Archive for: Political Services

Today’s political headlines include May forcing through her Brexit deal but two ministers resign, Labour won’t back deal states Starmer, Brexit deal welcomed by Varadkar and special summit date confirmed by Tusk. 

May forces Brexit plan through Cabinet, but two ministers resign
The Times reports that Theresa May has forced her deal through, following a five-hour Cabinet meeting. May said a ‘decisive step’ had been taken, but the paper claims that nine ministers expressed concerns during the meeting. The details of the agreement show that the UK will remain in a customs union with the EU indefinitely unless a solution is found for the Irish border, with no right to withdraw unilaterally and Northern Ireland continuing to follow additional single market rules. According to The Daily Telegraph, however, eleven ministers spoke against the plan, including Esther McVey, who was described by sources as ‘emotional’ and ‘aggressive’. This morning, as The Guardian reports, both Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab and Northern Ireland Minister Shailesh Vara have resigned over the deal.

Starmer says Labour won’t back deal
The Independent reports that Sir Keir Starmer, Labour’s Shadow Brexit Secretary, has said that his party will vote against the Brexit deal. He claimed that it was ‘not good enough for manufacturing and services’ and was ‘a miserable failure of negotiation’ which would make reaching new trade agreements difficult.

Varadkar welcomes deal  
The Guardian says that Ireland’s Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said that Ireland gained everything that it wanted from the Brexit negotiations, describing news of the deal as ‘one of the better days in politics’ and adding that ‘a satisfactory outcome’ had been achieved on ‘protecting the peace process and the Good Friday agreement’.

DUP criticises ‘bad deal’
The Daily Mail says that the DUP has described the proposed agreement as a ‘bad deal’, with Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson claiming that the party would vote against it. He criticised the plan for tying the UK to the customs union and EU regulations, and because the UK would not be able to leave it unilaterally.

Tusk confirms special summit date
The Financial Times reports that European Council President Donald Tusk has confirmed that EU leaders will hold a special summit on November 25 to agree the proposed deal. He said that he still saw Brexit as a ‘lose-lose’ situation, but that he would ‘do everything’ to make Brexit ‘the least painful possible’ for each side.

Immigration White Paper to be published before Brexit vote
In an exclusive, The Sun says Theresa May will publish the delayed Immigration White Paper in the first week of December, prior to the vote on the Brexit deal. The paper says that ‘insiders’ claim that it will be used to try and win over Eurosceptics who might be considering voting against May’s deal.

Betting stake plan brought forward
According to The Times, Theresa May was ‘forced into an embarrassing climbdown’ yesterday after the Government announced that plans to reduce the maximum stake on fixed-odds betting terminals would be brought forward to April. The change followed a rebellion by over 20 Tory MPs and the resignation of Tracey Crouch from the Government.

Brokenshire announces housing courts
The Sun reports that Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary James Brokenshire has released plans to establish housing courts to speedily settle disputes between landlords and tenants. He said the plan would be especially important ‘for families and vulnerable tenants’.

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Today’s political headlines include more Brexit news, with ministers telling May no-deal is preferable to accepting EU demands and Labour and Tory rebels trying to force the Government to publish Brexit legal advice, as well as Lord Lester facing a record suspension for sexual harassment and Babcock under extra scrutiny. 

Ministers to tell May no-deal is preferable to accepting EU demands
The Daily Telegraph reports that Eurosceptic ministers including Dominic Raab, Andrea Leadsom and Liam Fox are to use a Cabinet meeting today to warn the Prime Minister that a no-deal Brexit would be preferable to giving into the EU’s demands. According to the paper, the latest round of negotiations broke down at 3am on Monday morning. Speaking at the Lord Mayor’s Banquet, Theresa May said that she would not reach ‘an agreement at any cost’ and that negotiations were ‘now in the end game’.

Labour and Tory rebels in bid to force Government to publish Brexit legal advice
The Guardian says that Labour is to use a parliamentary procedure today to try to force the Government to publish its legal advice on the Irish backstop plan. The Sun adds that an amendment to Labour’s motion has been tabled by the European Research Group of Brexiteer Tory MPs, which is confident it has the support of over 40 backbenchers.

Peer recommended for record suspension from the Lord for sexual harassment
The Times has spoken to the women’s rights campaigner Jasvinder Sanghera following the publication of a report recommending that Lord Lester of Herne Hill be suspended from the Lords until 2022 for sexually harassing her. She said that she hoped that ‘by speaking out, victims were creating a climate in which people were more willing to listen’.

