Archive for: Political Database

Today’s political headlines cover the moderate MPs set to announce their departure from Labour, the call for Facebook to be regulated and the moderate Tories facing deselection. 

Moderate MPs set to announce departure from Labour
The BBC says that senior Labour sources have claimed that a small group of MPs will announce their departure from the party at an event this morning over the leadership’s handling of Brexit and antisemitism. Stephen Kinnock urged the MPs to ‘stay in and fight’. The Guardian adds that Chuka Umunna is expected to be one of those involved, while others could include Chris Leslie, Luciana Berger, Gavin Shuker, Angela Smith and Mike Gapes.

MPs allege Facebook broke laws and should be regulated
The Guardian carries details of a new report by the Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee into disinformation and fake news which says that Facebook broke privacy and competition laws, and should be subject to statutory regulation. The report labels the social media firm’s executives ‘digital gangsters’, accuses chief executive Mark Zuckerberg of contempt for Parliament, claims that electoral law is not fit for purposes, and calls for an independent investigation into recent elections and referenda.

Five moderate Tories face deselection attempts
The Daily Telegraph reports that two more moderate Conservative MPs are facing deselection votes. Sir Alan Duncan and Dr Sarah Wollaston join Heidi Alexander, Dominic Grieve and Nick Boles in facing votes of no confidence from their constituency associations, in what it claims is known as the ‘purple momentum’ drive.

May ready for ‘howls of rage’ over no-deal Brexit tariffs
According to The Times, the Prime Minister is preparing for ‘howls of rage’ as ministers finalise no-deal Brexit tariffs. International Trade Secretary Liam Fox favours dropping them to zero in as many areas as possible, but other ministers want to protect producers, including farmers. Tariff details will be published next week, with a decision due on Wednesday.

Gove announces increased efforts to tackle plastic pollution
The Financial Times says that Michael Gove, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Sectary, has increased his efforts to tackle plastic pollution, setting out plans for a new tax, standardised recycling and a bottle return scheme. However, the paper says that this is likely to ‘irritate food and drinks companies’ as they have already warned that don’t have the capacity to respond to consultations on topics other than Brexit. The Times adds that the proposals also include a levy on all clothing sold in an attempt to reduce waste.

Border security checks to be abandoned in no-deal Brexit
The Sun says that HMRC will announce a six-month ‘standstill’ this week, abandoning no-deal Brexit security and safety checks, as the Border Force is insufficiently prepared to administer these, having already said it will waive the requirement for goods declarations.

British attempts to speed-up Japanese trade deal fail
The Financial Times claims that British attempts to persuade Japan to agree to a quick trade deal after Brexit have ‘backfired’. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox wrote to their counterparts to tell them that ‘time is of the essence’. However, the Japanese found this to be a ‘high-handed approach’ and are unwilling to replicate their trade deal with the EU, instead seeking preferential terms.

Labour MP Paul Flynn dies
The BBC reports that Labour MP Paul Flynn has died at the age of 84. Flynn, who had announced that he would step down ‘as soon as possible’ in October, had been suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. Jeremy Corbyn described Flynn as ‘an independent thinker who was a credit to the Labour Party’, adding that he ‘will be greatly missed’.

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Today’s political headlines include May facing fresh Brexit defeat, McDonnell calling Churchill a villain, Labour frontbenchers might quit and Conservative MPs back end to indefinite immigration detention. 

May facing fresh Brexit defeat as Brexiteers object to motion
As the BBC reports, MPs will debate the next steps on Brexit later today, with the Government facing a potential defeat at the hands of Conservative Brexiteers. This is because the motion tabled by the Prime Minister backs the views expressed by MPs in their last Brexit vote, including ruling out a no-deal Brexit. The deputy chairman of the European Research Group of Eurosceptic MPs said that its members had ‘pleaded’ for the wording to be changed’ and they could not back the motion as it ‘removes our negotiating leverage’.

