UK Politics

[Dong Zhou]

-Labour criticizes government for failing to mention Gibraltar in article 50 letter with government hastily trying to soothe the alarmed island

-Dr Fox Liam Fox to visit five countries in the Middle East and Asia during Easter Break

-Gavin Barwell calls those that attacked an asylum seeker in his consistency "scum"

-Sunday Express saying Labour lost 60,000 members in last week

-Expected Labour to lose around 50 seats in local elections and Lib Dems to have a surge while UKIP are set for a rough time

=====

-Andrew Grice on odds of new party

-Peter Hitchens urges both sides of Brexit divide to grow up

-Rawnsley on Brexit bluffing and need to be honest with the public

-Stephen Bush expects a Brexit deal that pleases everyone but hard line Brexiteers

[Dong Zhou]

-Gibraltar First Minister Fabian Picardo says they will remain British and he will make that clear to EU

-Lord Howard raises prospect of using military force over Gibraltar, Labour and Lib Dems accuse him of raising tensions with inflammatory language and even Sir Grieve warning it was over the top. Nuber 10 doesn't comment on Lord Howard's idea other then to promise they are not sending a military taskforce to Gilbraltar

-Troops being sent to Jordan to help them against Isis

-Dame Millicent Fawcett to be first woman statue in Parliament Square

-Greens call for three day weekend

-Lord Prescott says Ian Paisley's phone was bugged by Labour government while Paisley was an MP without parliament being informed

-Spanish government suddenly hinting it is pro an independent Scotland and would not veto it (I suspect if push came to shove, would still seek to block it to prevent Catalan getting ideas')

-Limit of 28 days on police bail comes into force

-Spanish foreign minister Alfonso Dastis remarks the famous British composure seems to have gone missing and time to calm down. Bert Koenders, the Dutch foreign minister, says he knows divorce is hard but best to calm down and not use harsh words, European Commission remarks their way of doing things is diplomacy not war. I don't think Lord Howard's remarks have done our Brexit negotiations any good at all, it is putting us in a bad light with the guys we have to talk to. They may think Lord Howard has rather more influence then he actually does

-David Davis visiting Spain and Portugal in somewhat awkward timing

-Downing Street believes China has key role to play over North Korea and refuses to say much about blue passports

-Apparently when asked about war with Spain, May laughed

-Treasury seems to be spreading word they expect 20 billion to be final Brexit payment

-ICM poll has Labour at joint lowest support since they started doing such polls in 1983, Labour down to 25%, 64% oppose paying 10 billion Brexit exit payment and only 33% would accept a 3 billion payment (May will be having head in hands, she has a lot of work to do to explain things to the British people), only 34% would accept ECJ having oversight of transitional deal (which leaves it hard to say how we would get any), 54% happy to continue with free movement for a few years (a little surprised at that), 48% would be happy for EU migrants to get favoured treatment (not at that one)

-UK factory growth slowed in March

======

-MP's unhappy some of the tampon tax money has gone to pro-life charity

-Jon Ashworth in good humour on Sunday politics

-Ed Miliband, Lord Falconer, Ken Clarke and Cable call for Ofcom to block Fox bid for Sky

-Daniel Zeichner on changes to NHS drugs system

-Kelvin MacKenzie calls the Spanish government creeps and uh people who get up to adult things with donkey's, calls for potential expulsion of all Spaniards in UK

=====

-Tom Peck sarcastically calls for war with Spain to unite the UK

-Kevin Maguire on unions attitude to Labour and Corbyn

-Martin Belam says Remainers misunderstood how much things like blue passports really matter to people

[Dong Zhou]

-Brexit Committee demands economic impact assessment of no deal and steps listed for action if we get no deal, backs Brexit and trade talks at same time but questions if two years is realistic. 10 MP's backed the committee report, six against (five Tories and DUP's Sammy Wilson) as too negative with Raab accusing it of being partisan

- International Development Committee says government must get a grip on private contractors handling aid with bad practises and checking the supply chain

-May defends Saudi Arabia as a key ally (doesn't wear a headscarf when visiting them though), Corbyn calls for weapons ban

-Nobody in N.Ireland talks sounding particularly optimistic

-Lords Committee says Scotland's minimum pricing act needs a lot of changes but UK might want to see if the basic idea works

-May condemns National Trust from dropping Easter from Easter egg hunt (they haven't, has been noted she and Helen Ghosh, the National Trust's director-general, have long not got on), says two year Brexit timetable is realistic but has seemed to change it to a timetable within two years to do trade deal after then which Remainers have pounced on

