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Today’s Political Headlines include the former Russian spy crisis, EU adviser upsetting May’s free trade plans, the EU/USA trade wars and the country on a diet. 

Former Russian spy collapses in Salisbury following contact with unnamed substance
The BBC reports that Russia claims to have ‘no information’ about what could have caused Sergei Skripal and an unnamed woman to collapse in Salisbury yesterday, following contact with an unnamed substance. Skripal was a former Russian spy, who had been convicted of passing secrets to MI6 and was sent to the UK as part of a prisoner swap. The widow of Alexander Litvinenko, poisoned in London in 2006, said the incident felt like ‘déjà vu’.

EU adviser strikes blow against May’s free trade deal plans
The Guardian says that Stefaan de Rynck, adviser to the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, struck a blow against Theresa May’s ‘chances of securing a deep free-trade deal with the EU’ last night, criticising her proposed mutual recognition of standards. The paper also reports that the Irish Taoiseach has dismissed Theresa May’s suggestion that the US-Canada border could be a model for the UK-Ireland border after Brexit.

EU prepares for trade war with the USA and UK-USA air talks are cut short
The Times reports that the European Union is ‘gearing up’ for a trade war with the USA, following President Trump’s decision to impose high tariffs on imported steel and aluminium, and threats towards car imports. Products to be targeted by the EU in retaliation include Harley-Davidson motorcycles, bourbon whiskey and Levi jeans, with the French President, Emmanuel Macron, saying the EU should react ‘quickly’ and ‘in a proportionate manner’. Meanwhile, the Financial Times claims that talks between the UK and the USA over a post-Brexit ‘Open Skies’ agreement have been cut short after the UK was offered a worse deal.

Local authorities and developers deny responsibility for the housing crisis
Following Theresa May’s announcement of a shake-up of planning rules yesterday, the Financial Times reports that local authorities and developers have denied that they are to blame for the housing crisis. The Guardian adds that the Government has yet to enact its pledge in the autumn budget to give councils more powers to crack down on empty homes.

Public Health England recommends calorie cut for processed foods
The Financial Times reports that Public Health England has recommended the calorie content of processed foods is cut by 20% by 2024 and extended the remit of a campaign against childhood obesity beyond sugar. The body estimates that reaching the target will prevent 35,000 premature deaths and save £9bn in health and care costs over 25 years.

Jobs or services would have to be cut to fund public sector pay rise
New analysis by the Centre for Labour and Social Studies (Class) published in The Guardian, reveals that the Government cannot fund a 1% pay increase for public sector workers without cutting jobs or public services. The report, commissioned by the PCS union, casts doubt on the Government’s claim to have lifted the public sector pay cap.

Justice Secretary targets violence and gangs in jails
The BBC reports that Justice Secretary David Gauke is to unveil measures to clamp down on violence and smuggling drugs, phones and weapons in prisons. Gauke will promise to ‘remove the influence of gangs’, so that prisons can become ‘places of hope not despair’.

Safeguarding incidents reported to Charity Commission include claims of child sex abuse
International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt has said that 26 charities have come forward to report safeguarding cases, including claims of sexual abuse of children and rape, The Guardian reports. Seven groups reported incidents that occurred in the last financial year and reports of serious incidents across all charities have doubled in the last month.

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Today’s Political Headlines include May’s speech on planning policy, May’s criticism of Trump over the steel tariff plans, higher tax for baby boomers and legal action over immigration data blocks. 

May to give speech on planning policy today
As the BBC reports, Theresa May is due to give a speech on housing today. She will warn firms that are slow to build new homes that they could be refused planning permission in the future and criticise bonuses ‘based not on the number of homes they build but on their profits or share price’. Writing in The Daily Telegraph, May argues that ‘England needs more homes’ but promises ‘extra protection for Green Belt land’, environmental protections, and ‘a stronger emphasis on good design’.

May criticises Trump over steel tariff plans
In a phone call yesterday, Theresa May criticised President Trump for his plans for tariffs on steel and aluminium imports and after he threatened taxes on EU-made cars, The Times says. A spokesperson told the paper that the Prime Minister said that ‘multilateral action was the only way to resolve the problem of global overcapacity in all parties’ interests’.