McDonnell calls Churchill a ‘villain’
Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell has caused controversy after he told Politico that Winston Churchill was a ‘villain’, citing his role in sending troops into the Tonypandy riots. In response, Sir Nicholas Soames, a Tory MP and Churchill’s grandson, told The Daily Telegraph that McDonnell was a ‘third-rate, Poundshop Lenin’.

Labour frontbenchers may quit if Corbyn doesn’t back referendum

The Guardian says that Jeremy Corbyn will see up to ten frontbenchers resign unless he backs a second Brexit referendum in a fortnight. However, Len McCluskey, Unite’s General Secretary has warned that stopping Brexit ‘is not the best option for our nation’ and other frontbenchers have indicated that they could not back such a policy.

Conservative MPs back end to indefinite immigration detention
The Times reports that eleven Conservative MPs have written to Home Secretary Sajid Javid demanding that immigration rules are reformed to restrict the amount of time people can be held in immigration centres to 28 days. The MPs, including David Davis, Andrew Mitchell, Dominic Grieve, Anna Soubry and Dame Caroline Spelman, claim that the current policy ‘undermines our proud traditions of justice and the rule of law’ and is ‘expensive and inefficient’.

Almost all councils plan to increase council tax
The Guardian carries the results of a survey by the Local Government Information Unit which shows that almost all councils plan to increase council tax in April, with three-quarters planning increases of over 2.75%. However, they also plan cuts to services as a result of falling funding from the Government, with 80% having no confidence that the current funding model is sustainable.

May warns BBC not to cut free TV licences
The Daily Telegraph reports that Theresa May has warned the BBC not to end free TV licences for the over-75s, using Prime Minister’s Questions to say that the Government ‘want and expect the BBC to continue free licences when they take over responsibility for the concession in 2020.’ A final decision is due by June.

Williamson attacked after Chinese cancel trade meeting
The Sun claims that a row has broken out in the Government after the Chinese Deputy Prime Minister Hu Chunhua cancelled trade talks with Chancellor Philip Hammond at which he was due to lift bans on British poultry and cosmetics, following a speech in which Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson attacked China’s military plans.

Williamson calls for gay troops to be allowed to marry at bases
In an exclusive, The Daily Telegraph says Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has written to Women and Equalities Secretary Penny Mordaunt, calling for legislation to be changed so that gay members of the armed forces can marry at bases, describing the current situation as ‘unacceptable’.

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Today’s political headlines include May telling MPs to hold their nerve, Tories would get majority if a general election was held today, NSPCC calls for a new duty of care and Treasury Committee rejects Hammond’s claims. 

May to tell MPs to hold their nerve
The BBC says that Theresa May will today tell MPs that ‘we now all need to hold our nerve’ because the Brexit negotiations are at a ‘crucial stage’ and that ‘a deal that this House can support’ is still possible. The Daily Telegraph adds that May is expected to use her statement today to rule out membership of a customs union with the EU. The Sun claims that pro-EU ministers will today demand that May gives parliamentary time at the end of this month to debate a bill to extend the Article 50 talks unless progress had been made, because her promise of another vote on February 27 is not felt to be sufficient.

Tories would get majority if a general election was held today
The Times says that according to YouGov’s modelling which correctly predicted a hung parliament in 2017, the Conservatives would win a slim majority if a general election was held today, gaining four seats to give them a total of 321, while Labour would lose twelve, falling to 250/ The Liberal Democrats and the SNP would also gain four seats each.

NSPCC calls for new duty of care on social media firms
The Daily Telegraph reports that the NSPCC is to publish plans to introduce a statutory duty of care for social media firms overseen by a regulator able to issue unlimited fines if they fail to protect children from online harms. There would be a new criminal offence, based on corporate manslaughter laws, with executives held personally liable for any breaches.

Treasury Committee rejects Hammond’s ‘deal dividend’ claims
The Guardian carries details of a report by the Commons Treasury Committee which rejects Chancellor Philip Hammond’s claim of a dividend from Theresa May’s proposed Brexit deal, saying that this suggestion lacks credibility. Data published yesterday showed that GDP grew by just 0.2% in the last three months of 2018, with a decline of 0.4% in December.