-Khan warns London air is lethal so will be introducing a harder emission scheme by 2020, Greens say too slow

-Sigmar Gabriel, the German foreign minister, doubts we can do Brexit in two years and warns a no deal would hurt UK more then EU

-Corbyn goes to Newark to launch their local election campaign, says life expectancy for pensioners is falling (Tories say improvement in life expectancy has slowed which isn't the same thing. The guys they are both quoting have said Tories are right and Labour wrong but in fairness, a lot of media thought same as Corbyn. Corbyn are now tweaking their claims) but Labour councils are driving improvements, talks of investing in the county and it's people to offer a different way, blames media for not asking about real issues people care about for why he is doing so badly. On the great issue of our time, Corbyn says he objects to word Cadbury being inserted into Easter Hunt as too commercial while after thinking he was done on LBC, asked interviewer Vincent McAviney (who had concentrated on the elections and his performance) “Haven’t you got anything else to ask about?”

-Robin Barnett, our ambassador to Ireland, admits the border issue has it's own specific challenges and requires a bold trade deal

-Frank Field accuses government of reneging on promise not to cut bereavement benefit

-Construction growth slowed in March, food prices has added £21.31 to the average household shopping bill over the past three months with food prices rising 2.3% in last three months

-Hammond warns some Brexiteers (being seen as "some of my backbenchers") and Remainers don't want UK to have a good relationship with EU

-Boris says we will prosper if given no deal

====

-Ken Livingstone blames Jewish Chronicle for his troubles, expects to be expelled as the committee is too right-wing and Jews aren't offended

-Lord Warner calls for UK to apologize for Balfour Declaration

-Lord Patten calls for students not to count in immigration numbers

-Labour press office with a slight mistake "Keir Starmer MP, Labour’s shadow secretary of state for exiting the UK , has written to David Davis this evening to raise ongoing concerns about the impact of Brexit on Gibraltar."

-Alistair Burt on his journey on Europe

===

-Owen Jones rails against May's foreign policy but think he is wrong to blame Brexit for it

-Katy Adler on EU mood

-Toynbee rages against her generation

-Richard LittleJohn accuses Abbott and Khan of exploiting crime to spread division

-Andrew Grice on Independent's campaign to drop the 100,000 migration target

-Bush on May's Easter row

[Dong Zhou]

-May suggests free movement could continue during transition period, hints those who brought diseal cars when Brown government encouraged it will get some sort of help if cities begin hitting them with charges

-Labour suspend Livingstone from acting as a Labour figure for one more year to make a two year ban but remains member, an unapologetic (his words) Livingstone will appeal and can't see what the fuss is about as he is telling the truth, blames Chief rabbi, Guido Fawkes, MP's (has also blamed Jewish Chronicle in recent days) for the trouble. Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis (presumably not a Jew in Livingstone's mind?) says Labour has let down the Jewish community and clearly isn't serious about tackling anti-Semitism, Baroness Shami Chakrabarti (possibly the worst person Labour's cabinet could have sent out for this?) says it shows the party can handle such cases fairly and look at itself, West Streeting says Livingstone's comments have hampered Labour's ability in elections.

Tom Watson says failure to expel is incomprehensible and is ashamed of the distress Labour has caused the Jewish community, Livingstone is still bringing party into disrepute. Sir Stramer says Livingstone must be expelled, Khan says disappointing and gives impression Labour are not doing their duty to combat anti-Semitism (if Corbyn said that, he would be hammered for being a weak statement), Tulip Siddiq says a year long slap in the face for her community and she is seeing members resigning over this, urging Corbyn to take it to NEC. After several several hours (hearing result was announced Tuesday night, Corbyn response was around 14:30 pm on Wednesday, way way too slow) says other action by NEC should be taken against Livingstone for his more recent remarks which are deeply hurtful to Jewish community, urges Livingstone to keep quiet for awhile and to recognise hurt he has caused. Carefully avoiding interfering with committee independence but opening another route to get Red Ken out

So the comment was unacceptable, found guilty on three charges so why two years and only from running from office? Pleases nobody, Livingstone was never going to accept any ban, those unhappy with him are hardly going to go "wow, what a hard and fair ban that shows Labour are taking this seriously." The damage to Labour among the Jewish community was already done but this furthers the problem rather then helps begin the healing. Corbyn has been handed a hospital pass by that committee and now they have to go through another process which keeps this issue in the headlines

-Public Accounts Committee chairman Meg Hillier fears private consultants for Brexit negotiations will take advantage and warns Whitehall hasn't got a good record of keeping an eye on private contractors

