Today’s political headlines include May’s call for the EU to give ground on negotiations, the UK to fund list of suspected aid charity predators, Barnier and Fox suggest extending the Brexit transition and the UK’s debt to the EU still \u00a336bn after a no deal scenario.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
Theresa May to call on EU to \u2018give ground\u2019 in negotiations<\/span> UK to fund list of suspected aid charity predators<\/span> Barnier and Fox suggest extending Brexit transition<\/span> UK would still owe EU up to \u00a336bn even if no trade deal is agreed, Hammond says<\/span> MPs accused of politicising bullying inquiry<\/span> Hunt calls on Johnson to back May<\/span> Lib Dems say multinationals should publish tax returns<\/span> MPs call for children to be taught how to behave around dogs<\/span>
\n<\/strong>The BBC\u00a0says<\/a>\u00a0that Theresa May is to urge EU leaders to \u2018give ground\u2019 on the Brexit backstop when she addresses them before a dinner later today.\u00a0The Guardian\u00a0<\/em>adds<\/a>\u00a0that at a meeting of her Cabinet yesterday Theresa May told ministers to \u2018stand firm\u2019 but a number of ministers, including Geoffrey Cox, Michael Gove and Jeremy Hunt, expressed concern about the backstop and the status of Northern Ireland, with Chief Whip Julian Smith warning that an indefinite backstop would not pass through the Commons.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Times\u00a0<\/em>reports<\/a>\u00a0that the International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt is to announce that the UK will use \u00a32m of aid spending to launch a global register of suspected sexual predators in the aid industry. The new Soteria programme will work from hubs in Africa and Asia, allowing NGOs to vet employees.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>According<\/a>\u00a0to the\u00a0Financial Times<\/em>, the EU\u2019s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has said that he would be prepared to extend the transition period by a further year if the UK accepted a \u2018two-tier\u2019 Irish backstop. Separately,\u00a0The Times\u00a0<\/em>reports<\/a>\u00a0that International Trade Secretary Liam Fox has suggested extending the transition period for a \u2018few more months\u2019 in order agree a free trade deal and avoid needing to implement the backstop.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Daily Telegraph<\/em>\u00a0claims<\/a>\u00a0that Chancellor Philip Hammond told the Cabinet that the UK would have to pay the EU up to \u00a336bn even if it fails to agree a trade deal. Legal advice suggests that the UK is only likely to save \u00a36-9bn if there is no trade deal, as the UK would be unlikely to persuade international arbitrators that it no longer had to pay the remainder.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Guardian\u00a0<\/em>says<\/a>\u00a0that MPs have accused each other of politicising the inquiry into bullying in Parliament amid calls for Speaker John Bercow to quit. He has indicated that he will remain in post until next summer, with Labour\u2019s Emily Thornberry saying that it was \u2018not the time\u2019 for a change and Margaret Beckett claiming that \u2018the constitutional future of this country\u2019, in the form of Brexit legislation, \u2018trumps bad behaviour\u2019.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>In an\u00a0interview<\/a>\u00a0with the\u00a0Daily Mail<\/em>, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt calls on his predecessor Boris Johnson and Brexiteer cabinet ministers to back Theresa May \u2018to the hilt\u2019, warning that if they don\u2019t \u2018the danger is that Brexit will be derailed altogether\u2019. He urged EU leaders not to repeat the \u2018mistake\u2019 of the pre-referendum negotiations with David Cameron.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The\u00a0Financial Times\u00a0<\/em>reports<\/a>\u00a0that the Liberal Democrats are calling for multinational companies to be forced to publish their tax returns in order to tackle tax avoidance. Leader Sir Vince Cable claimed that the move would \u2018shame\u2019 firms into paying more tax and would make the UK \u2018a world leader in tax transparency\u2019.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The BBC has\u00a0details<\/a>\u00a0of a new report by the Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee that claims that there needs to be more education for children on how to behave around dogs in order to avoid injury. It also calls for a review of the causes of dog aggression and training for owners whose dogs misbehave.<\/p>\n