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Today’s Political Headlines include the Cabinet’s decision on Syria, Jeremy Hunt breaking money laundering rules, apologising to ex-colonies and UK Aid. 

Cabinet agrees military action in Syria is needed
The BBC reports that the Cabinet has agreed ‘on the need to take action’ in Syria in order to prevent the further use of chemical weapons. No details of any UK military involvement in Syria had been given by the Government, and MPs from both the Conservative Party and opposition parties have called for a vote in Parliament before any action is taken.

Jeremy Hunt admits breaking money laundering rules
In an exclusive, The Daily Telegraph reports that Jeremy Hunt has admitted breaching the Government’s anti-money laundering legislation when he set up a company to buy seven luxury flats, as he didn’t declare his 50% interest in the firm. The Cabinet Office found that he did not breach the Ministerial Code of Conduct, but he could still be investigated by a House of Commons committee.

Emily Thornberry says UK should apologise to ex-colonies
According to The Times, Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry has called on the Government to use the upcoming meeting of the Commonwealth to apologise for Britain’s past mistakes, including over the Chagos Islanders and apartheid. The paper adds that Shadow International Development Secretary Kate Osamor has said that Prince Charles is not suitable to succeed the Queen as Head of the Commonwealth.

Penny Mordaunt describes UK Aid as shield
The Guardian says that International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt described UK Aid as a ‘shield’ against pandemics, poverty, organised crime and terrorism in a speech yesterday. However, the paper adds that the speech was ‘short on detail, but long on colour and allusion’ and a planned question and answer session was cancelled.

OPCW confirms nerve agent analysis
The BBC says that the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has confirmed the UK’s analysis of the type of nerve agent used in the Salisbury poisoning. Russia has called the allegations an ‘anti-Russian campaign’ but Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said there was ‘no alternative explanation’ and ‘only Russia has the means, motive and record’.

Arlene Foster gives evidence to RHI inquiry
As The Guardian reports, giving evidence to the inquiry into the renewable heat incentive, Arlene Foster said that she deeply regretted its spiralling costs. However, she also claimed that Sinn Fein’s protests over the scheme had been a pretext to bring down the executive.

Councils run down financial reserves as funding is cut and costs increase
The Financial Times reports that almost half of councils in England have run down their financial reserves over the last two years, as they struggle with cuts in funding from central government and increases in social care costs. The councils whose reserves have increased are largely small district councils which do not handle social care.

Norman Lamb suffers stroke due to long working days
The Sun says that the Liberal Democrat MP Norman Lamb suffered a stroke a fortnight ago, which he has attributed to long hours and a lack of sleep. He now plans to make changes and ‘work smarter’, saying that he was lucky not have received any lasting damage.

These headlines were curated by Vuelio political services.  

Today’s Political Headlines include the anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, May under pressure to join US strikes, the serious violence strategy and May’s £75m prostate cancer strategy.  

Good Friday Agreement anniversary marked, but Gardiner and Davis criticise Irish government over its Brexit stance
The BBC reports that former US President Bill Clinton is visiting Northern Ireland to mark the 20th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement and will speak at a conference also featuring Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern. The BBC adds that Barry Gardiner, Labour’s Shadow International Trade Secretary is facing criticism after he suggested that the Irish government and Sinn Fein have ‘played up’ concerns about the impact of Brexit on the agreement, while The Times says that David Davis has accused the Irish government of bowing to political pressure from Sinn Fein and adopting a hardline stance on Brexit.

May under pressure to join US strike against Assad regime
According to The Times, Theresa May is under pressure from ministers and allies to join a US-led military strike against the Assad regime in Syria. Officials have suggested it is unlikely that MPs will be recalled from their Easter break in order to authorise action, but a senior military source told the paper that options are being examined and that a parliamentary vote is not necessary.