-Business Committee warns executive pay has no credibility, pay ratio's to be published annually and wants workers to have a say

-President Junker says EU will miss UK and a no deal would be bad for everyone

-Bariner warns EU parliament (and UK) that if EU is divided during Brexit then there can be no deal, negotiations will be transparent, says Brexit bill would be nothing more then settling the accounts, says UK demands for talking about Brexit and trade is very risky

-Guy Verhofstad's speech to EU Parliament praised for likes of O'Flynn and Hannan for things like

"Perhaps it was always impossible to unite Great Britain with the continent. Naive to reconcile the legal system of Napoleon with the common law of the British empire. Perhaps it was never meant to be.

But, our predecessors should never be blamed for having tried. Never. It’s as important in politics as it is in life: to try; new partnerships, new horizons, to reach out to each other, the other side of the Channel. I am also sure that - one day or another - there will be a young man or woman who will try again, who will lead Britain into the European family once again. A young generation that will see Brexit for what it really is: a catfight in the Conservative party that got out of hand, a loss of time, a waste of energy, stupidity.

Let’s not forget: Britain entered the union as the ‘sick man of Europe’ and - thanks to the single market - came out of the other side. Europe made Britain also punch above its weight in terms of geopolitics, as in the heydays of the British empire. And we from our side must pay tribute to Britain’s immense contributions: a staunch, unmatched defender of free markets and civil liberties. Thank you for that. As a liberal, I tell you, I will miss that"

In press conference says they must be firm with UK but generous to it's citizens and promises no hard Ireland border but admits it will be very difficult

-Our carmarket has recorded ever sales for a month at 562,337, service sector has highest growth this year thanks to City making up for things like restaurants and gyms that struggled, productivity up though still weak

-European Parliament backs negotiation plan by 560 votes to 133: we can't have same benefits as before, no trade talks till most of Brexit work is done and not done till after we have left, ECJ must be supervising authority and be part of transition period, Brexit bill, no trade deal that involves UK cutting standards, no special sectoral provision and highlighting the City of London, transition period should be limited to three years, wanr sUK not to start trade talks with others till after Brexit.

Seen as same as Tusk's plans but taking a harder line on some of the clauses.

====

-Dr Murrison says Eu needs UK defence forces and better remember it

-Peers complaining about mumbling during TV programs with Lord Blunkett pointing he does need to actually be able to hear things

-Geraint Davies fears for food safety if we have deal with USA

-Graham Brady interviews Australian ambassador Alexander Downer about Brexit

-Farage decides the best way to get a good Brexit deal is tell MEP's they are acting like the mafia (when called out of order, changes it to gangsters in reference to national sensitivities) with Brexit bill being a ransom demand, says some of EU demands are impossible for UK. Tells LBC he is not optimistic about deal after EU Parliament speeches (but didn't he tell us during referendum we were bound for a good deal?)

-David Miliband (speaking before the verdict) calls the Livingstone saga unspeakable, he never imaged a day where Labour was in such an anti-Semitism scandal, argue Corbyn needs to look at the way Britain is rather then way he would like it to be

-Ukip MEP Jonathan Arnott calls the EU plan pernicious

-Lord Mandelson urges May to face down the "wild men" in her own party trying to scupper trade deal and Remainers like him should help May in any fight with the Brexit ultra's, May has choice between "economic reality" and "political intransigence, will have to remain under ECJ during transition, says threatening to shoot ourselves in both feet is not a good negotiating strategy, warns against feeding public unrealistic expectations as will lead to backlash, feels sorry for UK negotiators, Brexit bill will be small change for UK, says people have ghastly choice at next election

=====

-John Elledge recalls the glory days of Livingstone the mayor

-Alex Mortan on the rise of the new professional class

-Andrew Brown on Easter row and Saudi Arabia

-Mike Katz, National Vice-Chair of the Jewish Labour Movement, vows to fight on to see Livingstone expelled

[Sun Fin]

-Andrew Brown on Easter row and Saudi Arabia

But look a little harder at all the things the row is not about, and which it is distracting attention from. It takes a special sort of tunnel vision to go to Saudi Arabia and denounce the National Trust for hostility to Christianity. Saudi is an Islamic theocracy in which Christians live furtive and underground lives. They are not the only religious minority persecuted. Shias and the occasional superhumanly brave atheist are also liable to imprisonment and flogging. People accused of “witchcraft” can be executed, something which hasn’t happened on National Trust properties for a very long time.

