Category Archives: UK news

Macron tells Johnson Brexit backstop is indispensable

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French president tells Boris Johnson he must present concrete proposals for UK exit

Emmanuel Macron has described the Irish backstop as “indispensable” to a Brexit deal and urged Boris Johnson to set out his proposed alternatives as soon as possible, as he met the British prime minister in Paris.

The French president told Johnson on Thursday that the EU would like “visibility” on London’s concrete proposals for the UK’s withdrawal from the EU within a month, echoing language used by the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, on Wednesday.

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Leaked emails show Ukip leader comparing Muslims to Nazis

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Richard Braine accused of stoking tensions after also saying there are no ‘moderate Muslims’

Richard Braine, the new Ukip leader, has been accused of whipping up religious tensions and anti-Muslim prejudice after leaked emails showed he argued that people should no more want Muslims to settle in their country than Nazis.

Braine, who won the leadership after a campaign in which he expressed anti-Islam views, also suggested that non-Muslims needed to help Muslims to “cast out their demon” and argued there was no such thing as “moderate Muslims”.

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Aras Amiri’s fiance says UK government ‘utterly blind’ to responsibility

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James Tyson decries ‘diplomatic failings’ after Iran rejects fiancee’s appeal

My fiancee is in an Iranian prison, a victim of the depravity of international relations

The fiance of Aras Amiri, a British Council employee imprisoned in Iran on spying charges, has accused the UK government of being “utterly blind to their responsibility” to try to secure her release.

An appeal against Amiri’s 10-year sentence was rejected without a hearing earlier this week, in a decision that prompted her family to call on the UK government to intervene.

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Johnson and Macron to hold ‘frank’ Brexit talks in Paris

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French observers fear Britain’s PM is setting up France to take blame over no-deal departure

Emmanuel Macron will hold a friendly but “frank” working lunch with Boris Johnson on Thursday after dismissing his request to renegotiate the Brexit withdrawal agreement and scrap the Irish backstop as “not an option”.

The French president told reporters on Wednesday night that there was a “British democratic crisis” over Brexit and he was seeking “clarification” from Johnson on his proposals as the 31 October exit date approaches.

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Older adults can boost longevity ‘with just a little exercise’

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Norwegian review of 36,000 cases links more activity overall, light or intensive, with lower risk of death

Even a small increase in light activity, such as washing dishes, a little gentle gardening, or shuffling around the house, might help stave off an early death among older adults, researchers say.

Being sedentary, for instance, by sitting for long periods of time, has been linked to an increased risk of developing many conditions, including heart disease, as well as an early death.

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Man charged over knife and hammer incident near Home Office site

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Oluwaleke Yisa, 30, accused of brandishing weapons near immigration office in London

A man accused of brandishing a knife and hammer near a Home Office building has been charged by police.

Oluwaleke Yisa, 30, of Harton Street in Deptford, south-east London, appeared at Camberwell Green magistrates court on Wednesday. He faces one count of possession of an offensive weapon in a public place and one of possession of a knife in a public place.

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‘Unelected PM … gambling with peace’ – Irish EU commissioner launches attack on Boris Johnson – live news

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Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen

From Bloomberg’s Jess Shankleman

The pound slipped to the day's low after we reported France now sees a no-deal Brexit as the most likely outcome #gbp https://t.co/Xmvg4Lpvkf pic.twitter.com/AQcwazbBaf

This is from Jenny Hill, the BBC’s Berlin correspondent.

Sat outside German Chancellery. Slovakian president’s motorcade has just whisked her away following her first meeting with Angela Merkel. Next on the guest list, Boris Johnson in just over an hour.....

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Four teenagers deny homophobic attack on two women on bus

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Defendants plead not guilty to harassing Melania Geymonat and Christine Hannigan

Four teenage boys have denied harassing two women in a homophobically aggravated attack after the women refused to perform a sex act on a bus.

Two 17-year-olds, a 16-year-old and another boy, 15, appeared at Highbury Corner youth court in London, on Wednesday, to enter not guilty pleas to a charge of causing harassment by using threatening or abusive words or behaviour.

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Homeless children put up in shipping containers, report says

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Children’s commissioner for England condemns ‘scandal’ of family homelessness

Thousands of homeless children are growing up in cheaply converted shipping containers and cramped rooms in former office blocks, putting their health and wellbeing at serious risk, according to the children’s commissioner for England.

Anne Longfield said it was scandal that at least 210,000 young people in homeless families in England were put up by councils in temporary housing and bed and breakfasts or forced to “sofa surf” with friends, often for long periods.

