News- UK

MI5 role before London Bridge attack 'of legitimate concern' Chief coroner questions suspension of investigations into ringleader prior to attackThe suspension of priority MI5 investigations into the ringleader of the London Bridge attacks before the atrocity is a matter of “legitimate public concern”, the chief coroner for England and Wales has said.In his Prevention of Future Deaths report, published on Friday, Mark Lucraft QC also suggested that further measures should be introduced to reduce the risk of rental vehicles being used in terrorist attacks. Continue reading... Go to Source

New Zealand swat Wales aside to win Rugby World Cup bronze final • All Blacks surge to win in Steve Hansen’s final game• We are expanding our coverage of New Zealand. Please help us by supporting our independent journalismNew Zealand sent off their head coach Steve Hansen with the bronze medal, which is not likely to be displayed too prominently at the union’s headquarters in Wellington. It extended their winning run against Wales but it had the flavour of a fixture being fulfilled.Wales have become awkward opponents under their departing head coach, Warren Gatland. They were never in a position to win, but at the moments in each half when it looked like the All Blacks would get away from them, they hit back. Defiance, however, lost out to class with Richie Mo’unga’s late try, his...

Argentina could become 'sacrificial country' for plastic waste, say activists Country has changed definition of waste, which campaigners far could lead to imports of low-grade plastic scraps Argentina has changed its definition of waste in a move that could allow it to import millions of tonnes of plastic waste discarded in the US.The country’s president, Mauricio Macri, signed a decree in August reclassifying some materials destined for recycling as commodities instead of waste, allowing looser oversight of mixed and contaminated plastic scraps that are difficult to process, and are often dumped or incinerated. Continue reading... Go to Source

Sharp 80% rise in liver cancer deaths in UK Increase due to several factors including deprivation and rise in obesity says Cancer Research UKDeaths from liver cancer in the UK have shot up in recent years, with a rise of almost 80% in numbers between 2007 to 2017, new figures reveal.Experts say there are several factors behind the rise, including the fact that more people are being diagnosed with the disease, which is notoriously difficult to detect in its early stages, meaning it has a poor prognosis. Continue reading... Go to Source

NSC official corroborates key testimony in Trump impeachment inquiry Tim Morrison seemed to exculpate Trump by suggesting Gordon Sondland was conducting a rogue foreign policy in UkraineHouse endorses impeachment inquiry – live updatesIn a deposition before the congressional impeachment committees Thursday, a national security council (NSC) official corroborated prior testimony describing efforts by the Trump administration to strike a suspicious deal with Ukrainians.But the official, Tim Morrison, seemed to lay groundwork in his testimony for an exculpation of Donald Trump and suggested that Gordon Sondland, the US ambassador to the EU, was unilaterally conducting a rogue foreign policy in Ukraine. Continue reading... Go to Source

BAT faces landmark legal case over Malawi families' poverty wages Exclusive: Lawyers seeking compensation in UK for child labourers and their parentsThe children labouring in Malawi’s fields for British American TobaccoHuman rights lawyers are preparing to bring a landmark case against British American Tobacco on behalf of hundreds of children and their families forced by poverty wages to work in conditions of gruelling hard labour in the fields of Malawi.Leigh Day’s lawyers are seeking compensation for more than 350 child labourers and their parents in the high court in London, arguing that the British company is guilty of “unjust enrichment”. Leigh Day says it anticipates the number of child labourer claimants to rise as high as 15,000. While BAT claims it has told farmers not t...

Pelosi bangs the gavel: House votes to endorse Trump impeachment inquiry Vote set rules for public phase of impeachment inquiry, laying out plan that could produce televised hearings within two weeks For only the third time in the history of the modern presidency, the US House of Representatives voted on Thursday to formalize impeachment proceedings against the president of the United States. Related: House votes to formalize impeachment process against Trump – live Continue reading... Go to Source

General election: 'Real change is coming,' says Corbyn at Labour's campaign launch - live news Rolling coverage of the latest developments in the 2019 general election campaign 11.39am GMTFrom the Scotsman’s Paris GourtsoyannisThere weren't any mentions of Scotland or Wales in the text handout of this speech, but Corbyn has gone off script to squeeze them in as part of list of people who "win" from a Labour government 11.38am GMTCorbyn is now on his peroration.Boris Johnson thought he was being smart holding this election in a dark and cold December. He thinks you won’t go out to vote. He thinks you won’t go out to campaign.Well I say this: Labour will be out there in every city, town and village with the biggest and most confident campaign that our country has ever seen, bringing...

