Today’s political headlines include Carney’s warning of economic slowdown, MPs may not vote on Brexit until March, May heads to Dublin and Instagram pledges to remove self-harm images.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
Carney warns of Brexit-related economic slowdown MPs may not vote on Brexit deal until March May heads to Dublin for Brexit talks Instagram pledges to remove self-harm images Planning overhaul needed to deliver housing targets, NAO warns \u2018Death tax\u2019 to hit 300,000 families Evening with May fetches \u00a375,000 at Conservative ball New \u2018cheat proof\u2019 expenses system to be introduced
\n<\/strong>The Times<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0that the Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, has said that this year the economy will grow at the slowest rate since the financial crisis because of the \u2018fog of Brexit\u2019, with a one in four chance of a recession by the summer.\u00a0According<\/a>\u00a0to the\u00a0Financial Times<\/em>, \u2018Project After\u2019, a secret group of civil servants in close contact with the Bank of England, is drawing up a plan to kick-start the economy in the event of a no-deal Brexit, including cuts to taxes and tariffs and increased investment.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Guardian<\/em>\u00a0claims<\/a>\u00a0that MPs may not get a chance to vote on a new Brexit deal until March, after Theresa May and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker agreed during their talks yesterday to meet again by the end of February. This would, the paper says, but Parliament under pressure to accept the deal or face a no-deal Brexit and still require Article 50 to be extended to allow necessary legislation to be passed.\u00a0The Sun\u00a0<\/em>adds<\/a>\u00a0that Number 10 is preparing to back a package of workers\u2019 rights in a bid to secure Labour MPs\u2019 support.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The BBC\u00a0says<\/a>\u00a0that Theresa May is to travel to Dublin today for discussions about Brexit with the Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar as part of her attempt to secure legally-binding changes to the backstop. He will also be holding talks with the five main political parties in Northern Ireland earlier in the day.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Times\u00a0<\/em>says<\/a>\u00a0that Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, has promised to remove all graphic self-harming images from the service following a meeting with Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock yesterday. Hancock said that he would \u2018be asking other social companies to act\u2019.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Daily Telegraph\u00a0<\/em>carries details<\/a>\u00a0of a new report by the National Audit Office, which warns that the Government will only reach its target of building 300,000 houses every year if councils stop using outdated figures to calculate housing need. Separately a new report by the thinktank Civitas shows a sharp increase in young adults still living with their parents.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The\u00a0Daily Mail\u00a0<\/em>claims<\/a>\u00a0that a new \u2018death tax\u2019 will hit up to 300,000 families after the Government classified an increase in fees for probate as a fee rather than a tax, allowing it to avoid full parliamentary scrutiny. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable said this was \u2018a clear abuse of executive power\u2019.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The\u00a0Daily Mirror\u00a0<\/em>reports<\/a>\u00a0on the Conservative Party\u2019s Black and White Ball. Among the lots auctioned to party donors were an evening with Theresa May which fetched \u00a375,000, and a set of posters signed by her which brought in \u00a3175,000. Labour Party chair Ian Lavery said that the event was \u2018stomach-churning\u2019.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>In an exclusive,\u00a0The Sun\u00a0<\/em>reveals<\/a>\u00a0that a \u2018cheat proof\u2019 expenses system for MPs will be introduced, a decade after the expenses scandal. The watchdog IPSA has announced that a new digital system will go live in April, saving \u00a31m and also allowing claims to be verified and challenged more easily.<\/p>\n