Why is it 'superhumanly' brave to be an atheist in a country where you might be persecuted compared to a Christian or a Shia Muslim in the same circumstances?

[Dong Zhou]

I have no idea

[Dong Zhou]

-The president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews Jonathan Arkush has said "Relations between the Labour Party and the Jewish community have reached a new all-time low."100 Labour MP's call for Livingstone's expulsion in open letter, Khan calls for Livingstone to go, Rayner says she was shocked by Livingstone decision, Jewish community right to be upset and his comments sicken her, Berger calls the Livingstone verdict a new low for the party

-Corbyn wants free school meals for all primary school children, paid for by raising Vat on private schools. Tories seem to be interested in the first half for themselves and just do a general "Labour spending=bankruptcy" rather then attack the idea itself

-Sturgeon would agree to meet Trump if he visits Scotland, meeting none of Trump's team during tour of USA but says that isn't down to her, says she won't use courts to force referendum. Scottish critics says she wouldn't be using USA tour to argue for independence but to promote Scotland for business

-Mark Reckless leaves UKIP and joins Tories (in Wales only, not applied to Tory party) to push them ahead of Plaid (had been rumours he would be Independent as not all Tory AM's were keen to welcome him back), removed from Wales Environment Committee chair as that is assigned to UKIP. Says he feels Brexit has been achieved and the Welsh Tories will have more influence on future of country then divided Welsh UKIP. A friend to Carswell with some of the language in letter rather similar to Carswell, wasn't targetted by Farage (Reckless was never a threat), differences with the divisive Hamilton seem to have played a part in his going. UKIP says he served the party well but since elected on regional list (aka a party figure rather then personal mandate) so Reckless should resign (I'm with them on that), never a huge figure within the party but losing both figures who defected is embarrassing.

-Parliamentary joint committee on statutory instruments warns Truss probate rises could be unconstitutional a it may count as taxation which means it requires consent of Parliament

-BBC has a look at EU Parliament's Red Lines

-May launches local election campaign by speaking of a varied country who rises to challenges, urges people not to be cynical about voting and that elections help force politicians to listen, Brexit shows power of democracy (mentioning it overthrew the government as a good thing feels a bit mean), Tories have plan which allows them to reduce council tax (they aren't anymore though), councils show austerity does work as spending reduced but satisfaction has not gone down. Tories not believing in government is a false stereotype and says government can do a lot of good, accuses Labour of betraying the Jewish community and sinking to a new low (I think May would have been wiser to let Jewish community and angry Labour MP's attack on this). Linked up local and national well in speech

I thought "Now to be fair, Labour and the other parties do have their strengths too. They’re exceptionally good at wasting your money, they excel at imposing new red tape, and they are world-class at hiking your taxes." was a good line

-President Tusk and May met, agreed to lower tensions over Gibraltar but neither saying much else in public

-May urges Russia to stop Assad using chemical weapons

-Brokenshire sets Easter Tuesday deadline for Stormont, warning public services will be hit if the impasse continues

=====

-David Miliband doubts we can get deal within two years

-Doritos and Peperami hit by shrinkflation due to Brexit, debate on if coco-pops has also been hit. Brexiteers owe me Doritos

-Lord Hain calls for Spain to have co-sovereignty over Gibraltar

-Lord Patel on Lords view on NHS reform

-Elmar Brok, a German MEP and a former chair of the European parliament’s foreign affairs committee, says Scotland join EU quickly as already meets conditions and not a big line waiting

-Sir Wilshaw backs Labour on raising Vat on private schools but not on free school meals (as he feels that subsidises the well off) but money go on pupil premium

-Mothercare warns of a 3-5% price rise this summer due to declining pound

-Ryainair (a very Remain company) says would have to halt flights if early deal on aviation isn't done

-Khan questions if one can be MP and a newspaper editor

=====

-Eaton on why Brexiteer Tories are keeping calm on May's compromises

-David Baddiel on Livingstone's "fact"

-Professor Philip Booth on why Brexit forecasts where wrong and why he is excite for the future of trade

-Bush pleased with Corbyn's free school means policy

-Ross Clark says private school greed means a Vat rise has been brought upon itself

-Owen Bennet rages against Carswell and Reckless

[Dong Zhou]

-Government backs US Syria strikes

-Irish Foreign Minister Charlie Flanagan says Brexit was a bad decision by us and will hurt both UK and Ireland, doubts there will be a punishment deal for UK and relations remain warm

-European Scrutiny Committee says government must be prepared to vote down EU rules till we actually leave and UK must keep involved in shaping EU laws

