Opponents warned of a lost middle ground in UK politics.

George Osborne (left) with Tony Blair

Former chancellor George Osborne says there is an “enormous gap” in the centre ground of UK politics.

He said “hard Brexiteers” had dragged the Conservatives to the right, while Jeremy Corbyn had moved Labour left.

“I don’t believe that the moderate, pro-business, socially liberal, internationalist part of the British people has disappeared,” he said.

He spoke alongside former prime minister Tony Blair who warned of politics based on “shouting loudest”.

The two former political opponents, speaking together at an international education conference, warned of a polarised political culture.

‘Re-thinking’ the centre
The centre ground was where general elections used to be fought and won, Mr Osborne told the Global Education and Skills Forum in Dubai.

The middle ground might have been eroded by the financial crisis and by divisions over Brexit said Mr Osborne. But he argued that it was where many voters still remained.

The former chancellor said that Labour would be far ahead in the polls with a more moderate leader.

Mr Blair said the culture of “building bridges” in politics seemed to have been lost.

Instead he warned that party politics reflected the type of polarisation and taking of extreme views found on social media.

“Those of use in the centre are going to have to do a lot of re-thinking,” said the former Labour leader.

‘Eccentric’ White House
On threats from Russia and the rising economic power of China, Mr Blair warned that “liberal democracy” would face growing challenges.

He called for the US to be much clearer in its defence of western democratic “values”.

But Mr Osborne said that unity between Western allies had become much more difficult under an “eccentric” and “unpredictable” Trump administration, with a high turnover of senior staff.

“It is very difficult for America’s allies,” said Mr Osborne.

On the diplomatic row with Russia following the nerve agent attack in Salisbury, the former Conservative chancellor said it was important to send out a “tough response”.

But he labelled as “disgraceful” the way that the Labour leader appeared to distance himself from the government’s claims over Russian involvement.

Mr Osborne also revealed another connection with Mr Blair.

He said during Mr Blair’s time in Downing Street, Mr Osborne used to rehearse Conservative leaders getting ready to face prime ministers’ questions in the House of Commons – and in those exchanges Mr Osborne played the part of Mr Blair.

With many thanks to: BBC England for the origional story.

Secret government order allowing MI5 law-breaking revealed

The intelligence agencies have helped to foil a number of terrorist attacks.

Previously secret instructions issued by ministers confirm MI5 agents are authorised to engage in law-breaking, human rights campaigners have claimed.

The intelligence watchdog has been told to keep under review guidance on use of agents “who participate in criminality” and in what cases it can be permitted.

The ministerial order was made public following a long-running legal battle.

Reprieve called for the guidance to be published, warning authorised crime was the “most intrusive power” possible.

Campaigners welcomed the publication of a ministerial “direction” to the Investigatory Powers Commissioner about the Security Service, commonly known as MI5, which they said followed a seven-month legal fight.

But they called for full disclosure of the rules governing the activities of MI5 agents, saying the public deserved to know about illegal activity being undertaken in the name of national security.

The order has remained secret since it was first written into law in 2014.

In a short written statement to Parliament, No 10 said it was instructing Lord Justice Fulford, the Investigatory Powers Commissioner (IPC), to “keep under review the application of the security service guidelines on the use of agents who participate in criminality and the authorisations issued in accordance with them”.

‘Greater good’
A 2016 report by the Intelligence Services Commissioner, a post which has since been merged into the IPC, suggested there may be occasions where agents engage in criminal activity in order to gather necessary intelligence “for example membership of a proscribed organisation or handling stolen goods”.

It said that although such activity could never be made lawful, it may be justified for operational reasons and in the “greater good” – although it recommended that MI5 should have to meet a public interest test.

Far-right ‘moving increasingly online’
What does Brexit mean for Britain’s spies?
Although MI5 has never openly admitted infiltrating extremist groups, its director has said the ability of agents to “work close” to potential offenders has helped to prevent terrorist attacks.

Reprieve said it was the first time ministers had acknowledged the existence of the guidance but they needed to publish it in full immediately.

“We are a long way from having transparency,” its director Maya Foa said. “The public and Parliament are still being denied the guidance that says when British spies can commit criminal offences and how far they can go.”

The Investigatory Powers Commissioner welcomed the government’s decision to “make public my oversight of this sensitive area of work”.

With many thanks to: BBC England for the origional story.

The British Red Cross reveals 21 staff paid for sexual services

The ICRC launched an internal review after reports of misconduct at aid agencies

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says 21 members of staff have left their jobs for sexual misconduct in the last three years.