Journalism review suggests restrictions on BBC, Facebook and Google
The Daily Telegraph reports the findings of a review on safeguarding quality journalism by Dame Frances Cairncross, commissioned by Theresa May. She suggests restrictions on the BBC, Facebook and Google and the creation of an institute of public interest news, which would funnel finance into the news industry. Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Jeremy Wright will now examine the recommendations.

Rudd admits link between Universal Credit and foodbank use
The Daily Mirror says that Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd admitted yesterday that there was a link between the rollout of Universal Credit and increases in foodbank uses, although she claimed that the situation was improving. Her predecessor, Esther McVey, had suggested the rise was due to Labour not having let jobcentres refer people to foodbanks, while minister Alok Sharma had claimed there wasn’t a ‘single reason’ for the increase.

May to resign this summer
According to The Sun, Theresa May has dropped hints to Cabinet ministers including Liam Fox and Greg Clark that she plans to resign in the summer so that she can influence her party’s choice of successor, with a new leader being picked at the party’s conference in October. The paper suggests that this ‘will widely be seen as a plan to stop Boris Johnson.

Labour releases antisemitism statistics
The Guardian reports that Labour has released details of the scale of antisemitism allegations received by the party, which has investigated 673 complaints since last April and expelled 12 members. The statistics have been questioned by MPs such as Margaret Hodge who said that there had ‘been a breakdown in trust’. They plan to use a meeting next week to demand to know why 146 of those investigated were only given a ‘preliminary warning’.

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Today’s political headlines include Carney’s warning of economic slowdown, MPs may not vote on Brexit until March, May heads to Dublin and Instagram pledges to remove self-harm images. 

Carney warns of Brexit-related economic slowdown
The Times reports that the Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, has said that this year the economy will grow at the slowest rate since the financial crisis because of the ‘fog of Brexit’, with a one in four chance of a recession by the summer. According to the Financial Times, ‘Project After’, a secret group of civil servants in close contact with the Bank of England, is drawing up a plan to kick-start the economy in the event of a no-deal Brexit, including cuts to taxes and tariffs and increased investment.

MPs may not vote on Brexit deal until March
The Guardian claims that MPs may not get a chance to vote on a new Brexit deal until March, after Theresa May and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker agreed during their talks yesterday to meet again by the end of February. This would, the paper says, but Parliament under pressure to accept the deal or face a no-deal Brexit and still require Article 50 to be extended to allow necessary legislation to be passed. The Sun adds that Number 10 is preparing to back a package of workers’ rights in a bid to secure Labour MPs’ support.

May heads to Dublin for Brexit talks
The BBC says that Theresa May is to travel to Dublin today for discussions about Brexit with the Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar as part of her attempt to secure legally-binding changes to the backstop. He will also be holding talks with the five main political parties in Northern Ireland earlier in the day.

Instagram pledges to remove self-harm images
The Times says that Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, has promised to remove all graphic self-harming images from the service following a meeting with Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock yesterday. Hancock said that he would ‘be asking other social companies to act’.

Planning overhaul needed to deliver housing targets, NAO warns
The Daily Telegraph carries details of a new report by the National Audit Office, which warns that the Government will only reach its target of building 300,000 houses every year if councils stop using outdated figures to calculate housing need. Separately a new report by the thinktank Civitas shows a sharp increase in young adults still living with their parents.

‘Death tax’ to hit 300,000 families
The Daily Mail claims that a new ‘death tax’ will hit up to 300,000 families after the Government classified an increase in fees for probate as a fee rather than a tax, allowing it to avoid full parliamentary scrutiny. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable said this was ‘a clear abuse of executive power’.

Evening with May fetches £75,000 at Conservative ball
The Daily Mirror reports on the Conservative Party’s Black and White Ball. Among the lots auctioned to party donors were an evening with Theresa May which fetched £75,000, and a set of posters signed by her which brought in £175,000. Labour Party chair Ian Lavery said that the event was ‘stomach-churning’.