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Detention of Muslims at UK ports and airports ‘structural Islamophobia’

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Dossier by Cage attacks ‘suspicionless stops’ under anti-terror laws and highlights minuscule rate of convictions

Muslims are being detained at ports and airports for up to six hours by law enforcement using controversial counter-terrorism powers so disproportionately that the practice has become Islamophobic, according to human rights group Cage.

The organisation added there is growing anecdotal evidence that Muslim women are being forced to remove their headscarves when stopped, even though the rate that such stops lead to a conviction is 0.007%, according to Cage’s analysis of 420,000 incidences.

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EU rejects Boris Johnson request to remove backstop

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Johnson says MPs who claim they can prevent no deal are to blame for hardline EU response

The European Union has rebuffed Boris Johnson’s attempts to tear up the Irish backstop, in a coordinated response that appeared to close the door on further meaningful Brexit negotiations.

In remarks shortly before the prime minister departed for a whistle-stop tour to meet European leaders, Johnson put the blame for the EU’s hardline response at the feet of Conservative rebels, claiming his negotiating strategy was being undermined by those who said they could prevent no deal.

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Brexit free-movement cutoff plans worse than Windrush, says Abbott

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Senior Labour MP says no-deal Brexit proposal would create chaos for EU citizens in UK

Ending the free movement of people with a no-deal Brexit on 31 October would cause chaos and confusion for EU citizens on a scale that would make the Windrush scandal look like a minor blip, Diane Abbott has said.

The shadow home secretary said Boris Johnson’s policies were taking the country “towards a catastrophe” as 2 million EU citizens resident in Britain had not yet registered for settled status, having been told the deadline was December 2020.

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Employee at UK’s consulate in Hong Kong detained in China

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Detention comes amid more than two months of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong

An employee at the UK’s consulate in Hong Kong has been detained by mainland Chinese authorities on his way back to the city, his girlfriend has said.

Simon Cheng, 28, was returning from a trip in Shenzhen to his native Hong Kong on 8 August when his girlfriend, Li, stopped receiving communications from him.

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Elton John defends Harry and Meghan over use of private jets

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Singer reveals he paid for a flight for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their son Archie

Sir Elton John has defended the Duke and Duchess of Sussex over their use of private jets, revealing that he had paid for a flight for them and their son Archie to “maintain a high level of much-needed protection”.

The singer hit back at what he called “these relentless and untrue assassinations on their character”, after Prince Harry and Meghan faced mounting criticism for reportedly taking four private jet journeys in 11 days, rather than opting for commercial flights, despite speaking out on environmental issues. Buckingham Palace declined to comment.

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Man, 20, charged with the murder of PC Andrew Harper

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Jed Foster charged with murder and theft after death of police officer in Berkshire on Thursday

A man has been charged with the murder of the newlywed police officer Andrew Harper, who was killed on Thursday night while investigating a burglary, the Crown Prosecution Service said.

Jed Foster, 20, from Reading, is due to appear at Reading magistrates court on Tuesday.

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‘Reckless’ plan to cut off free movement alarms EU nationals

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European citizens in UK fear they could be caught up in hostile environment policies

Plans to end freedom of movement for EU citizens immediately after a no-deal Brexit have caused anxiety and confusion among European nationals in the UK, with concerns they could be caught up in hostile environment policies.

Downing Street confirmed rules allowing EU nationals to move to live and work freely in the UK would end abruptly if the UK leaves the bloc without an agreement at the end of October.

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Has the far right become mainstream in the UK?

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The heads of counter-terrorism policing and MI5 have warned far-right criminality is growing

In his paper on how the far right became part of the mainstream, the academic Joe Mulhall said far-right demonstrations had grown to sizes not seen since the 1930s.

The “Free Tommy [Robinson]” event in August, the “Day of freedom” march in May and the “Brexit betrayal” demonstration in December all attracted large numbers of people.

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Prince Andrew urged to tell all he knows about Jeffrey Epstein

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Lawyer for abuse victim asks prince to support investigation into late financier’s crimes

Prince Andrew should give sworn testimony on “everything he knows” about his friend Jeffrey Epstein after saying he was appalled by the disgraced financier’s sex crimes, lawyers for some of Epstein’s victims have said.

Representatives of women including Virginia Giuffre, who was pictured with Andrew in a now notorious photograph and alleges she was made to have sex with him, urged the prince to help them secure justice for the women Epstein abused.

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