The ICRC’s director-general, Yves Daccord, said the individuals had paid for “sexual services” and had resigned or were dismissed from the aid agency.

Mr Daccord said on Friday that it was “a difficult but important day”.

The revelations come as the aid sector has been hit by numerous allegations of sex abuse and exploitation by workers.

Mr Daccord said that it was the recent reports of sexual misconduct from humanitarian agencies that had spurred the Geneva-based ICRC to conduct an internal review.

Its code of conduct has explicitly forbidden the purchase of sexual services since 2006.

Friday’s statement follows reports that Plan International, a children’s aid agency, confirmed six cases of sexual abuse and child exploitation by staff or associates.

“I have instructed my teams to scour the data we do have on sexual misconduct, and I can tell you that since 2015 we’ve identified 21 staff members who were either dismissed for paying for sexual services or resigned during an internal enquiry,” Mr Daccord said.

Plan International reveals child sex abuse cases
How the Oxfam scandal unfolded
Two other staff members who were suspected of sexual misconduct did not have their contracts renewed, Mr Daccord said, adding that he was “deeply saddened to report these numbers”.

He said that the ICRC, which has 17,000 members of staff worldwide, was concerned that incidents that should have been reported were not, or were not properly handled.

“This behaviour is a betrayal of the people and the communities we are there to serve,” Mr Daccord said. “It is against human dignity and we should have been more vigilant in preventing this.”

The ICRC statement promises that all future allegations will be acted upon firmly and consistently, and that any employee found to have violated the ICRC’s code of conduct will be held accountable.

Ex-Save the Children boss resigns from Unicef
Nine charts that show what aid agencies do
International aid organisations have come under scrutiny since UK newspaper The Times reported earlier this month that Oxfam GB had covered up claims of sexual misconduct by its staff in Haiti.

On Friday, 22 aid organisations said they were “truly sorry” for the sector’s failings in the wake of allegations of sexual misconduct by workers.

In a letter signed by chief executives, agencies including Save the Children UK and Oxfam GB vowed to do more to protect those they were set up to help.

With many thanks to: BBC England for the origional story.

Every person receiving Personel Independence Payments (PIP) will have their payments reviewed, the Department for Work and Pensions has said.

The government made changes to Personal Independence Payments in 2017

A total of 1.6 million of the main disability benefit claims will be reviewed, with around 220,000 people expected to receive more money.

It comes after the DWP decided not to challenge a court ruling that said changes to PIP were unfair to people with mental health conditions.

The review could cost £3.7bn by 2023.

The minister for disabled people, Sarah Newton, said the DWP was embarking on a “complex exercise and of considerable scale.”

She added: “Whilst we will be working at pace to complete this exercise it is important that we get it right.”

What is the row around PIPs all about?
U-turn in disability benefits row
Why I secretly taped my disability assessment
Ministers made changes to PIP in 2017 which limited the amount of support people with mental health conditions could receive.

As a result, people who were unable to travel independently on the grounds of psychological distress – as opposed to other conditions – were not entitled to the enhanced mobility rate of the benefit.

‘Vital support’
The government pressed ahead with the proposals, despite criticism from an independent tribunal in 2016.

But in December, a High Court judge ruled the alterations “blatantly discriminate” against people with psychiatric problems and were a breach of their human rights.

Last week, new Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey announced the government would not appeal against the judgement , despite not agreeing with certain aspects of it.

Shadow work and pensions secretary Sarah Abrahams said it was “shocking” that so many claims were having to be reviewed and expressed concern that a timetable for action was yet to be put forward.

“The government was wrong to cut PIP benefits in the first place, wrong to bring in the PIP regulations last year and it was wrong to repeatedly ignore the views of the courts,” she said.

Mark Atkinson, chief executive at disability charity Scope, said more had to be done to address all the issues with PIP.

“While it’s crucial that the government urgently identifies and pays the vast numbers of disabled people who lost out on this vital support, this will not address the root of the problem,” he said.

“The fundamentally flawed PIP assessment needs a radical overhaul so it accurately identifies the extra costs disabled people face.”

Philip Connolly, policy manager at Disability Rights UK, welcomed the review but expressed regret at “persistent failures” of the assessment process.

“Huge amounts of taxpayers’ money is being wasted on poor quality assessments which deny disabled people benefits that they qualify for.

“We urge all disabled people who are turned down for benefits they believe they should get to use the independent appeals process if their claim is turned down,” he said

With many thanks to: BBC England for the origional story

£12,000 for dinner with David Cameron

Chinese President Xi Jinping on a state vist to the UK in 2015

Fancy dinner and a photo with David Cameron?