Defence contractor under extra scrutiny
The Financial Times says that Babcock, the UK’s second-largest defence supplier, has been placed under extra scrutiny, relating to a contract covering maintenance of the UK’s Vanguard submarines which carry the country’s nuclear deterrent. Officials told the paper that the department had ‘real concern’ and that relations were ‘strained’.

Johnson backs calls to offer Asia Bibi asylum in UK
The Daily Mail reports that former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is backing calls for the Pakistani woman Asia Bibi, cleared of blasphemy last month but at risk of attack from extremists, to be offered asylum in the UK. He has written to Home Secretary Sajid Javid to say that threats of violence against UK missions in the country should not ‘deter us from doing the right thing’.

Hundreds of civil servants complain about harassment and bullying
An investigation by The Guardian has found that while hundreds of civil servants have made complaints about bullying or sexual harassment by colleagues, just a fraction of those accused were subject to disciplinary action. Not all departments and bodies provided data as a result of the paper’s request and some of those that did failed to provide exact figures.

Government faces ‘almost certain’ defeat over betting machine stake cut
The Times claims that the Government is ‘almost certain’ to be defeated over its plan to delay the cut in the maximum stake for fixed-odds betting terminals after 21 Conservative MPs signed amendments designed to bring forward the cut, including Boris Johnson, David Davis, Priti Patel and Justine Greening. Labour has also said that it will back the amendments, laid by Labour MP Carolyn Harris, former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith and SNP MP Ronnie Cowan.

No-deal Brexit to cost NHS £2.3bn
The Financial Times carries details of a report by the Nuffield Trust which warns that a no-deal Brexit would result in a £2.3bn ‘cost shock’ for the NHS in England, owing to an increase in red tape and trade barriers. This would take up all the funding available to improve patient care in the next two years.

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Today’s political headlines continue with the Brexit theme, with a border in the Irish Sea proposed for a no-deal scenario, Raab criticised for a lack of understanding of UK trade. McDonnell looking into the case for a four-day week and crisis on the high street. 

Border in the Irish Sea if there is no Brexit deal
The Times reports on a leaked letter from Theresa May signalling that in the event of a no deal Brexit a customs border in the Irish Sea will be put in place. The PM has previously promised the DUP that she would not sign up to any deal that would result in Northern Ireland being separated from the rest of the UK. DUP MP for East Antrim, Sammy Wilson, has accused the PM of betrayal.

Raab criticised for lack of understanding of UK trade
The BBC reports that Brexit Secretary, Dominic Raab is facing criticism for saying that he ‘hadn’t quite understood’ how the UK relies on trade in goods from the Dover-Calais crossing. Raab made these remarks when speaking about the deal the UK is seeking after it leaves the EU. In his comments the Brexit Secretary also accepted that UK consumers may face less choice of products if frictionless trade is not maintained.

McDonnell may look further into the case for a four-day week
The Shadow Chancellor has been working with economist Lord Skidelsky about an inquiry into changing the working week from five days to four as reported by the Guardian. McDonnell has previously said that Labour would investigate ways to reduce the working week. Skidelsky has said he is looking at reducing the standard working week and hopes his findings will be open to anyone to look at the results. France and Germany have higher levels of production than the UK and work less.

Crisis on the high street continues
Sky report on research produce by PwC and the Local Data Company that shows that 14 shops a day are closing on the high street and the crisis will continue. As well as shops closing at a rapid rate there is also fewer new shops starting up. Larger chains as well as independent retailers have been forced to close shops this year.

Fund set up to tackle rogue landlords
The Guardian reports on a Government fund that has been launched that will help councils in England tackle rogue landlords. The funding is intended to give councils more power to combat rogue landlords and ensure homes are of a good standard; £2m has been put forward but this works out at less than £6,000 for each council. Campaign groups hope that more funding will be put forward when the changes to the law are in place.

More than 450 missing foreign criminals lost by the Home Office since 2016
The Sun reports that the Home Office has lost more than 450 foreign criminals since 2016, 223 of those who absconded have since been found. Conservative MP, Tim Loughton said the findings are horrifying and that we should immediately deport these criminals. Since 2010, 44,500 foreign national offenders have been deported.