New ‘cheat proof’ expenses system to be introduced
In an exclusive, The Sun reveals that a ‘cheat proof’ expenses system for MPs will be introduced, a decade after the expenses scandal. The watchdog IPSA has announced that a new digital system will go live in April, saving £1m and also allowing claims to be verified and challenged more easily.

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Today’s political headlines include May’s denial that she plans to abandon the backstop, holding talks with Northern Irish parties, Merkel putting pressure on Ireland and May’s visit to Brussels. 

May denies she plans to abandon backstop
The Daily Telegraph says that Theresa May is now on a ‘collision course’ with the DUP and Eurosceptic backbenchers after she told business leaders in Northern Ireland that she was ‘not proposing’ to get rid of the Northern Irish backstop, and just wanted ‘changes’ to it including addressing ‘the potentially indefinite nature of the backstop’. She reiterated that she had an ‘unshakeable’ commitment to avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland.

May to hold talks with Northern Irish parties
The BBC reports that Theresa May is to use the second day of her visit to Northern Ireland to hold talks with its five main political parties, discussing both Brexit and the collapse of the Northern Ireland Assembly. Separately, Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is in Brussels for discussions about Brexit, while the Government’s Alternative Arrangements Working Group of MPs will conclude its discussions about alternatives to the backstop.

Merkel puts pressure on Ireland over backstop
The Times claims that the German Chancellor Angela Merkel is attempting to rescue the Brexit deal by pressuring Ireland to abandon its insistence on the backstop, suggesting that it could be solved through what the paper describes as ‘a combination of technology and a sophisticated customs scheme’, perhaps by adding extra clauses in the agreement committing both sides to develop alternative arrangements during the transition period.

May to visit Brussels for talks
The Guardian reports that Theresa May is visiting Brussels tomorrow for Brexit talks, meeting both the European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and the European Council President Donald Tusk. She is expected to seek the reopening of the Withdrawal Agreement after the Brady amendment calling for an alternative to the backstop passed yesterday.

Fox considering zero tariffs in no-deal Brexit scenario
The Financial Times says that International Trade Secretary Liam Fox is considering reducing tariffs on most imports to zero in the event of a no-deal Brexit, in an attempt to keep consumer prices low. However, critics warn that this would damage British manufacturers and reduce other countries’ incentive to agree trade deals with the UK.

Fully driverless car trials could be underway by end of year
The Times says that advanced trials of fully driverless cars on public roads will be possible by the end of the year as the Government is to end the requirement for a dedicated safety driver, subject to a strict application process. However, critics have raised safety concerns about the proposals.

Children’s Commissioner proposes fines for social media firms
The Daily Telegraph reports that the Children’s Commissioner, Anne Longfield, has commissioned a law firm to draft a bill to introduce a statutory duty of care to protect children online, which could lead to social media firms being fined millions of pounds, and is urging the Government to adopt it. Labour is to commit to a similar policy.

Labour membership falls
In an exclusive, Labour membership figures have been leaked to The Mirror showing that it has fallen to 512,000, a decline of around 10% since December 2017. However, this suggests that the party is still over four times larger than the Conservatives, based on membership figures released in March 2018.

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Today’s political headlines include ministers considering withholding £60m from Nissan, Truss says women should be less ‘squeamish’ about money making, Government intervention called for over cost of cystic fibrosis drug and Government sets up group of MPs to find backstop alternative. 

Ministers considering withholding £60m package from Nissan
According to The Times, the Government is considering withdrawing a £60m support package from Nissan, after it reversed its promise to build the next generation of its X-Trail SUV in Sunderland, giving the Government less than 24-hours’ notice. Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Greg Clark said that while ‘no jobs will be lost’, the development was a ‘blow to the sector and the region’.

Women should be less ‘squeamish’ about money making, Truss says
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss has told The Daily Telegraph that women should be less ‘squeamish’ about making money, claiming that female entrepreneurs often find a money-making focus ‘vulgar’ but that they should instead ‘celebrate’ profits. The Treasury is to release a report today showing that female start-up founders are missing out on investment.