That was what was on offer recently for wealthy business figures at an event in China – as long as they stumped up about £12,000.

Mr Cameron featured on social media adverts for the Shanghai International Ball and Leaders’ Forum, which took place earlier this week.

A photograph of the former prime minister was accompanied by a price in Chinese renminbi.

Skip Twitter post by @robindbrant

Report
End of Twitter post by @robindbrant
A spokesman for Mr Cameron said the event in question had actually been the Global Alliance of SMEs’ Women Leaders Forum. He did not comment on the advertised pricetag.

Cameron takes on new UK-China role
Mr Cameron is also due to meet China’s President Xi Jinping during a visit to the country as he prepares to launch a new investment fund aimed at boosting trade links.

As prime minister, he hosted President Xi during a state visit to the UK in 2015, which was described by both sides as the beginning of a new “golden era” in relations.

Mr Cameron was UK prime minister from 2010 to 2016. He resigned after being on the losing side of the referendum which saw the UK voting to leave the European Union.

With many thanks to: BBC England for the origional story

James Bulger killer Jon Venables charged over indecent images

John Venables was 10 when he and Robert Thompson killed James Bulger

Jon Venables, one of the killers of toddler James Bulger nearly 25 years ago, has been charged over indecent images of children.

The 35-year-old, who served eight years for the murder of James, aged two, in 1993, was recalled to prison last year.

He and Robert Thompson abducted, tortured and killed the toddler in Liverpool when they were both aged 10.

They were released on licence in 2001, meaning they can be recalled to jail at any time if they breach the conditions.

Both were given new identities and reporting restrictions mean that Venables’ current name, or anything else that could lead to his identification, will remain secret when his case is heard.

Railway line
On 12 February 1993, James – just a few weeks short of his third birthday – was reported missing by his mother from outside a butcher’s shop in the New Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle.

CCTV images showed him being lured away by Venables and Thompson. His body was found two days later on a railway line.

He had been partially stripped and beaten to death with bricks and a metal bar.

Thompson and Venables were arrested and charged within days and convicted in November of the same year at Preston Crown Court.

James Bulger was two when he was abducted and killed in 1993

In 2001, the pair were released on licence from secure children’s homes – and granted lifelong anonymity with new identities.

In September 2008, Venables was arrested on suspicion of affray after a drunken brawl and was given a formal warning by the probation service for breaching the good behaviour terms of his licence.

Later the same year he was cautioned for possession of cocaine after he was found with a small amount of the Class A drug.

And in 2010, Venables was sent back to jail for two years after pleading guilty to charges of downloading and distributing child pornography and breaching his parole conditions by visiting Merseyside.

He was released again in 2013 with a second new identity.

‘Perverted psychopath’
When news of the 35-year-old’s latest arrest emerged last year, James’s mother Denise Fergus said: “Venables has now proved beyond any doubt what a vile, perverted psychopath he has always been.”

The Attorney General launched an investigation into claims his identity had been revealed on social media.

In 2013, two men who posted images they claimed were of Venables and Thompson were given nine-month sentences, suspended for 15 months.

Breaking the injunction that bans identifying the pair carries a punishment of up to two years in prison.

A CPS spokesman said: “The man formerly known as Jon Venables has been charged with offences relating to indecent images of children.

“In order that justice can be done, no further details are being released at this stage and the proceedings are subject to reporting restrictions.”

Will just leave this here……

Her bio describes her as: Law, politics, outdoor swimming, feminism and hot chilli sauce. Refreshingly modern.

With thanks to: UK database

With many thanks to: BBC England for the origional story.

The Tory’s and Jeremy Hunt are destroying our NHS, Jeremy Hunt appologises

Jeremy Hunt (right) with Prime Minister Theresa May

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has apologised to patients in England affected by a decision to postpone tens of thousands of operations in January.

Non-urgent treatments had already been cancelled until mid-January, but NHS England said on Tuesday that would now be extended to the end of the month.

It came after hospitals reported they were struggling to cope with the surge in patients being seen since Christmas.

Mr Hunt said it was “absolutely not what I want”.

But he said the move was needed given the pressure hospitals were under.

“This is the busiest week of the year for the NHS.”

And he also said the whole country was grateful for the work NHS staff were putting in working “incredibly long hours through the night, beyond the call of duty in every possible way”.

His thanks were echoed by Prime Minister Theresa May, who also denied the NHS was in crisis.

“The NHS has been better prepared for this winter than ever before,” she added.