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Today’s political headlines include children at risk of knife crime while on the way home from school, May accused of shutting out cabinet for a secret Brexit deal, Arron Banks and Leave.EU accused of illegal use of customer data and criticism of May banned in Grenfell safety deal. 

Children most at risk of knife crime while on the way home from school
The front pages of both The Guardian and The Sun feature stories on the increase in knife crime involving children. According to figures, children are most likely to be victims of stabbings while on their way home from school. Research was published in the British Medical Journal showing that more than a fifth of stabbing victims under the age of 16 are admitted to hospital between 4pm and 6pm on weekdays. Doctors have suggested staggering school finishing times in order to reduce the risk of violence.

May accused of shutting out Cabinet in secret Brexit deal
The Daily Telegraph says Brexiteers are suspicious that Theresa May has already agreed to a secret deal with Brussels. A leaked memo – which the BBC has apparently seen – has sparked accusations that May is lining up a deal behind the backs of her Cabinet. The memo is said to contain plans including announcements, a major speech and a television interview, to sell the deal to the British public over the coming weeks. There is said to be a vote on the deal scheduled for the 27 November.

Arron Banks and Leave.EU accused of illegal use of customer data in Brexit vote
The Financial Times reports on the accusations faced by pro-Brexit campaign group Leave.EU and an insurance company owned by Arron Banks over the illegal use of customer data in the run up to the EU referendum. UK regulators have said that Banks’ insurance operations permitted the use of its customer information for political purposes, including a Brexit newsletter that was sent by Leave.EU to over 300,000 email addresses from the customer database of Banks’ Eldon Insurance.

Criticism of May banned in Grenfell safety deal
The Times reports that the engineering firm, WSP, that is testing the cladding on Government buildings in the wake of the Grenfell fire, has been forced to sign a gagging clause. The clause prevents WSP from criticising the Prime Minister and the Cabinet Office in any way possible. A further investigation into the matter revealed that Cabinet ministers have banned 40 charities and more than 300 companies from criticising them or their departments. The Grenfell United Campaign group has spoken against the Government, arguing it should not deter the firms from speaking out.

Another gagging clause: Chris Grayling silenced justice charities
According to The Times, Chris Grayling’s changes to the probation services in 2015 were deemed to be a failure, however a number of charities working with prisoner rehabilitation like ‘Change, Grow, Live’ were prevented from saying anything that would damage the reputation of Chris Grayling. Under the Ministry of Justice’s probation reforms it was agreed that all contractors and subcontractors had to agree to the same terms for sevens years. One Government official reported that such clauses help to protect commercial interests and do not stop individuals from raising concerns about policy. The Department for Work and Pensions have completely denied all such allegations.

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Today’s political headlines include Raab’s demands to exit backstop after three months, Military to recruit foreign soldiers, Hancock calls on people to take responsibility for their own health and Jeremy Heywood has died aged 56. 

Raab demands right to exit backstop after three months
According to The Daily Telegraph, Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has demanded the right to withdraw the UK from the Irish backstop after just three months, in a meeting which reportedly ‘stunned’ Irish officials but was contradicted by Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington when he visited Dublin three days later. The Guardian adds that EU officials are putting the probability of a Brexit deal being reached at ’50-50′, but that the British want to make ‘decisive progress’ on the backstop by Friday in the hope of achieving an EU summit to agree the deal on 22 November. The Times says that, despite press reports that a deal is close, Theresa May spent the weekend phoning Cabinet members in a bid to allay concerns that she is about to trigger a summit without domestic political agreement.

Military to recruit soldiers who’ve never lived in the UK
The Daily Telegraph reports the Ministry of Defence is to announce today that it will allow foreign nationals who never lived in the UK to serve in the armed forces. Under the plans, a requirement for Commonwealth applicants to have lived in the country for five years will be abandoned. This follows a recruitment crisis, blamed on ‘the ongoing disaster that is the Capita recruitment contract’ by Commons Defence Committee member Mark Francois.

Hancock calls on people to take responsibility for their own health
The Guardian claims that Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock has ‘triggered a row’ by using a speech today to call for people to make healthier lifestyle choices, which he asserts ‘isn’t about penalising people’. Professor Simon Capewell of Liverpool University warns this is ‘victim-blaming’ people who’ve ‘been overwhelmed by a toxic environment’.