Willetts to argue for higher taxes on baby boomers
David Willetts, the former Conservative minister and the Chair of the Resolution Foundation, will use a speech today to argue that the Government needs to target the wealth of baby boomers, through capital or property taxes, according to The Guardian. The paper also reports that the Institute for Public Policy Research has said that income tax bands could be scrapped without costing the Government and giving average earners as much as £1,100.

Legal action over Home Office plans to block access to immigration data
Two organisations are to challenge plans by the Home Office to deny millions of people access to the immigration data held on them in court, The Guardian says. The Open Rights Group (which campaigns on data privacy) and the3million (which represents EU citizens in the UK) argue that a clause in the Data Protection Bill breaches EU law.

EU to offer UK a Canada-style trade deal, as Tory customs union rebels back down
The Daily Telegraph claims the EU is to offer the UK a Canada-style trade deal this week, with only a short section on customs and services (and potentially no mention of financial services). The Sun says Conservative rebels are to back down on their threat to vote to keep the UK in a customs union, following Theresa May’s vow to keep the UK aligned in key industries. As the BBC reports, a Sinn Féin delegation is to meet EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier today, with the DUP meeting him tomorrow.

Five-sixths of employers fail to submit gender pay gap data
Just one sixth of employers with 250 or more staff have submitted gender pay gap data to the Government, with just a month before the deadline, according to the Financial Times. The Government expects about 9,000 employers to be captured by the regulations, but the paper’s calculations suggest that 13,500 could be affected. Only 1,442 have reported.

Government did not pursue opportunity to retrieve £364m from Carillion
The Guardian reports that the Government was aware of a plan that could have retrieved more than £360m from Carillion, limiting the cost to taxpayers and sparing cuts to pensions, but it did not encourage the firm to pursue it. The plan, presented by EY in December, would have broken the firm up, selling the profitable parts and liquidating the rest.

Team Sky ‘crossed an ethical line’, committee finds
A report by the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee has concluded that Team Sky ‘crossed an ethical line’ by using drugs permitted by anti-doping rules to enhance performance, instead of just for medical purposes, the BBC reports. Team Sky says that it ‘strongly refutes’ the claims in the report.

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Today’s Political Headlines include May’s five tests, the end of Leveson II, Gove’s warning and MI5 agents committing crimes. 

May to set out ‘five tests’ for Brexit deal in speech
Theresa May will give a speech today, in which she will set out five ‘tests’ for a deal between the UK and the EU, as the BBC reports. The Times adds that the Prime Minister has been forced to drop a pledge to make a ‘binding commitment’ to mirror EU rules in some sectors and will instead offer ‘strong commitments’. The pledge had been supported by Greg Clark and Philip Hammond, but opposed by David Davis, Boris Johnson and Michael Gove.

Government cancels Leveson II
The Leveson inquiry was formally closed yesterday, after ministers decided not to proceed with the second part – read more here. The Government will also seek to repeal Section 40 of the Crime and Courts Act, which would have imposed ‘draconian fines’ on publishers who didn’t join a state-recognised press regulator. Campaigners for reform of the press criticised the decision, saying that victims of phone-hacking had been let down.

Gove warns water industry over high pay and dividends
The Financial Times says that the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Michael Gove has continued his criticism of the water industry. In a speech to industry executives, he attacked high pay, dividends and tax avoidance and warned that unless companies take action, pressure for renationalisation would grow.

MI5 agents can commit crimes, May admits
According to the Daily Mail, Theresa May admitted for the first time that MI5 agents could commit crimes in the UK, saying that the Investigatory Powers Commissioner oversees ‘security service agents’ participation in criminality’. The commissioner, Lord Justice Fulford, welcomed the decision to ‘make public my oversight of this sensitive area of work.’

GDPR hotline faces criticism
A Government hotline set up to advise small businesses on GDPR, the new data protection rules coming into effect in May, is criticised in The Sun. Callers are having to wait for up to half an hour, and officials have urged businesses not to use the line. Instead, they have been advised to use the Information Commissioner’s Office’s website or speak to industry groups.