Serious violence strategy overshadowed by row over impact of police numbers
The Guardian reports the Government’s new serious violence strategy claims that tackling serious violence is not a law enforcement issue alone and fails to discuss the impact of police levels, despite a leaked Home Office report having linked the two issues. The paper claims that the leak ‘threatened to overshadow the broader findings of the strategy, such as the impact of drug markets, social and economic disadvantages and social media’.

May to set out £75m prostate cancer strategy
The Daily Mail says that Theresa May is to set out a ‘five-year campaign to wage war on prostate cancer’ today. She is to announce £75m of spending to help spot the disease earlier and improve treatment, with the amount spent on research to be roughly equal to that spent on breast cancer.

Norway offers to roll-over trade deals, as Denmark warns of post-Brexit bureaucracy
The Financial Times reports that Norway has signalled that it will co-operate with the UK’s desire to roll over trade agreements with non-EU countries in the post-Brexit transition phase. However, The Guardian says that the Danish Prime Minister said, following talks with Theresa May, that while he was in favour of ‘an enhanced trade agreement’ between the EU and the UK, there will be more bureaucracy after Brexit.

UK one of just five countries to meet foreign aid target
The Daily Telegraph reports that the UK is now one of just five countries which meet the UN’s foreign aid target of 0.7% of GDP. The UK is bound by law to keep the target, and gives almost double the average of all countries according to new figures from the OECD. The UK is responsible for £1 of every £8 given by developed countries.

Gove considers banning live animal exports
According to The Times, Environment Secretary Michael Gove is considering a ban on the export of live animals for slaughter abroad after Brexit. A call for evidence has been issued by the Government today, with animal welfare groups warning that travel can be stressful for animals and that some foreign abattoirs have lower standards.

Social media junk food adverts face ban
The Times reports that junk food adverts are to be banned on social media, with ministers examining the possibility of identifying social media users by age and banning targeted advertising accordingly, under plans to combat obesity, with minister considering whether to force restaurants to label unhealthy foods as they finalise a strategy before the summer.

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Today’s Political Headlines include the leaked Home Office police cuts document, the new centrist party, criticism of the Government’s immigration policy and Badenoch’s apology to Harman over hacking.  

Leaked Home Office documents link violence increase to Government cuts
Leaked Home Office documents obtained by The Guardian reveal that Government cuts to the police ‘may have encouraged’ violent offenders and ‘likely contributed’ to a rise in serious violent crime. The paper adds that Jeremy Corbyn is to put increasing levels of violent crime and housing issues at the heart of Labour’s local election campaign. Meanwhile, the i has details of a new Serious Violence Strategy, backed by £40m of funding, to be launched by Home Secretary Amber Rudd in a speech today.

Labour figures criticise new centrist party
The Times reports that senior Labour figures have criticised a new centrist political movement set up by former donor Simon Franks, with access to up to £50m. Lord Hattersley said that ‘third parties all end in fiascos’, while John McDonnell, the Shadow Chancellor, dismissed it as ‘A party of the rich, by the rich, for the rich. A party for the few not the many’.

Report criticises Government’s ‘hostile environment’ policy to immigration
A report by groups including Liberty, the National Union of Students and the Migrants Rights Network claims that the Government’s ‘hostile environment’ policy towards immigration has encouraged ‘discriminatory’ and ‘racist’ behaviour, The Guardian says. The report asserts that the policy encourages discrimination against black and ethnic minority people and disproportionately affects people who are young, homeless, or on lower incomes.

Badenoch apologises to Harman over hacking
The BBC reports that Harriet Harman has accepted an apology from the Conservative MP Kemi Badenoch for hacking into her website over ten years ago. Badenoch became an MP last year and the Conservative Party’s vice-chairwoman for candidates this January.

Outsourcing firms have wider gender pay gap than Government
A report in The Times claims that outsourcing companies used by the Government have worse gender pay gaps than the civil service. 18 out of the 27 ‘strategic suppliers’ have wider disparities than the Civil Service. Shadow Cabinet Office Minister Jon Trickett said ‘Public money should be used for the public good, not to hold people back.’

