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House of Lords may move out of London to 'reconnect' with public Tory plan a symbol of Boris Johnson’s aim to ‘level up’ rest of UK with capitalThe government is considering moving the House of Lords outside London – potentially to York – as one of a range of options to “reconnect” politics with the public, the Conservative party chairman, James Cleverly, has confirmed.Asked about the plan, which was reported in the Sunday Times, Cleverly said: “It’s one of a range of things that we are looking into. Continue reading... Go to Source

Harry and Meghan to give up HRH titles and repay £2.4m Duke and Duchess of Sussex will give back taxpayers’ money spent renovating their home and drop official dutiesAnalysis: couple sought half-in half-out deal, but are ‘out’ The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will give up using their Royal Highness titles and return £2.4m to the taxpayer to cover the costs of refurbishing their Windsor home as they leave their roles as senior member of the royal family.The Queen said in a statement that this “constructive and supportive way forward” would allow the Sussexes “to start building a happy and peaceful new life”. In a rebuff to critics of her granddaughter-in-law, the Queen added that she was “particularly proud of how Meghan has so quickl...

Comme des Garçons in row over 'white models in cornrow wigs' Fashion house accused of cultural appropriation over wigs used in men’s show The fashion house Comme des Garçons has been accused of cultural appropriation after white models sported what appeared to be black hair wigs during its men’s fall/winter 2020 show. In a post on Instagram, the industry watchdog Diet Prada said the label had put “white models in cornrow wigs”. Continue reading... Go to Source

Johnson to cabinet: shape up or I’ll sack you within weeks Top ministers are warned to stay off TV with reshuffle alert part of plan by Dominic CummingsBoris Johnson is to tell cabinet ministers that they must focus all their energy on developing policies for post-Brexit Britain – or face the sack in a wide-ranging cabinet reshuffle within weeks.In an extraordinary move, Johnson will tell his most senior ministers that they must concentrate on “delivery” and hard work that will help “level up” the country, rather than “touring TV studios” and trying to raise their personal profiles in the media. Continue reading... Go to Source

Harry and Meghan to drop HRH titles and repay £2.4m Duke and Duchess of Sussex will give back taxpayers’ money spent renovating their home and drop official dutiesAnalysis: couple sought half-in half-out deal, but are ‘out’The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will give up using their Royal Highness titles and return £2.4m to the taxpayer to cover the costs of refurbishing their Windsor home as they leave their roles as senior member of the royal family.The Queen said last night in a statement that this “constructive and supportive way forward” would allow the Sussexes “to start building a happy and peaceful new life”. In a rebuff to critics of her granddaughter-in-law, the Queen added that she was “particularly proud of how Megha...

Jess Phillips claims Labour leadership rivals ‘kept quiet’ on antisemitism Birmingham MP’s accusations force other contenders to defend their records during hustings for leadershipJess Phillips has accused her rivals in the race to succeed Jeremy Corbyn of “keeping quiet” about antisemitism, as the party’s failure to root out racism in its own ranks triggered heated exchanges at the first leadership hustings.For the first 40 minutes, the five surviving contenders engaged in civilised debate and avoided any personal criticism of one another, broadly agreeing on the shortcomings of the last election manifesto and the need to end factionalism. But, after the panel was asked about antisemitism, Phillips’s remarks changed the mood . Continue reading... Go to ...

No screening for new Sars-like virus at UK airports – yet Experts decide no need for checks as member of Coronavirus family infects up to 1,700 in ChinaHealth officials have ruled out introducing screening for passengers at UK airports, despite mounting fears over a deadly new virus from China. Three big US airports yesterday announced they would introduce screening. Related: Expert questions effectiveness of coronavirus airport screening Continue reading... Go to Source

Police fire teargas as gilets jaunes protests return to Paris Clashes come on 45th day of strike with 59 arrests and claims police beat protesterFrench police fired teargas under a rain of projectiles, used stun grenades and arrested dozens of people on Saturday as thousands of “yellow vest” anti-government protesters returned to the streets of Paris.Demonstrators shouted slogans denouncing the police, the president, Emmanuel Macron, and his pension reforms that have triggered the longest French transport strike in decades. Continue reading... Go to Source

Long-Bailey: we must become 'salespeople for socialism' Labour leadership candidates set out priorities at first hustings event of campaignLabour leadership hustings - liveLabour activists must become “salespeople for socialism”, Rebecca Long-Bailey has said as the party’s leadership candidates clashed in their first hustings event of the campaign.Long-Bailey, a frontrunner who is backed by allies of Jeremy Corbyn, said she was kept awake at night by the problems of inequality and the climate crisis but also the question of how to present socialism as mainstream. Continue reading... Go to Source

Lecturer says she faced online abuse after Question Time clash with Laurence Fox Rachel Boyle described actor as a ‘white privileged male’ in row over media coverage of Duchess of SussexA mixed-race university lecturer accused of being racist by the white actor Laurence Fox has been bombarded with hate messages via social media, she has told the Observer.Rachel Boyle, a researcher on race and ethnicity at Edge Hill University in Lancashire, clashed with Fox during a television discussion about press coverage of the Duchess of Sussex. Continue reading... Go to Source