Former Cabinet Secretary Jeremy Heywood dies aged 56
The BBC reports on the death, aged 56, of former Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood. Heywood, who stepped down just two weeks ago, served four prime ministers in different roles, becoming Cabinet Secretary in 2012.Gordon Brown described him as a ‘leader of exceptional ability’, while Tony Blair called him ‘a quite outstanding public servant’.

Banks denies Russian funding
Interviewed on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, Leave.EU founder Arron Banks, who is under investigation by the National Crime Agency, claimed that ‘there was no Russian money and no interference of any type’. He also told Marr that in hindsight he thought that ‘we would have been better to remain’ in the EU.

People would pay more tax to fund social care
A poll conducted for the Daily Mirror shows that 56% of people would pay more National Insurance to fund ‘more and better social care’, with 54% willing to pay more income tax. 74% of those surveyed expressed concern about the level of care they expected to receive in their old age.

Hinds calls for more spending on schools
The Daily Mail says that Education Secretary Damian Hinds is calling for billions of pounds worth of spending for schools ahead of next year’s spending review. Interviewed by the paper, Hinds claimed that education was ‘a different category of spend’ because it ‘is about investment in our skills base’.

Johnson tells ministers to reject Brexit plans
Writing in The Sun ahead of tomorrow’s Cabinet meeting, former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson calls for ministers to reject Theresa May’s Brexit plans, which he describes as a ‘stinker’ that will leave the UK as a ‘vassal state’ for the ‘first time in a thousand years.’

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Today’s political headlines include the chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s criticism of policing priorities, Tracey Crouch on the brink of quitting, the financial services deal between London and the EU and Wallace’s warning against money-laundering. 

Police should focus on ‘core’ issues, not misogyny says senior officer
The Times reports that Sara Thorton, the chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, told a conference that forces should focus on ‘core policing’, saying that ‘deserving issues’ such as misogyny and allegations against dead people should not be ‘priorities for a service that is overstretched’. She questioned proposals by the Home Office to make misogyny a criminal offence, suggesting that a ‘criminal justice solution’ was not the ‘best way’ to deal with it.

Crouch considering quitting over delay to maximum stake cut
According to The Daily Telegraph, culture minister Tracey Crouch is ‘on the brink of quitting’ following a decision to delay the cut of the maximum stake on fixed-odds betting terminals from £100 to £2 until October 2019. Iain Duncan Smith, who campaigned for the change, said that Crouch was ‘really upset’ and that the delay would leave families ‘in a terrible plight’.

EU and UK reach services agreement
The Times says that the Government has reached a deal with the EU which would give British financial services firms access to European markets post-Brexit. Tentative agreement has been reached by negotiators on a future partnership on services and the exchange of data. Senior city figures have warned that agreeing the detail in a future trade deal will be harder.

Wallace warns of money-laundering crackdown
Interviewed by The Guardian, Security Minister Ben Wallace set out plans for the multi-agency national economic crime centre which launches today. He warned those who facilitate suspicious activity but don’t report it, such as estate agents, public schools and football clubs, that they would be ‘at the front of our queue’ with ‘organised crime groups’.

Barnier ‘under mounting pressure’ to reach Brexit compromise
The Daily Telegraph claims that it has been told by ‘senior EU sources’ that EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier is ‘under mounting pressure’ to agree a new compromise with the UK over the Irish backstop that would see the UK enter an indefinite customs union with the EU. Separately, Dominic Raab wrote to MPs claiming that he expected a deal to be done by 21 November.

24-hour airport drinking ban could be introduced
In an exclusive, The Sun reveals that the Home Office has launched a review of whether to introduce high street licensing laws to airports, which could lead to bars, restaurants and shops being unable to serve alcohol until 10am. Airlines has been demanding changes as a result of increasing alcohol-fuelled disturbances, but UK Hospitality describes the proposals as ‘unnecessary and unfair’.

Poorer children now receive higher share of education funding
The BBC carries research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies that shows that poorer children now receive a higher share of English education spending as a result of a shift which has occurred since the early 2000s due to policies designed to give more funding to the deprived and an increase in poorer children attending sixth form and university.

Osamor keeps son as staffer, despite drug conviction
The Sun reports that Labour MP Kate Osamor has refused to stop employing her son Ishmael Osamor as a staffer despite him being convicted for possessing drugs with intent to supply and stepping down as a councillor as a result. Commons Speaker, John Bercow, indicated that he could lose his parliamentary pass after he failed to inform authorities of his conviction.

