Today’s political headlines include May’s Brexit showdown with the Cabinet, Government admitting defeat over Brexit legal advice, a second peer accused of sexual harassment and the Labour MP accused or misleading police in a speeding case.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
May prepares to present draft Brexit agreement to Cabinet<\/span> Government admits defeat over Brexit legal advice<\/span> Second peer accused of sexual harassment<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span> Labour MP ‘misled police’ in speeding case<\/span> Wage growth hits 10-year high<\/span> HS2 report warns that costs could be more than double that of comparable projects<\/span> Blair criticises Corbyn over Brexit stance<\/span>
\n<\/strong>Nearly all the major newspapers this morning are leading with the announcement that a draft Brexit deal has been agreed between the UK and the EU, with Theresa May set to put the deal to Cabinet this afternoon.\u00a0The Telegraph\u00a0<\/em>is\u00a0reporting<\/a>\u00a0that May is facing a major backlash from ministers and MPs in her party, with Jacob Rees Mogg\u00a0writing<\/a>\u00a0in the same paper that the deal would betray the Union.\u00a0The Times<\/em>\u00a0is\u00a0reporting<\/a>\u00a0that Home Secretary Sajid Javid and Environment Secretary Michael Gove are two figures said to be unhappy with the draft agreement. David Davis and Boris Johnson joined in with criticisms of the deal, with both former ministers calling on those in the Cabinet to resign rather than accept the deal.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Guardian<\/em>\u00a0has\u00a0reported<\/a>\u00a0on the concession of defeat by the Government in the Commons yesterday. Conservative MPs were ordered to abstain on the vote over the publishing of the Brexit legal advice, with the Government aware that it would have been defeated by the alliance of MPs from Labour and the DUP. The Government will now have to publish the legal advice covering the withdrawal agreement before MPs vote on the deal.<\/p>\n
\nThe Times\u00a0<\/em>is\u00a0reporting<\/a>\u00a0that a second member of the House of Lords has been accused of sexually harassing younger women. The Peer, said to be in his early 60s, is the subject of a formal complaint submitted to the Lords commissioner. The revelation comes after Lord Lester of Herne Hill was found by the commissioner to have groped a charity campaigner, with the Lords set to decide on the recommendation that Lord Lester be suspended from the House until 2022.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Guardian <\/em>is\u00a0reporting<\/a>\u00a0on the trial of Labour MP Fiona Onasanya, in which the Old Bailey has heard that she deliberately misled police in claiming that a former lodger was behind the wheel when her car was caught speeding. Onasanya\u2019s younger brother Festus admitted three counts of perverting the course of justice, with Onasanya facing the same charge at the Old Bailey.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Times\u00a0<\/em>has\u00a0reported<\/a>\u00a0on official figures that show the speed of wage growth is the fastest since the financial crisis. The news means a lift in living standards for workers, with wages 3.2% higher in the three months to September than they were last year.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Times<\/em>\u00a0carries details<\/a>\u00a0of a report from PWC that claims HS2 would cost \u00a381m per kilometre, compared to \u00a332m for similar projects across Europe. Ministers are now under pressure to reduce costs in the construction phase, through measures such as reducing station size and limiting land purchasing.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Telegraph\u00a0<\/em>has picked up on\u00a0comments<\/a>\u00a0set to be made by Tony Blair, criticising the Labour leader for refusing to back a second referendum. In a speech later today, Blair will argue that left-wing populism should not be the response to rising right-wing populism, and the far left is mistaken in distancing itself from the record of New Labour.<\/p>\n