-Candidate list for Manchester Gorton

-Alan Cuirns makes clear they are not taking Reckless back and seems a lot of Tory AM's are not happy

-Dr Fox helped baby having seizure on plane. Also says we share values with Philippine government of President Duterte

-Housing market showing signs of slowdown, industrial production fell unexpectedly and trade gap grows to five month high

-Governor Carney pleads for sides not to begin engaging in protectionism over banking rules

=====

-Gabby Hinsliff calls the free school meal plan good politics, bad policy

-Kettle urges UK to hug Germany close

-Paul Goodman urges UK not to get involved in Syria

[Dong Zhou]

-Corbyn says Syria strikes were wrong as lacked UN hadn't had time to investigate who was responsible for chemical attacks and attacks hadn't got UN backing, that strikes may make situation worse

-Tom Watson+Woodcock+Benn backs Syria strikes as a proportionate response to the chemical attacks, Thornberry backs Corbyn line

-Farron backs Trump's strikes and says UK should call a Nato summit to discuss what more can be done

-Salmond says UK backed Trump's old strategy and now backs the new one, it looks inchorent other then back Trump at all costs

-Sir Fallon says we were given a heads up about the strikes

-Talk that the entire Tory AM's may be in trouble because all their members are meant to members of the party and accusations the AM's suspended the party constitution to get around to the fury of Tory HQ. Reckless is not a party member and Welsh MP's Craig Williams and Glyn Davies making clear they are not happy

-Greens launch their local elections by warning that Brexit threatens environmental laws and they oppose cuts to local services. On Syria they dislike it it was without Congress approval and could make situation worse

-Andreea Cristea is the 5th victim of the Westminster attack to die

-Sturgeon meets Hilary Clinton saying Clinton blazed a trial making it easier for the likes of her to follow, bemoans how female politicians become body parts to look at in press

-European Commission has no competition concerns about Fox bid for Sky

=====

-Dugher jokes Corbyn got clearance by Kremlin for his line on Syria

-Farage says Trump supports will be surprised by strikes and not a good idea to go any further

-Germany's medium and small size business representative Mittelstand says if UK out of single market, it would have devastating impact on them

====

-Professor Curtice says May's Brexit strategy seems to be in line with what public wants

-Forsyth on Syria, May winning over Tory Brexitteers, Cameron for Nato and doomed Nuttall

-Dave Prentis, Unison head, on social care problems

-Professor Tim Bale on Tories electioneering secret weapon

[Dong Zhou]

-Sir Fallon says Russia is to blame, by proxy, for every civil death in Syrian chemical attacks, says strikes were right to show Assad not to cross that line again but Syria needs a longer term solution

-McCluskey accuses Labour MP's of dirty tricks for union vote

-Boris cancels visit to Moscow (I honestly think that is a stupid move) but the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will visit Moscow, Boris camp saying he knows how bad this looks. Russia points out this is absurd, Farron says this shows Boris is Trump's poodle, Mail on Sunday is angry with Boris but Telegraph says Boris ordered not to go while been noted Fallon is handling the media on this

-Patel doubts May will go to parliament over Syria to seek military action (as in she doubts UK will be striking at Syria)

-Thornberry says Labour would require UN declaring Assad did have chemical weapons and use them+international community behind it (knowing Russia and Iran won't do that?)+clear plan before they backed strikes. Says we need to talk to Russia but if Boris feels G7 is more important at this moment in time, that is fine. Warns a no-fly zone brings a lot of problems including risking escalating the war, says she was surprised Livingstone was not expelled. Thought she came across well on the Marr show.

=====

-Salmond says comments from Spain saying Scotland will be welcomed in EU is a big boost to SNP

-Farage has offered to woo Le Pen for UK. This would be the Le Pen Farage always distanced himself from?

-Ed Miliband does spoof pop video for Last Leg comedy, was quite funny

-Gove backs Trump#s Syria strikes

-Camden Momentum protesting about New Statesmen "treachery" for not backing Corbyn and demand a pro-Corbyn issue with 30 pro Corbyn pages but though polite, clearly fail to get numbers behind them. General response from press, New Statesmen, MP's and social media is to laugh their heads off (I felt a tad sorry for them as silly as I found their protest) but formal response from Helen Lewis is "“The normal flatplan is 64 pages, so it would have a pretty severe effect on the critics section. And there’s no way we would drop the crossword, the readers would go mad. Compared with that, being rude about Jeremy Corbyn is really small fry.”"

====

-Will Hutton backs Coyne for Unite leadership and sets out his own vision for unions