Today’s political headlines include May left humiliated after meeting with EU leaders, Tory factions clash in aftermath of vote, Labour to throw the parliamentary kitchen sink at May and Brexit vote to be held on 14 January.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
May left \u2018humiliated\u2019 after meeting with EU leaders<\/span> Tory factions clash in aftermath of vote<\/span> Labour to \u2018throw the parliamentary kitchen sink\u2019 at May<\/span> Brexit vote to be held on January 14<\/span> \u00a3970m boost to police funding<\/span> Labour would break up accounting firms<\/span> Army recruitment contract won\u2019t deliver promised savings<\/span> Councils to be allowed to raise council tax by 3%<\/span>
\n<\/strong>According<\/a>\u00a0to\u00a0The Daily Telegraph<\/em>, Theresa May was left \u2018humiliated\u2019 after last night\u2019s European Council meeting. EU leaders rejected her attempts to win concessions on the Northern Ireland backstop, with European Commission President Jean Claude-Juncker saying it was time for the UK \u2018to say what they want instead of asking us to say what we want\u2019. The statement issued at the end of the meeting was much worse for May than a draft version drawn up before the leaders met.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Times<\/em>\u00a0claims<\/a>\u00a0that senior Tories believe that the Conservatives are \u2018facing an irrevocable split over Brexit\u2019 with factions clashing in the aftermath of the failed vote of no confidence in Theresa May. Apparently some MPs in the European Research Group are threatening to go \u2018on strike\u2019 and not vote on some legislation, while rival cabinet members are pressing for different strategies. Some want Parliament to vote on all options, including another referendum, while others want a no-deal Brexit to become the main planning assumption.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Guardian<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0that Jeremy Corbyn is to increase pressure on Theresa May in Parliament by using urgent questions and emergency debates, with a source claiming that the party may \u2018throw the parliamentary kitchen sink\u2019 at the Government. It adds that Shadow Brexit Secretary Sir Keir Starmer has been calling for a motion of no confidence in the Government to be tabled by the party before Christmas.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>In an\u00a0exclusive<\/a>,\u00a0The Sun<\/em>\u00a0says the Government is planning to hold the rescheduled vote on Theresa May\u2019s Brexit deal on January 14, with the process restarting and allowing five further days of debate. Number 10 said the vote will be held \u2018as soon as possible\u2019 in January.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Daily Telegraph<\/em>\u00a0says<\/a>\u00a0that Home Secretary Sajid Javid has announced a \u00a3970m increase in police funding, to be paid for by increased council tax. He said that the funding would allow forces to \u2018recruit more detectives\u2019, which would \u2018ensure they are better placed to respond to the increasingly complex crimes they face\u2019. He cautioned that the funding boost \u2018must be matched by improvements in policing led by the police themselves\u2019.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The\u00a0Financial Times<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0that Labour would force the big four accounting firms to break up their UK businesses, splitting audit from other services, and to cap their share of the audit market at 50% of the country\u2019s largest listed companies. The plans are contained in a report commissioned by Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Times<\/em>\u00a0says<\/a>\u00a0that a report by the National Audit Office has found that the army\u2019s recruitment contract with Capita, which has missed its targets each year and left the army undermanned, will not achieve the predicted savings of \u00a3270m and has \u2018significant problems\u2019, with changes made not yet allowing targets to be met.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Sun<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0that that Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary James Brokenshire has announced that councils will be allowed to raise council tax by up to 3% next year, with some able to add a further 2% in order to cover the cost of providing social care. The Local Government Association has warned that this is not enough.<\/p>\n