United Kingdom

    Theresa May faces a difficult decision over whether to publish more details of the government’s planning for a no deal Brexit. Senior Tory donors have warned that Theresa May should walk away from Brexit talks rather than accept an unsatisfactory and unfavourable deal that would poison relations with Europe for another generation. In a sign of growing frustration among pro-Brexit Tories over the lack of progress made in talks with Brussels, one donor said he feared some pro-Remain cabinet ministers were suffering from Stockholm syndrome when hostages develop a bond with their captors. The calls for May to be prepared to walk away comes amid new warnings that a no deal outcome will lead to foreign firms leaving, steep price rises, widespread job losses and disaster for the ...

    A former councillor was exposed as a disability benefits cheat after he was caught building a shed while claiming he could walk zero metres for zero minutes. Lying Robert Woodbridge claimed to be in such pain he could hardly move. But the former Labour deputy leader of Swanley Town Council was caught carrying items to his car, driving and even building a shed during a Department of Work and Pensions investigation. The 58-year-old, from Swanley, Kent, who later stood in elections for the Green Party and Liberal Democrats , denied dishonestly failing to notify a change of circumstances. He claimed he had good days and bad days, but he was convicted by a jury at Maidstone Crown Court today in just 20 minutes. Prosecutor Edmund Fowler said Woodbridge initially made a legitimat...

    May’s head and seek their own Brexit talks with the European Union, the Evening Standard has learned. A group of rebels wants an independent line of communication to check whether the Prime Minister is genuinely offering the best terms available. The plan emerged after Brexit Secretary David Davis made clear that the Government intends to engineer a take it or leave it vote on the deal Mrs May negotiates. That would leave MPs under massive pressure to cave in to her terms or risk the chaos of a no-deal Brexit. A former minister told the Evening Standard: By talking directly to Europe we can assess whether Parliament has other options available, including the option to instruct the Prime Minister to go back to the negotiating table and seek new terms. A key question to be a...

    Police are failing to tackle modern slavery and human trafficking in the UK, leaving perpetrators free to continue to exploit vulnerable people, a damning government report has found. Despite a well-documented rise in modern slavery and human trafficking cases, police forces are still failing to recognise the crimes, leading to victims being left unprotected or even arrested, according to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC). The police watchdog said the force is guilty of inconsistent and ineffective identification of victims who have been coerced into crimes such as forced labour, sexual exploitation or domestic servitude. Police forces are also not investigating abuses quickly enough, it said. Campaigners have warned that many victims, including children, w...

    While one admits men were always hitting on her when she first joined Parliament, another reveals she was assaulted by her boss. The revelations come at the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal where 30 Hollywood actresses have come forward to claim that the movie mogul allegedly sexually assaulted them. Four female UK politicians have joined a growing number of women who are speaking out about the abuse they have suffered as a part of the ‘me too’ campaign that has taken social media by storm. While Baroness Jenkins admitted that men used to hit on her all the time when she first joined the Parliament as a secretary in 1970s, another Tory politician revealed than an MP stroked her neck while she drove her car. Labour MP Mary Creagh went on to reveal that she was sexually ...

    The days are getting shorter, the nights are drawing in, and a picnic in the park after work no longer sounds quite so enticing. It doesn't seem long ago that the clocks were springing forward and we were looking forward to the heady days of summer, but soon we'll be saying hello to daylight savings time once again. Many view it as the start of the winter season, but the good news is you'll get a whole extra hour in bed in the morning. Here's everything you need to know about the day the clocks go back. When do I change my clock? The UK reverts to Greenwich Mean Time at 2am on Sunday, October 29. That means all clocks are turned back to 1am at that time. The time right now: Good news if you're in a late night bar and fancy one more for the road. But don't forget to adjust ...

    John Craig A British diver has told how he was hunted by a shark for hours in a nerve-shredding ordeal after becoming stranded at sea. John Craig, 34, was stalked by a four-metre long tiger shark off the west coast of Australia after losing sight of his boat during a spear-fishing trip, reports said. He told the BBC: It was extremely close and curious and kept approaching me from different angles. It was trying to work out what I was and whether I could be on the menu. It was terrifying. I thought I was just going to be eaten out here in the middle of nowhere... this shark is just not leaving me alone. Mr Craig said he noticed the man-eating shark circling him after he surfaced in the middle of the ocean hours from land and began splashing for help. He used his spear gun t...

    A hidden raid on the self-employed threatens to engulf the government’s Universal Credit reforms in further scandal, as hard-working traders see their incomes hit by hundreds of pounds a year. Critics have lined up to slam changes to in-work benefits like tax credits, which are now impacting some of the 800,000 strivers who, according to an influential think tank, will eventually be required to move onto the new system. As part of the move, little-known rules will hit sole traders, including window cleaners and hairdressers, to the tune of £1.5bn by 2022, figures from the Office for Budget Responsibility reveal, meaning it could cost some claimants as much as £1,500 a year. The flagship welfare reform has already been plagued by problems, including a perilous six week stal...

    The decision comes after a number of Cambridge students travelling there were either interrogated or deported by Israeli security. The Palestinian territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip have been occupied by the Israeli state since the Six Day War of 1967. Five students, four female and one male, faced difficulties when landing at Ben-Gurion Airport, in Tel-Aviv, throughout the 2016/17 academic year. They are required as part of their course of study to spend eight months in a country where their chosen discipline is the first language. Due to the instability of many Middle Eastern states, the choices available to Arabic students are relatively limited, with the majority opting for Egypt and Jordan. Most travelling to study in Palestine undertake an Arabic languag...

    Labour will join forces with Tory rebels in an attempt to force Theresa May into giving MPs a veto on the final Brexit deal, Sir Keir Starmer has said. The shadow Brexit secretary demanded six changes to the paused repeal bill, formally known as the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, including Parliament being given final approval of the exit agreement. Sir Keir said the Government has unexpectedly withheld the legislation from the House of Commons for two weeks running because it fears defeat on at least 13 amendments at the hands of Tory rebels. Labour will join forces with Tory rebels in an attempt to force Theresa May into giving MPs a veto on the final Brexit deal He said it was clear that ministers cannot proceed with the Bill as it stands and threatened to work with ...