Today’s political headlines include May’s Brexit plans compared to the first circle of hell, rogue landlords exploiting loopholes, three MPs quit committee over bullying scandal and annual spending needs to increase \u00a331bn to meet austerity promise.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
May\u2019s Brexit plans compared to \u2018first circle of hell\u2019 at Cabinet meeting<\/span> Rogue landlords exploit loopholes to continue renting out properties<\/span> Three MPs quit committee chaired by Bercow over bullying scandal<\/span> Annual spending needs \u00a331bn increase to meet end to austerity promise<\/span> Prime Minister faces revolt over abortion and same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland<\/span> Cable calls for halt to Universal Credit rollout<\/span> European Court of Justice to be \u2018ultimate arbiter\u2019 in post-Brexit disputes<\/span> Security minister turns down meeting with peer amid fears about Russian lobbying<\/span>
\n<\/strong>The Times<\/em>\u00a0claims<\/a>\u00a0that leaked Cabinet papers show that Theresa May\u2019s Brexit plan could lead to a \u2018long-running\u2019 multiyear implementation period with an \u2018annual decision point\u2019 to review its extension. Various ministers raised concerns at yesterday\u2019s Cabinet meeting, including Attorney General Geoffrey Cox who compared the plans to Dante\u2019s \u2018first circle of hell\u2019. The\u00a0Financial Times<\/em>\u00a0adds<\/a>\u00a0that the \u2018stormy\u2019 meeting greeted plans to charter ships to import food and medicines in a no-deal Brexit scenario with \u2018disbelief\u2019 and that the Cabinet will now discuss Brexit preparations on a weekly basis.\u00a0The Sun<\/em>\u00a0says<\/a>\u00a0that Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington called for more compromises, adding that he was the only attendee to have been an MP when Black Wednesday happened and that \u2018level of chaos\u2019 could not be repeated. May will address the 1922 Committee of backbench Tories this evening.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>An\u00a0investigation<\/a>\u00a0by\u00a0The Guardian\u00a0<\/em>and ITV has found that convicted landlords who have been found unsuitable to rent out property are exploiting legal loopholes in order to continue to do so. Additionally, the investigation\u00a0reveals that more than six months after its launch by the Government, no entries have been made to the rogue landlord database and the Government has admitted that the public won\u2019t be able to find out if any are.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Guardian<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0that three Conservative MPs have resigned from a committee on representation and inclusion chaired by Commons Speaker John Bercow because of a failure to tackle bullying at Westminster. The House of Commons Commission meets today to respond to the independent report on the scandal, with sources claiming that House of Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom will call for a robust response.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The\u00a0Financial Times\u00a0<\/em>carries details<\/a>\u00a0of a new Resolution Foundation report that warns that the Chancellor needs to increase annual spending by \u00a331bn by 2022-3 in order to deliver the Prime Minister\u2019s promised end to austerity. It says that doing this would only be consistent with the Government\u2019s pledge to lower debt as a proportion of GDP if taxes were increased.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Sun\u00a0<\/em>reports<\/a>\u00a0that Theresa May is facing a revolt over Northern Ireland. Yesterday five ministers voted for a bill tabled by Labour backbencher Diana Johnson to modernise abortion law, while a \u2018slew\u2019 of Conservative MPs have backed a separate cross-party amendment to legislation on Northern Ireland today which loosens laws on abortion and same-sex marriage.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Writing\u00a0<\/a>in the\u00a0Daily Mirror<\/em>, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable calls for the rollout of Universal Credit to be halted because it is a \u2018slow-motion disaster\u2019 which will impoverish tens of thousands of families. He backs the theory behind the policy and claims that it could be \u2018salvaged\u2019 if \u2018major reforms’ are implemented.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>In an\u00a0exclusive<\/a>,\u00a0The Sun\u00a0<\/em>reports that British negotiators have conceded that the European Court of Justice will be the \u2018ultimate arbiter\u2019 of disputes about European law after Brexit. However, EU negotiators are still waiting for their British counterparts to provide a technical explanation of how this will be implemented via a joint committee system.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Times<\/em>\u00a0reveals<\/a>\u00a0that Security Minister Ben Wallace turned down a meeting with the Conservative peer Lord Barker of Battle, who wanted to discuss sanctions on Russia, amid concerns about Russian lobbying. Lord Barker is the chairman of the Russian energy firm En+ which has been subject to sanctions since the Salisbury attack, along with its majority owner Oleg Deripaska, an ally of Vladimir Putin.<\/p>\n