Body of Amelia Bambridge found in sea off Cambodia Briton, 21, disappeared after attending beach party on Koh Rong island last weekThe body of the British backpacker Amelia Bambridge has been found at sea more than 30 miles (48km) from where she disappeared, according to Cambodian police.The 21-year-old gap year student from Worthing, West Sussex, had been missing since last Thursday morning after leaving a beach party on the island of Koh Rong. Her body was found floating in the sea near the Thai border, police said. Continue reading... Go to Source

Harry Dunn death: police have met Anne Sacoolas in US Details of interview with diplomat’s wife have been passed to prosecutorsPolice have conducted an interview with the wife of a US diplomat in connection with a crash that killed a 19-year-old motorcyclist outside a Northamptonshire RAF base.Details of the interview with Anne Sacoolas, who was allegedly driving on the wrong side of the road before the collision with Harry Dunn on 27 August, have been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service, Northamptonshire police said on Thursday. Continue reading... Go to Source

CIA-linked unit accused of atrocities in Afghanistan Document details 14 deadly raids by pro-government units with support of US intelligence The Afghan soldiers who swept through Kulalgo village one late August night shot three of Dr Ulfatullah’s relatives carefully, a single bullet through their left eye, faces otherwise untouched as blood pooled below their bodies on the floor of the family home.The last killing was less precise, and left the face of university student Ansarullah badly disfigured. His family thought perhaps he had heard the muffled gunshot that ended a cousin’s life, and briefly tried to struggle against his captors. Continue reading... Go to Source

Impeachment: Trump's top Russia adviser to depart as testimony looms – reports Tim Morrison is an important witness and his appearance at the inquiry is unlikely to be helpful to Donald TrumpThe top White House official on Russian affairs will be leaving his post soon, it was reported, a day before he was due to give testimony to the impeachment inquiry in Congress.Tim Morrison, a senior director on Europe and Russia, is a key witness on the central question in the impeachment investigation: whether Donald Trump used the power of his office to persuade the Ukrainian government to launch investigations aimed at damaging his political opponents. Continue reading... Go to Source

Jeremy Corbyn to position Labour as true 'party of the people' Party leader will seek to pour cold water on Boris Johnson’s claim of being anti-establishmentJeremy Corbyn will seek to scorn Conservative attempts to portray themselves on the side of the people against the elite, kicking off his election campaign by promising to side with the public against a “corrupt system” run by those with vested interests.On Thursday, the Labour leader will single out individuals, including the Sports Direct boss, Mike Ashley, the financier Crispin Odey and the media owner Rupert Murdoch, as examples of individuals Labour’s policies would target. Continue reading... Go to Source

Five factors that could decide the general election Key questions that need to be answered in the run-up to voting on 12 DecemberWith Brexit still unresolved, and smaller parties hoping to break through, pollsters and pundits have warned that this general election is the most unpredictable in decades. Here are five factors that could make the difference:1) Is it all about Brexit? Continue reading... Go to Source

Jewish group removes campaigning support for Labour in election JLM says party’s handling of antisemitism cases means only ‘exceptional candidates’ will be backedThe Jewish Labour Movement (JLM) has withdrawn campaigning support for Labour in the upcoming general election in protest at its handling of antisemitism cases.As one of the oldest socialist societies affiliated to Labour, the group regularly sent out activists to support candidates across the country before voters went to the polls. Continue reading... Go to Source

Lib Dems face being frozen out of any live TV debates Labour and Tories prefer one-on-one format, which would mean no place for Jo Swinson’s partyThe Liberal Democrat leader, Jo Swinson, faces being cut out of televised leadership debates during the general election campaign, as broadcasters begin torturous negotiations over who gets to show the nation’s political leaders arguing with each other on stage.While the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, and Sky News are all vying for the position, Swinson’s place in any forthcoming debate is less than assured. The Tories are thought to prefer simple one-on-one debates between Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn in a bid to reduce the election to a simple choice between the two. Labour have adopted a similar stance amid fears they could lose pro-remain v...