Government intervention called for over cost of cystic fibrosis drug
In an exclusive, The Guardian says that campaigners are calling on the Government to intervene over the cost of the drug Orkambi which tackles the cost of cystic fibrosis. Negotiations between the NHS and the manufacturers have been in ‘stalemate’ since July. They’d like the Government to set aside the drug’s patent in the national interest.

Government sets up group of MPs to find backstop alternative
The BBC reports that the Government has established an Alternative Arrangements Working Group made up of leave and remain MPs to try and find a way of avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland, after the ‘Malthouse Compromise’ plan gained what the Government called ‘significant support’. The group of MPs will have regular meetings with Stephen Barclay, the Brexit Secretary, and senior civil servants.

Johnson claims early election may be ‘scare tactic’
Writing for The Daily Telegraph, Boris Johnson claims that preparation for a snap election may be a ‘scare tactic’ designed to encourage Tory MPs to back Theresa May’s Brexit deal. He described the idea of an election this year as ‘lunacy’ because the ‘big questions’ about Brexit still haven’t been answered. Yesterday, Home Secretary Sajid Javid said that voters ‘would never forgive us’ if an early election was called.

Centrist Labour MPs plot split
The Times claims at a group of centrist Labour MPs are discussing leaving the party to create their own centrist political group, although a member of the group told the paper that though a split would be inevitable, it would not happen soon as ‘we’re all looking to the next set of Commons Brexit votes at the moment’.

Hancock to meet Instagram boss
The Daily Telegraph reports that Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock is to meet the worldwide Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, on Thursday, to tell him to enforce the service’s ban on under-13s creating profiles, and to use Instagram’s experience in removing terrorist-related content to remove suicide and self-harm content.

NHS to use smart meters to track dementia patients
The Daily Mail says that the NHS is to use energy smart meters to track dementia patients at home, flagging up sudden changes of routine which might indicate that they need help and alerting relatives or carers. Privacy campaigners have raised concerns about the meters, but a trial is due to begin in Liverpool later this year.

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Today’s political headlines include Barnier’s rejection of a backstop renegotiation, May and Corbyn’s talk, Sajid Javid’s knife crime measure criticised and May prepares to woo Labour MPs with cash. 

Barnier says the backstop is here to stay
The BBC reports on remarks by Michel Barnier where he says that the Irish backstop cannot be renegotiated. The EU’s chief negotiator was speaking in the European Parliament where he suggested that there are no other realistic solutions to the issue. These remarks came after the House of Commons voted to get the Prime Minister to seek another arrangement. The story reports that both Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker echoed the remarks of Barnier.

May and Corbyn has ‘serious and engaged’ talk on a possible customs union
The Guardian reports on a discussion between Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn where they discussed Brexit. The outcome of the meeting is that both Number 10 and Labour are disagreeing on whether May would be willing to soften her opposition to a customs union with the EU after Brexit. The Labour leader met May after MPs voted against a no-deal scenario, this is something Corbyn had previously refused to rule out. The two are expected to meet again with the next few days.

Sajid Javid’s measures to tackle knife crime criticised
The Mirror report on criticism from bereaved parents and anti-knife crime campaigners directed at the Home Secretary’s measures to try to tackle knife crime. Some of the measures picked up on is limiting the use of social media of suspects, curfews and geographical restrictions. Campaigners want the Government to stop intervening and allow the police to enforce the law under the current laws, one of the other major criticisms is the legislation will not solve anything if communities are not worked with. Javid has an article in the Telegraph where he states his own concerns with his own children when they are on a night out.

May prepares to offer Labour MPs cash injection to Leave constituencies
The Times are reporting that Theresa May is planning to win round Labour MPs by offering investment in Leave-backing areas of the country. May is hoping to secure the backing of 20 Labour MPs in the next vote on the withdrawal agreement, with discussions taking place directly between Number 10 and MPs including John Mann and Kevin Barron, without the involvement of Jeremy Corbyn.

