Day: October 18, 2018

    Theresa May has come under attack from Tory colleagues after conceding the UK may have to remain tied to EU rules and laws beyond December 2020, in a bid to solve the Irish border issue. The prime minister told fellow leaders on Wednesday evening she was open to extending the transition one proposal mooted during intensive talks over the Irish backstop issue, which broke down without agreement last weekend. But the idea was quickly rejected back at home. David Davis, the former Brexit secretary, said the idea was unwise, and it was the wrong time to take the pressure off in the negotiations. Five Conservative ex-cabinet ministers, including Davis and Boris Johnson, have signed a letter to May urging her to reject a Northern Ireland backstop and, crucially, an all-U...

    A son who carried his mother down to safety from the top floor of Grenfell Tower has described hearing her say she was ready to jump rather than go through the pain of being burnt alive. Farhad Neda lived on the 23rd floor with his mother Flora and father Mohamed, known as Saber who died in the blaze. He had walked through the front door of his home at the west London block just two minutes before the fire started on 14 June last year. The Grenfell inquiry heard on Thursday that the family first became aware that something was amiss when the smoke extractor in their hallway began whirring loudly, prompting them to ring the Tenant Management Organisation (TMO). Mr Neda told a call operator the fan had gone off, the lift was not working and he could smell electrical...