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Today’s political headlines cover Osborne’s ‘regrets’ about his time in Government, patronising schools funding, clawing back the tax cut and no-deal Brexit to cause a recession. 

Osborne admits to ‘regrets’
Interviewed by BBC Newsnight, former Chancellor George Osborne admitted to ‘regrets’ about his time in Government, including getting immigration policy wrong and playing into the message that ‘everything Brussels did was a challenge’. He said that each of these had contributed to the Government losing the EU membership referendum. He also regretted not repairing the banking system quicker, but defended his austerity policies.

Chancellor’s ‘little extras’ for schools branded patronising
The Daily Mirror says that teachers and parents have criticised the Chancellor over his claim that schools would receive £400m from the Budget to ‘buy little extras’. Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner described the move as ‘utterly insulting’ while Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Secretary, said that schools faced a £2bn funding shortfall.

Government to claw back half of Budget tax cut
The Daily Mail reveals that small print in the Budget means that half of the tax cut for higher-rate taxpayers would be taken back by the Government through increased National Insurance contributions. Former Pensions Minister Steve Webb, who now works for the insurance and pensions firm Royal London, said that Hammond ‘should have come clean and mentioned this in the Budget speech’.

No-deal Brexit would cause recession, ratings agency claims
The Guardian reports that the rating agency Standard & Poor’s has warned that a no-deal Brexit would lead to rising unemployment and falling incomes, leading to a recession. It warned that the chances of a no-deal Brexit had increased to the point where they might threaten the UK’s credit rating.

Number of Brits applying for Irish passports doubles
The Times says that the number of British residents applying for Irish passports has nearly doubled since the EU referendum, with 44,900 applications received between January and June. The paper adds that Caroline Nokes, the immigration minister, admitted yesterday that UK citizens could face delays at EU airports after Brexit. The Guardian adds that Nokes also told MPs that employers would have to check if EU nationals have the right to work in the UK after a no-deal Brexit, but didn’t know how they would be able to do so.

Ambassadors to be recruited from business leaders
The Daily Telegraph claims that Jeremy Hunt is to announce today that the UK will begin hiring business leaders rather than civil servants as ambassadors. The change forms part of a plan to recruit more ‘under-represented groups’ and will lead to the UK adopting a more US style of diplomacy, the paper claims.

Hancock to tackle assaults on NHS staff
According to the BBC, Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock will today set out new measures to reduce the number of assaults on NHS staff. More training on dealing with violent situations will be given to staff, while prosecutions will be sped up. Inspectors will examine NHS trusts’ plan to protect staff and a new recording system will be brought in.

McDonnell criticised for backing tax cuts
The Guardian says that Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell is facing a backlash from his own MPs after he said that Labour would not oppose the tax cuts for high earners in the Budget. He said that ‘we’re not going to take money out of people’s pockets’, but has been criticised for his stance by MPs including Yvette Cooper and David Lammy.

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Today’s political headlines follow yesterday’s Autumn Budget and cover Hammond’s spending, Labour’s criticisms, the Brexit ‘double deal dividend’ and the digital services tax.

Hammond’s ‘giveaway’ Budget
The Times calls yesterday’s Budget ‘the biggest giveaway’ since the Conservatives came to power in 2010 as Hammond used his windfall from higher growth and lower deficit forecasts to ease austerity with £103bn of extra spending. Headline measures include tax cuts for 32m workers and funding for the NHS spending increase announced earlier in the year, as well as emergency cash injections for schools, freezes on beer and spirit duty and more money for Northern Ireland.

Labour criticises Budget for ‘broken promises’
The BBC reports that Labour has attacked claims by the Chancellor that austerity is ending, with Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell warning that benefit cuts are continuing and Jeremy Corbyn suggesting that the Budget was full of ‘broken promises’. The Resolution Foundation thinktank notes that changes to income tax thresholds will give the poorest families £30, compared to £410 for the richest.

Hammond promises Brexit ‘double deal dividend’
The Daily Telegraph says that Hammond promised a ‘double deal dividend’ if the UK reaches a Brexit deal with the EU as the economy would benefit from the ‘end of uncertainty’. However, he warned that an emergency Budget in the spring was possible if the outlook ‘changes materially’ and he would take ‘whatever action is necessary’.