Tom Watson v Tony the Tiger
The Sun report on remarks made by Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, Tom Watson at the  Advertising Association conference where he took aim at cereals and how they encourage a sugary diet. Watson said food adverts should encourage people to go to work on an egg not obesity inducing cereal. Watson called for companies to take action and remove characters from their packaging and pledged that if advertisers take these steps he will be their biggest advocate when Labour is next in power.

Wright urges social media companies to more to tackle harmful content
Writing in The Daily Telegraph ahead of a speech today, Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright has told social media giants that they must do more to address the promotion of harmful online content, threatening sanctions against those who do not address the issue. Wright will outline the Government’s approach ahead of a White Paper, which will further detail the responsibilities of social media companies.

People scared to speak about Christian persecution says Jeremy Hunt
As reported by The Sun, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said that people are scared to speak up on the persecution of Christians as they fear they could be linked to “misguided imperialism”.  This comes after his department launched a review of Britain’s support for persecuted Christians. At the launch of the review he said 80% of religious persecution around the globe is against Christians, he also said that this is not about protecting Christians but fighting all religious persecution.

PM’s Europe Adviser warned the PM against renegotiating with Brussels
The Telegraph reports that Oliver Robbins told Theresa May this week that her plan to renegotiate her own Brexit deal was not going to work. He allegedly raised concerns over the so-called Malthouse-compromise to secure changes to the Northern Ireland backstop.

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Today’s political headlines include the May’s fortnight to pass deal, warnings from Irish Foreign Minister, Philip May’s pivotal role and the extremely valuable amendment. 

Pro-European ministers give May a fortnight to pass deal
The Daily Telegraph says that a dozen pro-European Government ministers held a phone call last night in which they decided that Theresa May had a fortnight to secure her deal with the EU and hold a second meaningful vote, abandoning a possible rebellion to support Yvette Cooper’s amendment ruling out a no-deal Brexit. The Times adds that Conservative MPs who voted for May’s deal are preparing to push for a softer Brexit if Cooper’s amendment passes tomorrow, and that Downing Street is ‘desperate’ to stop it from doing so.

Irish minister warns that the backstop ‘isn’t going to change’
The Guardian claims that Theresa May has suffered a ‘blow’ after the Irish Foreign Minister, Simon Coveney, warned that the backstop ‘isn’t going to change’, was only in the Brexit agreement because of red lines set by the UK, and was expanded to cover the whole of the UK at the request of the British government.

May’s husband plays ‘pivotal role’ in Brexit strategy
The Daily Telegraph reveals that Philip May, the Prime Minister’s husband, has assumed a ‘pivotal role’ in a disagreement between those, such as Gavin Barwell and David Lidington, who want to build a consensus with Labour, and others include Julian Smith, Brandon Lewis and Robbie Gibb who have warned that if May does not gain the support of Brexiteers and the DUP she may destroy her party, with her husband backing the latter faction.

Hancock describes Irish backstop amendment as ‘extremely valuable’
According to The Times, Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock has described the work done by those backing an amendment tabled by Sir Graham Brady calling for the Northern Ireland backstop to be replaced by ‘alternative arrangements’ as ‘extremely valuable. The paper says this is ‘the clearest indication yet’ that Downing Street is backing the amendment, but Government sources fear the Speaker won’t select it to be voted on.

May secretly rules-out a no-deal Brexit
In an exclusive, The Sun claims that Theresa May has told Cabinet ministers that she won’t pursue a no-deal Brexit, but cannot yet say so publicly because it would weaken her hand in negotiations with the EU. A senior Tory told the paper that the Prime Minister is ‘terrified’ of job losses resulting from such a scenario.

Hancock pressures social media firms to tackle harmful content
The Financial Times says that Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock has ‘stepped up the pressure’ on social media firms to tackle content which may encourage self-harm and suicide, saying that the Government could ‘legislate if we need to’, although ‘it would be far better to do it in concert’ with the companies.