Conservative Vice-Chair for Women calls for debate on lowering abortion limit
Maria Caulfield, the Conservative Party’s Vice-Chair for Women, has called for a national debate on lowering the 24-week abortion limit according to The Daily Telegraph. She highlighted studies that show that 50% of babies born at 22 weeks survive and said ‘The 24-week limit was introduced at a time when babies were really not viable at 24 weeks. Now babies who are born premature grow up to live long, healthy lives like the rest of us.’

Just one conviction for ‘double voting’ in 2017
The BBC reports that despite there being hundreds of complaints about ‘double voting’ in the 2017 general election, just one conviction has resulted. The Electoral Commission received over 1,000 e-mails about ‘double voting’ and 60 letters from 47 MPs, but just five investigations took place.

Livingstone suspended from Labour and Lansman runs for General Secretary
The Daily Mirror reports that outgoing Labour General Secretary Iain McNicol has made use of a rare power to indefinitely suspend the former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone from the Labour party for alleged anti-semitism. The paper also reports that Jon Lansman, the founder of Momentum, has confirmed that he will be running to succeed McNicol.

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Today’s Political Headlines include Liam Fox’s attack on the customs union, Toby Young’s appointment criticised, a call for children to be removed from extremists and the EU’s demands for the ECJ to play a continued role in the UK.

Fox to attack customs union in speech today
International Trade Secretary Liam Fox is to argue in a speech today that a customs union between the UK and the EU after Brexit would be a ‘complete sell out’, the BBC reports. He will argue that the UK must have the freedom to exploit the ‘opportunities of the future’. The Guardian reports that in a speech this evening, Sir Martin Donnelly, the former Permanent Secretary of the Department for International Trade, will warn that leaving the single market will cause ‘significant damage’. The Financial Times adds that pro-European Conservative MPs are to join forces with Labour in a vote on the customs union.

Toby Young appointment process criticised
An investigation by the Commissioner for Public Appointments into the appointment of Toby Young to the board of the Office for Students has criticised the regulator and the Department for Education. The Guardian says that the report found that the process ‘was flawed and rife with political interference’.

Top counterterrorism officer calls for children to be removed from extremists
The Times reports that Mark Rowley, assistant commissioner for special operations at Scotland Yard, has called for courts to remove children from extremist families. He said that exposing children to extremism was ‘equally wicked’ as exposing them to sexual abuse. In his speech, Rowley also said that far-right extremism was flourishing.

EU demands continued role for the European Court of Justice
The Financial Times claims that the EU will demand the UK remains subject to European Court of Justice rulings for an indefinite period as part of the Brexit divorce deal, backed up by sanctions to cut off market access. The paper expects Theresa May to reject this proposal outright. Meanwhile, The Daily Telegraph says that France and Germany have blocked British plans to continue ‘fudging’ the Irish border issue, in what the paper calls an ‘outrageous attempt to turn Northern Ireland into EU province.’

Sturgeon rejects latest Brexit devolution proposals
Nicola Sturgeon has rejected the Government’s latest proposals for devolution after Brexit, the BBC reports. She said it is ‘very likely’ the Scottish Parliament will not give its consent to the EU Withdrawal Bill and rejected the idea that common systems of regulation could be imposed by Westminster without agreement.

Gove to announce £150m cut in funding for wealthy landowners
The Financial Times reports that Michael Gove is to announce that £150m could be saved by cutting support for wealthy landowners, which could instead be used to help farmers focus on ‘environmental enhancement and other public goods’. The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary is to launch a consultation on an ‘agricultural transition’ period today.

Train companies ‘pocketing’ millions
According to The Daily Telegraph, train companies are accused of benefiting from transport chaos by ‘pocketing millions of pounds in compensation’ when services are delayed or cancelled. The paper says that there is ‘mounting anger’ from Conservative MPs and campaigners over automatic compensation payments to rail firms from Network Rail.

Government announces £1.5m funding for blades for amputee children
The Daily Telegraph hails the success of a campaign run by Sarah Hope, wife of the paper’s correspondent Christopher Hope, after the Government announced another £1.5m in funding for running and swimming blades for amputee children.

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