have the answer to all the nation’s problems, you can be fairly...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/03/04/conservatives-arent-careful-next-leader-could-last/
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/03/04/theresa-may-warned-must-whip-mps-stop-taking-no-deal-brexit/
Theresa May and her circle of advisers did not understand how the European Union works, and consequently followed a negotiating strategy in 2016 that was doomed to fail, the former UK ambassador to the EU Sir Ivan Rogers has said.
Speaking to the Institute for Government on Monday, Rogers said the people around the prime minister at the start of the article 50 process “didn’t know very much about European councils or that much about the EU”.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/mar/04/theresa-may-did-not-understand-eu-when-she-triggered-brexit
Labour MP says ‘someone claiming to be Jeremy Corbyn supporter’ arrested
Labour MP Angela Rayner has said she recently received rape and death threats from “someone claiming to be a Jeremy Corbyn supporter” and that she had had panic buttons fitted at her home.
The shadow education secretary spoke out about her experience on Monday after receiving a string of “nasty tweets and social media comments”, after she had praised Tony Blair’s performance in a Sunday television interview.
Rayner said that the abuse she had received “proves we have a problem with some on the left that cannot disagree respectfully” in a Facebook posting. “We have to stop the personal attacks and be kinder to each other,” she wrote.
The MP added: “It was only a couple of weeks ago someone claiming to be a Jeremy Corbyn supporter was arrested for making threats to rape and murder me on social media. My house has panic buttons fitted.”
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/mar/04/angela-rayner-has-panic-buttons-fitted-after-online-threats
Jennie Formby fails to win over critics at tense meeting with parliamentary party
Labour MPs have claimed the party’s general secretary, Jennie Formby, had “not learned anything” when they confronted her about the handling of antisemitism at a tense meeting in Westminster on Monday.
Formby faced a coordinated onslaught from MPs, who challenged her over a report in Sunday’s Observer that members of Jeremy Corbyn’s inner circle had taken a direct role in sifting out some disciplinary cases. She told MPs that political appointees were no longer given any role in disciplinary cases.
But Louise Ellman, the MP for Liverpool Riverside, who has repeatedly expressed concerns about the party’s record on the issue, emerged from the weekly meeting of the parliamentary Labour party (PLP) to say she felt “angry” about Formby’s responses.
The unanswered question: why do antisemites think Labour is the party for them?
John Harris
“She was talking about ‘rightwing antisemitism’. She still said it was a small percentage [of Labour members involved in antisemitism], which is completely beside the point. I don’t think she’s learned anything,” she said. “The problems with the party’s failure to deal with antisemitism are political.” Ellman suggested some senior Labour party figures would “find every reason possible not to discipline someone who is from their group”.
Labour was forced to deny last week that Corbyn had been directly involved in the initial decision not to suspend the Derby North MP and close ally Chris Williamson while a “pattern of behaviour” was investigated.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/mar/04/labour-general-secretary-fails-to-placate-mps-over-antisemitism
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/live/2019/mar/05/brexit-latest-news-hunt-concedes-tory-mps-could-be-given-free-vote-on-ruling-out-no-deal-politics-live
Verdict from QC advising hardline Conservatives on Irish backstop would sink prime minister's deal in next week's 'meaningful vote' - if followed
Pro-Brexit Tories should risk a long delay to leaving the EU rather than bow to pressure to back Theresa May’s “poisonous” deal, says the QC advising them.
Conservative MPs who sank the agreement in January have been told to stand firm in next week’s repeat “meaningful vote” – even if the price is an extension of the Article 50 exit notice until the end of 2020.
Significantly, the advice comes from Martin Howe, a barrister specialising in EU law appointed by anti-EU Tories to analyse the legal implications of any changes to the Irish backstop secured by the prime minister.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-delay-theresa-may-deal-tory-leave-eu-article-50-european-research-group-a8807466.html