Winter pressure health campaign launched
NHS to cancel ops to cope with winter
Reports have emerged of patients facing long waits for treatment and being stuck on trolleys in corridors, while ambulances are left queuing outside A&E.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/embed/p05smctr/42552267“>http://http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/embed/p05smctr/42552267

It has prompted a number of hospital trusts to declare major incidents – sometimes known as black alerts – which can lead them to divert ambulances elsewhere and call in extra staff.

Meanwhile, some ambulance services have started asking 999 callers with less serious problems to make their own way to hospital so they can prioritise the most life-threatening calls.

NHS England’s Prof Keith Willett admitted the pressures were severe – the worst he had seen since the 1990s – but said plans were in place.

As well as the cancelling of non-urgent treatments, such as knee and hip replacements, hospitals have been given the green light to put patients on mixed sex wards and to bring GPs into A&E to help deal with patients.

“A crisis is when you haven’t got in place mitigations and you haven’t got a plan to deal with it,” Prof Willett said.

“We’ve gone into this winter in a way we’ve never prepared before.”

Media captionNHS chief tells Today service is not in crisis but says they may need to cancel more operations in future
Doctor warns of ‘huge tragedy’
But Prof Suzanne Mason, of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said the measures were “too little too late” as hospitals simply had no beds free and these treatments would have had to be cancelled anyway.

She added: “Patient safety is being compromised – there’s no doubt about that. When patients are in crowded emergency departments and staff cannot actually move between patients and provide the basic level of care that’s required, then safety is compromised.

“Patients who spend many hours on a trolley – and these are often elderly patients – they are the sickest patients in our department.

“They are much more likely to have a poorer outcome and even die as a result of their experience in the emergency department. And that is a huge tragedy for us in our specialty and that’s why we are so desperate to see things improve.”

http://http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/embed/p05smjrt/42552267

Dr Adrian Harrop: “I feel like I’m fighting a losing battle”

Reports have emerged of serious problems in a number of places:

Nottingham’s Queen’s Medical Centre is asking patients to avoid its emergency department as it is on black alert, after seeing 140 patients at its peak on Tuesday evening
Southend Hospital said it was dealing with an “internal critical incident”, which has led them to call in extra staff
A consultant at University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust apologised for “third world conditions” in his hospital department
Milton Keynes University Hospital is telling people only to attend for emergency treatment
Two ambulance trusts in the east and north-east of England have said they are on the highest alert and are asking some of the least serious cases to make their own way to hospital
Doctors and nurses have also speaking about their own experiences.

Dr Adrian Harrop, an A&E doctor at Scarborough Hospital, said he felt he was “fighting a losing battle” as he was not able to do his job properly and care for his patients in the way he wanted.

Mark Nevison, a senior nurse in the north-east, said he had worked in A&E for 10 years and had “never been so ashamed of the sub-standard care” now being offered.

Why has this happened now?
The first week of the year is always difficult.

The lack of availability of community services, such as GPs, over the festive period means hospitals tend to see a surge in really sick patients at the turn of the year.

Respiratory illnesses also tend to spike after families have been mixing over Christmas bringing frailer older relatives in contact with young family members, increasing the risk of infections being passed on.

But it is also true to say that this is part of a pattern.

Last January was the worst in a generation and that followed the previous worst the year before.

Commentators have blamed this trend on the squeeze on NHS finances – the health service is in the middle of its toughest cash settlement since it was created.

Since 2010 annual rises have been limited to about 1% on average each year, compared to more than 4% it received previously.

Labour shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth believes this record is squarely to blame for the situation in which the NHS finds itself.

“Tory underfunding and cuts have left our health service more vulnerable than ever before.”

How bad is the situation?
It is very hard to tell. The performance stats – covering waits in A&E, the number of ambulances queuing outside A&E and the amount of operations that have been cancelled – will not be known for a few weeks.

In the lead-up to Christmas, all the indications were that the NHS was in as bad a position as it was the previous winter.

Twice as many patients as there should have been were waiting for more than four hours in A&E, while bed occupancy rates were well above safe levels.

But last winter the really bad spell only lasted a couple of weeks before the pressure eased.

Therefore, it will only be later in January that it will be known whether the NHS is facing a sustained problem.

What should patients do?
The public are being urged to play their part by using the health service responsibly.

NHS England said calling 111 was often a quicker and more convenient way of obtaining clinical assessment and advice in non-emergencies and allowed staff in A&E to focus on the sickest patients.