The last PMQs gives MPs time to feel their unimportance | John Crace Looking at their leaders, both benches wondered what brought them to vote for a general election Morning after the night before. On Tuesday evening, MPs had been out on the lash, got a bit lairy and voted overwhelmingly for a general election. Now many had returned to the Commons with a bad hangover and gripped by remorse.The sense of an ending weighed heavy in the late autumnal air. Political careers both distinguished and entirely unremarkable faced extinction. Most by accident. Only a few by design. That which had been done could not now be undone. Even those who would return to Westminster would be changed by the experience of the next six weeks. Not necessarily for the better. The obnoxious would only become...

Grenfell inquiry chair demands end to 'stay put' advice for all high-rises Sir Martin Moore-Bick’s call for new fire guidelines would mark shift away from advice given in tower disasterGrenfell Tower inquiry: the chair’s findings so farGrenfell Tower inquiry: the main playersLives of Grenfell: portraits of the 72 who diedHundreds of thousands of people who live in tower blocks should be prepared to evacuate in the event of a fire, according to a key demand made by Sir Martin Moore-Bick, the chair of the Grenfell Tower public inquiry.In what fire safety experts said would be a significant change to the default advice for most tower blocks that residents should stay put, he told ministers to develop national guidelines for total or partial evacuation of towers and to make it illegal...

Law banning assisted dying must be reviewed, say MPs Cross-party group responds to calls by police chief Ron Hogg, who has motor neurone diseaseLetter: Assisted dying laws are in need of reviewThe law banning terminally ill people from being helped to end their lives must be reviewed because it may not be working, a cross party group of MPs have said.They say the government should examine whether a total ban on assisted dying should be ended. Continue reading... Go to Source

Tactical voting could deliver remain victory in election – study Conservatives could be denied majority if one in three remain supporters switch votesTactical voting could swing a victory for pro-remain parties in the December election, research suggests.Boris Johnson would fail to get a majority if one in three pro-remain voters in England and Wales switched their vote, the campaign group Best for Britain said. Continue reading... Go to Source

Chinese province closes all glass bridges over safety fears Series of injuries and deaths prompts closure of 32 glass-bottomed attractions in HebeiThey were meant to be futuristic marvels, allowing thrill-seeking tourists to feel like they were walking on air.But China’s growing obsession with glass bridges may be coming to an abrupt end, after a series of accidents led one province to close down all its glass-bottomed attractions. Continue reading... Go to Source

Chilean president cancels Apec and climate summits amid wave of unrest Sebastián Piñera confirms he will not hold summits in November and December, as government struggles with massive protestsChile’s embattled president has been forced to cancel two major international summits after government concessions failed to defuse weeks of violent protests that have seen thousands of arrests, left at least 20 dead and sent shock waves across Latin America.Sebastián Piñera made the announcement on Wednesday morning, telling reporters Chile would no longer be able to host November’s Apec trade summit and the COP25 UN climate conference the following month. Continue reading... Go to Source

General election: Amber Rudd joins exodus of MPs quitting parliament ahead of December poll – live news Former home secretary will not contest election as country to head to polls on 12 December Full story: General election confirmed for 12 DecemberAnalysis: can Labour eat into projected 58-seat Tory majority?How the parties are shaping up for December’s election 12.00pm GMTPMQs is about to start. It is only Boris Johnson’s third PMQs since he became prime minister in July. 11.57am GMTHere is an interesting question from below the line.Andrew, what is the likely effect on the election of 51 MPs standing down? Are those seats more likely to switch from current party to another? Or less?*CORRECTION*We reckon it's 53, excluding John Mann (h/t @MShepheard)Data here, corrections welcom...

