United Kingdom

    The UK is on “the wrong side of the law” by sanctioning arms exports to Saudi Arabia for the war in Yemen and should suspend some of the export licences, an all-party Lords committee has said. The report by the international relations select committee says ministers are not making independent checks to see if arms supplied by the UK are being used in breach of the law, but is instead relying on inadequate investigations by the Saudis, its allies in the war. It describes the humanitarian plight of Yemenis as “unconscionable”. It is the first unanimous report from a parliamentary committee describing Saudi arms export sales as unlawful, and comes ahead of an imminent high court appeal by campaigners to block arms sales to Saudi Arabia on the grounds they are in breac...

    Twelve angry ministers could quit Theresa May’s cabinet if she refuses to delay Brexit , it has been claimed. Former attorney general Dominic Grieve claimed resignations on this scale could bring down the Government within the next few weeks. But Brexiteer Commons leader Andrea Leadsom insisted Mrs May’s 45-vote defeat last night was “more of a hiccup than the disaster that is being reported.” And she blamed the defeat on the Labour party “playing politics”, rather than the 71 members of her own party who abstained or voted against their Prime Minister’s plan. And she suggested Mrs May could survive six ministers quitting her cabinet, saying: “Resignations from government do happen.” Asked how many ministers could resign, Mr Grieve said: "I think we are talking a...

    Keen royal watchers will recall the sense of disappointment that set in after Kate married William and the queen announced that she would be known as the Duchess of Cambridge, and not by the much more regal title of Princess Catherine. We didn’t want a duchess, we wanted a princess and that was what reports at the time had led us to expect we would be getting. But, no, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge it was, and so there was little surprise when Meghan and Harry were given the same treatment after their marriage last year. Technically, Kate is also  known as Princess William and Meghan is Princess Henry, and there is no reason why they could not be referred to as princesses by the palace. In fact, the failure to do so has been a bit baffling. But now a new theory...

    Almost all councils in England plan to increase council tax from April and three-quarters intend to raise it above 2.75%, research reveals. The maximum rise allowed without a local referendum is 2.99%. Similar proportions plan to raise charges and fees. Despite council tax bills soaring, many residents face further cuts in services. Most councils warned that they would be reducing a range of services, from adult social care to libraries and recycling. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: We are investing in Britain’s future by providing local authorities with access to £91.5bn over the next two years to meet the needs of their residents. Authorities are receiving an £1bn extra in funding this coming year to help deliver...

    The Government's plans for the period after Brexit could actually cause net migration to the UK to rise by more than 100,000, a report claims. The measure the difference between the numbers arriving and departing could reach 380,000 a year if the proposed new system is introduced, according to campaign group Migration Watch UK. This would be higher than the record figure of 336,000, which has been registered three times, most recently in the 12 months to June 2016. The latest statistics put net long-term international migration at an estimated 273,000 in the year to June 2018. Migration Watch UK said its calculations would mean a rise of more than 50% compared with the current 10-year average of 250,000 a year. But the Home Office described the report's claims as...

    Ford has told Theresa May that it is ramping up preparations to shift production out of the UK, according to a report. The US manufacturer’s warning comes after Nissan announced that production of its new X-Trail would go ahead in Japan rather than the UK. During a private conversation between business leaders and the prime minister Ford said it was preparing alternative sites abroad, the Times reported. Ford had already warned last month that a no-deal Brexit would cost it $1bn (£775m). Ford employs 13,000 people in the UK including 1,000 at its plant in Bridgend, south Wales whose jobs have already come under threat. The company confirmed this month that 370 voluntary redundancies would take place at the site as the company takes measures to create a sustainably...

    The Prime Minister will quit her job in the summer just weeks after Brexit according to members of her inner circle. The Conservative leader will call the leadership contest shortly after leaving the European Union, The Sun reports, but remains hopeful she can pick her replacement to prevent a successful Boris Johnson bid. According to Cabinet ministers the Prime Minister has hinted to them personally she will trigger a Tory leadership race to end at the party's annual conference in October. But she will announce it after Brexit, to give her time to pick and prep a replacement. A source close to Liam Fox, May's good friend, told The Sun the current International Trade Secretary believes she will go after the deadline on March 29. A senior Tory source told The Sun...

    As is so often the case, the most interesting detail in today's economic growth numbers were to be found somewhere beneath the surface. For beneath the headline figures which showed that the economy grew by 0.2 per cent in the final quarter of last year were a couple of striking stories: first, that the economy is looking weaker than those big numbers suggest; second, that that weakness owes rather a lot to Brexit. But let's start with the big numbers. For on the surface the economy looks in alright, if not brilliant, shape. Growth of 0.2% was a bit weaker than expected, but it's stronger than the growth rates we've seen in Italy and are expected to see in Germany later this week. It's weaker than the growth we're seeing in the US or Canada, but at worst it leaves...

    British spies used the English Channel crossing migrant crisis as an elaborate cover to smuggle an Iranian spy into the UK, according to reports. It is claimed they spirited the Iranian nuclear technician across the Channel to safety in the UK aboard a dinghy filled with illegal Iranian immigrants. Reports suggest the 47-year-old, who allegedly holds information about Iran's nuclear programme, was smuggled into Kent by MI6 aboard the inflatable. The Sunday Express published the claims from a source who says the clandestine expedition took place on New Year's Eve in a joint operation involving MI6, the CIA and Israeli spy agency Mossad. The newspaper reported sources' details of the incredible trek, said to involve bundling the fleeing technician along a 3,000-mile...

    A ramp in Ramsgate, where Seaborne Freight was due to dredge to prepare for a no-deal Brexit A firm with no ships that was to ensure ferries kept crossing the Channel in a no-deal Brexit has had its contract cancelled. Seaborne Freight's £13.8m contract had attracted widespread criticism after it emerged the firm owned no vessels suitable for carrying goods or vehicles. The Department for Transport (DfT) said it had decided to terminate Seaborne's contract after Irish company Arklow Shipping, which had provided backing to the deal, stepped away. A DfT spokeswoman said: "Following the decision of Seaborne Freight's backer, Arklow Shipping, to step back from the deal, it became clear Seaborne would not reach its contractual requirements with the government. Paul Mes...