Revealed: clandestine actions of mercenaries during Thatcher years Keenie Meenie Services was active from Sri Lanka to Nicaragua – and Foreign Office could not rein it in, book claimsA British mercenary company established by former SAS veterans conducted clandestine and highly controversial operations around the world, with successive British governments either unwilling or unable to rein it in, a new book reveals.Keenie Meenie Services (KMS) was one of Britain’s first mercenary companies, believed to have taken its name from Arabic slang for “undercover”. It was set up in the 1970s and recruited veterans battle-hardened by the Troubles in Northern Ireland, Operation Storm in Oman – when Anglo Omani forces quashed an uprising – and the 1980 siege o...

Meghan gets twice as many negative headlines as positive, analysis finds Guardian analysis appears to support claim Duchess of Sussex receives more critical treatment than Duchess of CambridgeThe Duchess of Sussex gets more than twice as many negative headlines as positive ones, according to Guardian analysis of articles published between May 2018 and mid January 2019.The analysis – which appears to support Meghan’s argument that she has faced highly critical treatment in the British press – found that of the 843 articles in 14 print newspapers since mid-May 2018, 43% were negative. Just 20% of the articles were positive, with the remaining 36% remaining neutral. Continue reading... Go to Source

Iran to send crashed plane's flight recorders abroad for analysis Black boxes will first be sent to Ukraine after Tehran relented under pressure from KyivIran will send the black box flight recorders from the passenger jet it accidentally shot down abroad for analysis, a senior investigator has said.The recorders will first be sent to Ukraine, the plane’s home base, where French, Canadian and US experts will help examine them, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported. Continue reading... Go to Source

Sajid Javid: no alignment on EU regulations after Brexit Chancellor’s comments represent ‘death knell for frictionless trade’, experts warnThe chancellor, Sajid Javid, has warned that there will be no alignment with EU regulations once Britain’s exit from the European Union is made official.In what is being seen as an opening salvo in the next stage of negotiations, he said the Treasury would not lend support to manufacturers that favour EU rules as the sector has had three years to prepare for Britain’s transition. Continue reading... Go to Source

Schools 'converting toilet blocks into isolation booths' Children’s commissioner describes ‘horror stories’ of children put in isolationSchools are converting toilet blocks and classrooms to build isolation booths to accommodate “disruptive” children, the children’s commissioner has said, as campaigners warn that excessive use of the practice could be putting young people’s mental health at risk.Anne Longfield said she had heard “horror stories” about children’s experiences in isolation booths – spaces in which pupils sit in silence for hours as punishment for breaking school rules and disruptive behaviour. Continue reading... Go to Source

Man found guilty of aggravated assault against Owen Jones James Healy had admitted assault but trial was to find if motive was homophobia or hostility to journalist’s leftwing viewsA man has been found guilty of aggravated assault against the Guardian columnist Owen Jones because of hostility to his leftwing political views and/or homophobia, following a two-day trial at Snaresbrook crown court.James Healy, 40, had already pleaded guilty to assaulting Jones last August outside the Lexington pub in King’s Cross, north London, at about 2am. But he was on trial before a judge to determine whether his actions were motivated by homophobia or hostility to Jones’s leftwing political views. Continue reading... Go to Source

Greenpeace included with neo-Nazis on UK counter-terror list Exclusive: Extinction Rebellion and Peta also named in anti-extremism briefing alongside Combat 18 and National ActionA counter-terrorism police document distributed to medical staff and teachers as part of anti-extremism briefings included Greenpeace, Peta and other non-violent groups as well as neo-Nazis, the Guardian has learned.The guide, produced by Counter Terrorism Policing, is used across England as part of training for Prevent, the anti-radicalisation scheme designed to catch those at risk of committing terrorist violence. Continue reading... Go to Source

Painting found inside Italian gallery wall confirmed as a Gustav Klimt Gardeners discovered Portrait of a Lady while clearing ivy at gallery in PiacenzaA painting found hidden in an Italian gallery in December is an authentic Gustav Klimt piece stolen almost 23 years ago, experts have confirmed.The Portrait of a Lady was one of the world’s most sought-after stolen artworks before it was found concealed in a wall of the Ricci Oddi modern art gallery, the same gallery from where it went missing in the northern city of Piacenza. Continue reading... Go to Source

Stop trying to out-working-class each other, Labour candidates told Party chairman Ian Lavery says voters want leader who understands different classesLabour leadership candidates are being warned against trying to “out-working-class each other” as the party weighs up who would be best placed to win back seats lost in last month’s bruising general election.Keir Starmer, Jess Phillips and Rebecca Long-Bailey have all defended aspects of their backstory as the candidates compete to win over Labour members by highlighting their humble origins. Continue reading... Go to Source