Tech firms targeted with digital services tax
The Guardian reports that Hammond is targeting US tech firms such as Google, Facebook and Amazon with a digital services tax, as the UK can no longer wait for a global consensus on the route forward. He expects the tax to raise more than £400m a year, but the Office of Budget Responsibility believes that the major tech companies might pay just £30m each.

£3bn boost for Universal Credit
The Sun says that almost £3bn was spent on a rescue package for Universal Credit, reversing over half of the cuts made to the benefit by George Osborne. As a result, the paper calls Hammond ‘Mr Increditable’. The Chancellor claimed that 2.4m families would benefit from £630 more a year.

Budget welcomed by business groups
According to the Financial Times, the Budget was welcomed by business groups. The CBI said it offered ‘significant support for investment’ and the Federation of Small Businesses said that it was Hammond’s ‘first small-business friendly Budget’, particularly welcoming the freezing of the VAT threshold. However, business groups have also warned of the continuing uncertainty caused by Brexit. 

Hammond kills off PFI
The Times reports that Hammond has committed to no longer use PFI schemes following the collapse of Carillion earlier this year, with existing schemes to be managed by ‘centres of best practice’. According to the paper, the Treasury is looking at new funding models, such as a national infrastructure bank.

Unpopular measures hidden in the detail
The Daily Mirror reveals 13 details from the Budget it says Hammond ‘won’t want you to read’. They include the poorest in society not benefitting, a new plastic tax taking four years to introduce, a six-month delay to cutting stakes on fixed-odds betting terminals and a tax on vaping.

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Today’s political headlines include Hain’s claims that Sir Philip Green was responsible for the injunction dominating the press, Javid admits officials illegally requested DNA samples, DWP in denial over Universal Credit and May postpones her plans to present revised Brexit proposals. 

Hain claims Sir Philip Green was responsible for injunction
As The Daily Telegraph reports, Lord Hain used parliamentary privilege to claim that the businessman Sir Philip Green was the subject of an injunction preventing the paper from running a story. Following the revelation, MPs including Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable and Frank Field suggested that Green should lose his knighthood. Green refused to comment on events in Parliament but denied any ‘unlawful sexual or racist behaviour’.

Javid admits officials illegally requested DNA samples
The Times reports that Home Secretary Sajid Javid admitted yesterday that officials from his department had been illegally requiring DNA samples from people who wanted to stay in or visit the UK. Those affected include children of Gurkhas and Afghan translators who worked for the British military, but the scale of the error isn’t known. Javid said that those affected would be reimbursed.

Department of Work and Pensions ‘in denial’ about Universal Credit
The Daily Mirror says that a new report by the Commons Public Accounts Committee has found that Universal Credit is creating ‘unacceptable hardship’ for many claimants, accusing the Department of Work and Pensions of being ‘in denial’ about the benefit and being unable to make improvements as a result.

May postpones plans to present revised Brexit proposals to Cabinet
According to The Sun, Theresa May cancelled plans to present revised Brexit proposals to her Cabinet yesterday because they were not ready. In a reference to Attorney General Geoffrey Cox, who has emerged as a critic of May’s strategy, a source told the paper that the plan needed ‘Cox-proofing’. The paper suggests that May has just ten days to agree her offer to the EU if a November summit of EU leaders to discuss it is to go ahead.

Hannan claims EU citizens in UK will be able to vote
The Guardian reports that Brexiteer MEP Daniel Hannan told his colleagues via WhatsApp that he had seen part of the draft Brexit withdrawal agreement and that it would give EU citizens voting rights in England and Northern Ireland (they are devolved in Scotland and Wales). He described this as an ‘odd decision’, claiming that bilateral agreements should be reached with each country instead.

Defence to be given £500m bail out in Budget
In an exclusive, The Sun reveals that Chancellor Philip Hammond is to announce a £500m bailout for the Ministry of Defence in Monday’s Budget. However, he has insisted that the department will not get ‘special treatment’ and its long-term funding will be settled in spring’s spending review.

Raab warns of French ‘go slow approach’ in no-deal Brexit
The Daily Mail says that Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has warned that the UK should be ready for a ‘go slow approach’ by the French in the case of a no-deal Brexit, although he believes that border issues in such a scenario could be ‘alleviated’ through ‘pragmatism on both sides’.

MPs recommend that FCA regulates commercial lending
The Financial Times carries details of a new report by the House of Commons Treasury Committee, which concludes that commercial lending should be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The committee’s inquiry followed scandals over the way small businesses were treated by RBS and HBOS.

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