{"id":110855,"date":"2017-12-08T09:33:41","date_gmt":"2017-12-08T09:33:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk?p=110855&preview=true&preview_id=110855"},"modified":"2017-12-08T09:33:41","modified_gmt":"2017-12-08T09:33:41","slug":"todays-political-headlines-8-december-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/blog\/todays-political-headlines-8-december-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"Today\u2019s Political Headlines – 8 December 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

A round-up of the latest political headlines, including the Brexit deal that’s been reached, universities criticised by the National Audit Office and Momentum under investigation for election spending.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Brexit deal reached<\/strong><\/span>
\nPrime Minister Theresa May and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker announced this morning that a deal had been reached on \u2018sufficient progress\u2019, allowing the opening of trade negotiations subject to the approval of the European Council meeting on 14-15 December. The Times reports<\/a> that May said that there would be no hard border in Ireland and that the Good Friday agreement would be honoured. The DUP claimed that it had obtained \u2018substantial changes\u2019 to the agreement it rejected earlier this week.<\/p>\n

Universities criticised by National Audit Office<\/strong><\/span>
\nA new National Audit Office report has criticised universities, The Guardian reports<\/a>. The NAO\u2019s head has claimed that if universities were banks, they would be investigated for mis-selling. The report says that the Government needs to do more to help \u2018vulnerable\u2019 students make better course choices and provide better oversight of value for money.<\/p>\n

Momentum under investigation for election spending<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe Daily Telegraph says<\/a> that Momentum, the Jeremy Corbyn supporting group, is to be investigated by the Electoral Commission, after it claimed to have spent just \u00a339,000 on the general election campaign. A spokesperson for the campaign said that the investigation related \u2018to a series of administrative errors that can easily be rectified.\u2019<\/p>\n

Boris Johnson to visit Iran for talks to free Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe<\/strong><\/span>
\nBoris Johnson is to visit Iran this weekend, The Daily Telegraph reports<\/a>. Talks with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Zarif are expected to cover Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe (the charity worker imprisoned the country), bilateral relation, wars in Yemen and Syria, and the Iranian nuclear deal.<\/p>\n

Prince Charles admits lobbying Alex Salmond<\/strong><\/span>
\nAccording to an exclusive<\/a> in The Guardian, Prince Charles has admitted to lobbying Alex Salmond to promote the charity Teach First. The Scottish Government had refused to release the papers in question, until the paper lodged an appeal with the Scottish information commissioner.<\/p>\n

NHS emergency winter fund to be spent by end of month<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe Times reports<\/a> that the NHS will spend its \u00a3350m emergency winter fund by the end of the month because it has to overpay for drugs, with medicine wholesalers summoned to the Department of Health. Supply problems affecting at least 100 drugs have forced the NHS to approve temporary price rises of up to 4000%. Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth called for \u2018a serious and open investigation\u2019.<\/p>\n

Corbyn to criticise tax avoidance in UN speech<\/strong><\/span>
\nJeremy Corbyn is to highlight four main threats to humanity in a speech at the UN headquarters in New York today, according<\/a> to The Guardian. These are concentrated wealth and power (exacerbated by tax avoidance), climate change, the refugee crisis and a \u2018bomb first, think later\u2019 approach to resolving conflicts.<\/p>\n

Primark one of 260 under-paying employers<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe Government has named 260 employers which paid staff less than the minimum wage, the Financial Times says<\/a>. Among the firms named are the retailers Primark and Sports Direct, and the football club Wolverhampton Wanderers. Minister Margot James said that there was \u2018no excuse\u2019.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Do you need<\/a>\u00a0Vuelio political services\u00a0to help you?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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