Day: November 2, 2017

    The Government has lost an opposition vote calling on it to publish impact assessments of Brexit on over 50 key industries. There was no official division as only Labour MPs backed it and no Tory MPs objected. Speaker John Bercow said he expects the Government to respect the decision - despite confusion over whether the result is binding. Opposition day debate motions are traditionally non-binding, but Labour had tabled a special 'Humble Address' motion. It is a centuries-old and infrequently used procedure that asks the Queen directly to request documents from the Government. Mr Bercow had only advised: "Motions of this kind have in the past been seen as effective or binding. But he warned ministers could be in contempt of Parliament if they ignore the call. SNP MP Peter ...

    British Prime Minister Theresa May was forced to appoint a new defence minister on Thursday after her loyal ally  quit in a sexual harassment scandal that has prompted calls for an end to the locker room culture in parliament. Just hours after Fallon resigned over past behaviour he said had fallen ‘below the high standards we require of the armed forces’, May appointed Gavin Williamson, 41, a rising star in her ruling Conservative Party. Weakened after losing her party’s parliamentary majority in a June election, May had to move swiftly to plug the hole in her divided cabinet. Fallon’s departure was another blow for her as she has struggled to hold the cabinet together since the vote, which many Conservative Party members blamed on her. The growing harassment scandal could...

    Joel Goodman More than 170 children were in the foyer of the Manchester Arena when the bomb was detonated, police have revealed. Senior officers released new information about the May 22 attack, including the horrific nature of the injuries, as part of an update on their investigation. They said 512 people were directly impacted by the blast that night, either through ‘injury or profound trauma’. Police are confident the brother of the Manchester Arena bomber will be brought to the UK from Libya to face charges Two people remain in hospital more than five months on from the attack, with dozens more coming to terms with life-changing injuries. GMP’s Assistant Chief Constable Russ Jackson said that some of the most seriously hurt suffered paralysis, loss of limbs, internal i...