Let battle commence: how the parties are shaping up for December's election How ready are the Tories, Labour, Lib Dems, SNP, Brexit party and Greens for the snap poll?All the day’s politics news – livePreparednessThe Conservatives have been obviously preparing for a general election since the summer. The signs were all there, even while Boris Johnson was insisting he did not want to go to the polls, with the appointment of Isaac Levido, a protege of Australian election strategist Lynton Crosby, as campaigns director. Two women from a thinktank background, Munira Mirza and Rachel Wolf, have been writing the party’s manifesto for months. MPs have been hitting the phones canvassing, and special advisers are expecting to be assigned roles in Conservative party headquarters and on the ...

Lib Dems could win hundreds of seats in election, says Swinson Leader talks up chances of breakthrough as party election machines swing into actionLatest politics news - live updatesThe Liberal Democrats are “within a small swing of winning hundreds of seats”, Jo Swinson has claimed, as the main parties began pushing out key messages before what is billed as the most volatile general election in living memory.Although the official campaign does not begin until parliament is dissolved next week, the near-certain passage through parliament of a bill calling a 12 December poll has prompted party election machines to swing immediately into action. Continue reading... Go to Source

Grenfell Tower fire survivors welcome damning inquiry report ‘Heartbreaking’ to read more loved ones could have been saved, say bereavedGrenfell Tower inquiry: the chair’s findings so farGrenfell Tower inquiry: the main playersLives of Grenfell: portraits of the 72 who diedThe survivors and the bereaved of the Grenfell Tower fire have welcomed a damning public inquiry report into the disaster that concludes there were “systemic failings” by the London fire brigade. But they said it was “heartbreaking” to read that more of their loved ones could have been saved if the building was evacuated earlier.The long-delayed report into the blaze that claimed 72 lives was released on Wednesday morning by the inquiry chairman, Sir Martin Moore-Bick, and was branded “strong” by Grenfell United...

Facebook agrees to pay fine over Cambridge Analytica scandal Company withdraws appeal against £500,000 penalty imposed by UK data watchdogFacebook has agreed to pay a £500,000 fine, the highest possible, to the Information Commissioner’s Office over the Cambridge Analytica scandal, ending more than a year of litigation between the regulator and social network.The ICO announced its intention to fine Facebook in July 2018. Unusually, the office went public with its intention before giving Facebook a chance to respond, and ultimately issued the official penalty notice three months later, in October. Facebook appealed against the fine, and in June 2019 the tribunal issued an interim decision “holding that procedural fairness and allegations of bias on the part of the ICO should be con...

Parliament breaks Brexit deadlock with vote for 12 December election Boris Johnson wins vote to secure snap poll at fourth time of asking Brexit: latest updates – liveMPs voted on Tuesday night to finally resolve their Brexit deadlock by calling a general election, setting the stage for a 12 December contest that could be the most unpredictable in a generation. Related: Tory MPs 'asking Brexit party not to stand against them' Continue reading... Go to Source

The Guardian view on a snap election: a reckoning the voters may not want | Editorial Boris Johnson has got the poll he wanted but he might be making the same mistake as Theresa May in 2017General elections must be about the issues. The 1997 election was about 18 “wasted” years of Tory government, with Tony Blair’s manifesto saying “Britain deserves better”. In 1974 Edward Heath called an election seeking an answer to the question of who governs Britain – the prime minister or the unions. The answer the electorate returned was the unions. More often than not, politicians overestimate their ability to frame the terms of political debate. Theresa May reasoned that Brexit would be the issue in her snap election of 2017. It dominated voters’ thoughts – but that did not help her. Boris...

Can Labour eat into projected 58-seat Tory majority? Boris Johnson opens election campaign with a 10-point poll lead We’re off, and Labour has it all to do. The Conservatives start the campaign with a 10-point poll lead, a margin that translates into an overall majority of about 58 for Boris Johnson, according to estimates produced by Electoral Calculus.If anything, the latest Brexit wrangling has benefited the Conservatives, extending the party’s lead by two points since 1 October, even as it became increasingly clear that Johnson’s “do or die” Halloween deadline would be missed. Continue reading... Go to Source