Housing Minister claims immigration increased house prices by 20% over 25 years
Housing Minister Dominic Raab has claimed that immigration has increased house prices by 20% over the last 25 years, The Times reports. He has passed his concerns to the Migration Advisory Committee, but according to the paper a leading expert has cast doubt on them and urged him to publish the Government’s analysis.

Two thirds of child refugees questioned over age are actually adults
The Sun claims that an official report has revealed that two-thirds of child refugees quizzed over their real age are actually adults. Overall, one in seven refugees who arrive in the UK claiming to be under 18 are revealed to be adults following checks of documentation.

NHS spends £40m a year on useless back pain injection
The Times reveals that tens of thousands of patients a year are being given a useless injection for back pain, costing the NHS almost £40m, despite doctors having been told to stop using it. The health service has promised to crack down on use of the treatment.

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Today’s Political Headlines include Russia accusing UK of creating a fake story, Lammy’s criticism of the Government, Labour’s warning over benefit changes and the sugar tax. 

Russia accuses UK of creating a ‘fake story’
The BBC says that Russia has accused the UK of inventing a ‘fake story’ and ‘playing with fire’ over the Salisbury poisoning at a UN Security Council meeting. Former foreign secretary Sir Malcom Rifkind has accused Russia of an ‘attempt to obfuscate’. The Times reports that British intelligence has identified the source of the nerve agent as Russia’s Shikhany facility, in a briefing used to persuade allies that Russia was the source.

Lammy criticises Government over London murders
The Guardian reports that Labour MP David Lammy has accused the Prime Minister and Home Secretary of abdicating responsibility over a ‘culture of violence that’s now becoming endemic’. The Daily Telegraph says that Cressida Dick, the Metropolitan Police Chief Commissioner, has vowed to use Al Capone tactics to target violent gang members, while The Times claims that use of stop-and-search has fallen, despite Dick endorsing the tactic.

Labour warns that benefit changes may lead to vulnerable people struggling to pay mortgages
The BBC carries details of a warning by Labour that benefit changes may lead to vulnerable people struggling to pay their mortgage. Around 90,000 people on some benefits claim support for mortgage interest, but this is being replaced by Government loans from today.

Sugar tax on soft drinks comes into force
As the BBC reports, the sugar tax on soft drinks has come into force in the UK. Treasury estimates suggest that 50% of manufacturers have reduced sugar content ahead of the change, but some experts warned that consumer’s response to the levy was uncertain. Public health Minister Steve Brine described the levy as ‘a ground-breaking policy’.

Peers write to police to report antisemitic abuse
The Guardian says that a cross-party group of peers, including Lord Sugar, have written to the Metropolitan Police, reporting antisemitic abuse on pages backing Jeremy Corbyn. The Times adds that Joshua Garfield, a Jewish Momentum official in Newham, has quit his post after witnessing ‘more antisemitism in the past week’ than in eight years as a party member.

Justice Secretary on the side of homeowners who defend their property
According to The Daily Telegraph, Justice Secretary David Gauke has said that he is on the side of homeowners who defend their property, following the arrest of a pensioner on suspicion of murdering a man following a burglary. Former justice minister Mike Penning said that the decision appeared ‘heavy-handed’.

Momentum founder outlines plans to make it easier to oust MPs
The Daily Mirror has obtained a recording of Momentum founder Jon Lansman, in which he outlines a plan to make it easier for Corbyn supporters to force out MPs who oppose the Labour leadership, and to curb the power of the unions. The Times reports that the party’s new General Secretary Jennie Formby has placed two senior staff members, the head of the compliance unit and the secretary of the parliamentary party, on gardening leave.

Thirty organisations under investigation by ICO
The Daily Mail reports that thirty organisations, including Facebook, are being investigated by the Information Commissioner’s Office as part of its probe into the use of personal data and analytics for political purposes. Other organisations include Cambridge Analytica and Aggregate IQ.

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