Today’s political headlines includes the Brexit delay, the latest plot to oust May, a brand new MP expenses scandal and Scruton sacked over ‘unacceptable comments’.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
UK given Brexit delay until October Conservative MPs plot to oust May 16 MPs claim taxpayers money for London homes while renting their own out Scruton sacked over \u2018unacceptable comments\u2019 Senior Tories urge Brexiteer ministers to stay in post Wright says online rules won\u2019t affect press freedom Minister should oversee Parliament refurbishment, Spelman says Government criticised over response to childcare and Universal Credit inquiry
\n<\/strong>As\u00a0The Guardian<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>, last night European leaders agreed to delay Brexit until 31 October, giving the UK an option to leave earlier if the deal is approved by Parliament. The EU will review the UK\u2019s behaviour at a summit in June, with European Council President Donald Tusk suggesting that a further extension could be granted if necessary. French President Emmanuel Macron advocated a shorter extension, but settled for a compromise after other leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who advocated a delay until December, said this would not allow the impasse in the UK to be resolved.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Daily Telegraph<\/em>\u00a0claims<\/a>\u00a0that Conservative MPs are \u2018plotting\u2019 to get rid of Theresa May by changing rules which mean that she cannot be ousted until a year after the last confidence vote, attempting to gain 10,000 members\u2019 signatures to support the change. The executive of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs yesterday discussed moving against May after next month\u2019s local and European elections.\u00a0According<\/a> to\u00a0The Guardian<\/em>, Theresa May will try to remain as Prime Minister during the delay to Brexit and continue to try to get her Brexit deal through Parliament.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The\u00a0Daily Mirror<\/em>\u00a0reveals<\/a>\u00a0that 16 MPs, including International Trade Secretary Liam Fox, are claiming money to rent homes in London, while also letting properties in the city. While this is not a breach of parliamentary rules, the Defend Council Housing campaign said that the news was \u2018scandalous\u2019 and the \u2018gravy train\u2019 needed to be ended.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Times<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0that Sir Roger Scruton has been sacked as a housing adviser to the Government after making \u2018unacceptable comments\u2019 about Islamophobia, antisemitism, George Soros, the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, and China in an interview with the\u00a0New Stateman.<\/em>\u00a0Labour is calling on the Government to remove his knighthood.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Sun<\/em>\u00a0claims<\/a>\u00a0that senior Tories have told Brexit-supporting ministers not to resign over cross-party talks with Labour or a possible second referendum in order to keep a \u2018balance of power\u2019 with pro-EU ministers, citing the example of the appointment of Amber Rudd following the resignation of Esther McVey, and to avoid a Jeremy Corbyn-led government.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The\u00a0Daily Mail<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0that Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Jeremy Wright has used a letter to the Society of Editors to promise that the proposals in the new Online Harms White Paper would not affect \u2018journalistic or editorial content\u2019, with safeguards introduced to protect the role of the press.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Times<\/em>\u00a0says<\/a>\u00a0that Dame Caroline Spelman, chair of the committee on the restoration of Parliament, has said that a minister should be appointed to oversee this, suggesting Andrea Leadsom as a possible candidate. She warned that if this did not happen, there could be repeats of last week\u2019s incident which saw the Commons suspended after a leak.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The Sun<\/em>\u00a0says<\/a>\u00a0that members of the Commons Work and Pensions Committee have criticised the Government\u2019s response to their inquiry into childcare and Universal Credit as \u2018skimpy and disappointing\u2019, demanding they look again at the ideas they suggested to help parents return to work, accusing it of \u2018dismissing the serious problems that are plaguing parents\u2019.<\/p>\n