Senior Tories back attempt to end indefinite detention of immigrants
The Guardian reports that Harriet Harman has secured the backing of senior Conservatives such as David Davis for an amendment to the Immigration Bill which would stop people from being indefinitely held in immigration detention centres. Harman said that the support meant that she was ‘very confident’ that the Home Office would accept her amendment.

Government to offer teachers cash in effort to solve shortage
The BBC says that Government is publishing new plans today in an attempt to increase teacher retention and solve the teacher shortage in England. The plans will offer some young teachers payments of £5000 in their third and fifth years teaching, more support for training and a reduced teaching timetable.

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Today’s political headlines include May discussing Brexit plans with union leaders, Barnier’s warning that no-deal is still the default, Minister meet secretly to stop no-deal and Dutch in effort to lure British companies. 

May to discuss Brexit plan with union leaders
The BBC says that Theresa May is to meet the leaders of Unison, the TUC, Unite and the GMB in an attempt to discuss her Brexit plan today. Yesterday she met the leaders of the devolved administrations, but Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish First Minister, said that there ‘wasn’t much indication that the Prime Minister is listening’ while Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford claimed that May ‘repeated many of her red lines’.

Barnier warns that no-deal Brexit is still the ‘default’
The Guardian reports that Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, has warned that Yvette Cooper’s plan to stop a no-deal Brexit will fail as this was the ‘default’ unless there was ‘a positive majority for another solution’. The paper adds that Labour ‘looks set’ to whip its MPs to support Cooper’s amendment in order to rule out a no-deal scenario.

Ministers meet secretly to stop no-deal Brexit
The Daily Telegraph reveals that almost 20 ministers, including five Cabinet members, have been holding secret meetings to discuss preventing a no-deal Brexit. One member refers to the group as the ‘hair-shirt club’. Those attending include Philip Hammond, Amber Rudd, Greg Clarke, David Gauke and Claire Perry, as well as business minister Richard Harrington, who told the paper that his ‘clear objective is to stop the nonsense of a hard Brexit.’

Dutch in effort to lure British companies after Brexit
According to The Times, the Dutch investment agency has announced that it is talks with over 250 British companies about relocating to the Netherlands after Brexit. The country has tax-breaks for newly arrived workers and foreign banks who relocated could avoid a cap on bonuses. The Financial Times reports that Airbus Chief Executive Tom Enders has used a video to warn people not to ‘listen to the Brexiteers’ madness which asserts that, because we have huge plants here, we will not move and we will always be here. They are wrong’.

Rees-Mogg suggests Queen should shut down Parliament
The Sun reports that Jacob Rees-Mogg has called on Theresa May to ask the Queen to progue Parliament if MPs vote to prevent a no-deal Brexit, although he claimed that he wanted to avoid a ‘constitutional crisis’. He confirmed that he could not vote for the deal ‘as long as the backstop is there’. Tory MP Nick Boles accused Rees-Mogg of a ‘coup’.

Corbyn attacks Government over Davos attendance
The Guardian says that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has accused the Government of wasting time at a ‘billionaire’s jamboree’ after it emerged that a quarter of the Cabinet are attending the World Economic Forum at Davos this week. In its defence, Downing Street said that the event was ‘an opportunity to discuss investment opportunities into the UK’.

Hancock unveils plan to tackle antibiotic resistant infections
The Times reports that Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock will use today’s launch of a 20-year plan to fight antibiotic resistant infections to announce that the NHS will pay companies up front for producing an effective new drug, in a commitment which could cost the public purse millions of pounds. Hancock said that this would make firms ‘more likely to invest the more than a billion dollars it costs to bring a new drug to market’.

JCB hires Davis for £3,000 an hour
The Mirror reports that JCB has employed former Brexit Secretary David Davis as an advisor, paying him £60,000 for 20 hours work. The Labour MP Ian Murray said this was ‘an absolute insult to the people of the UK who have been left facing deeper austerity and increased living costs as a result of the calamitous Brexit he campaigned for and still supports.’

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