The Royal College of GPs has also set out three basic steps that all patients should consider before seeking an appointment with their GP for an acute illness including self-care, using online guidance from NHS Choices and consulting with a pharmacist.

With many thanks to: BBC England for the origional story.

‘No 10 knew’ of Damian Green claims in 2016, before he was promoted to First Secretary of State

Kate Maltby, who claims Damian Green made inappropiate advances to her,

http://http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/embed/p05rrr1c/42449683Kate Maltby on “highly sexualised” Westminster environment

Kate Maltby, who claims Damian Green made inappropriate advances to her, says she told a senior Downing Street aide about his behaviour in 2016.

The MP, who denies the claims, was sacked from the cabinet on Wednesday.

This came after an inquiry found he had broken the ministerial code over “misleading” statements after pornography was found on his computer.

Prime Minister Theresa May pictured here with Damian Green on her left.

Prime Minister Theresa May said she was not aware of the claims about Mr Green until last month.

Allegations ‘completely false’ – Green
Theresa May ‘had to sack Damian Green’
Did a police vendetta topple Damian Green?
Speaking on a visit to Cyprus, she said she had first read about them in an article by Ms Maltby in the Times newspaper.

She said: “I recognise that Kate Maltby was obviously extremely distressed by what happened. Damian Green has recognised that and he has apologised. I think that is absolutely the right thing to do.”

She has said it is important that people working in Parliament feel they can bring forward any concerns they have to be “treated seriously”.

The Cabinet Office investigation into Mr Green was prompted by her allegations that Mr Green had “fleetingly” touched her knee in a pub in 2015, and in 2016 sent her a “suggestive” text message.

The inquiry was later widened to include the claims about legal pornography being discovered on his computer after a police raid on his Commons office in 2008.

Speaking after the inquiry, which concluded that her evidence was “plausible”, Ms Maltby told the BBC she had not told many people about the alleged incident at the time – except her parents – as she “wondered if it was a one-off”.

“Eventually I spoke to a very senior and long-serving aide of Theresa May,” she added.

When giving evidence to the inquiry, she told its head, Sue Gray, that Downing Street was aware of her allegations “to the best of my knowledge”.

“I was aware that he was the deputy prime minister and I was aware that No 10 knew about it.”

Ms Maltby said she had never called for Mr Green’s sacking, but wrote her article because she wanted to change the culture of Downing Street.

“This whole story has been about power,” she said. “Damian Green became a very, very powerful person.

“I was aware that there seemed to be improper mixing of mentorship and sexual advance within the Conservative party in his case.”

Damian Green

Mr Green was sacked after making “misleading” statement about pornography found on his computer
Ms Maltby added: “My actions in this have never been guided by the quest to claim scalps, to force resignations to end people’s careers.

“We need an end to the era in which the sexual exploitation of younger people is the sort of peccadillo of a politician.

“That is tolerated by those in power and perhaps exploited to enforce party discipline but not to actually do any good.”

A Downing Street source told the BBC: “The Cabinet Office conducted a thorough investigation into a number of allegations about Damian Green.

“The PM has made it clear that everyone should be able to work in politics without fear or harassment – that is why she has brought forward a new code of conduct for the Conservative Party, and set up a cross-party working group to make recommendations about the Houses of Parliament.”

Speaking on Thursday, Mrs May reiterated her personal “sadness” at sacking her close ally Mr Green but said it was “absolutely right” that he had apologised to Ms Maltby.

‘Concerns treated seriously’
Although Mr Green was sacked over his statements about the pornography on his computer, he used his resignation letter to also apologise to Ms Maltby, who was a family friend.

“I deeply regret the distress caused to Kate Maltby following her article about me and the reaction to it,” he wrote.

“I do not recognise the events she described in her article, but I clearly made her feel uncomfortable and for this I apologise.”

http://http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/embed/p05ppys9/42449683“I was shocked”: Former detective constable Neil Lewis speaks to the BBC

Meanwhile, former senior police officer Bob Quick and retired detective Neil Lewis, who told the BBC he had been “shocked” by the contents of Mr Green’s office computer, are being investigated for possible breaches of the Data Protection Act.

The Metropolitan Police, who referred the case to the data regulator, said the pair were under investigation over the “apparent disclosure to the media of confidential material gathered during a police investigation in 2008”.

Conservative MPs are angry about the alleged actions of the two retired detectives, with Jeremy Hunt claiming they “did not sit comfortably in a democracy” – something, he added, Theresa May “had made clear” in her letter to Mr Green.

Boris Johnson said the actions of the police “had the slight feeling of a vendetta”, and needed to be investigated further.

With many thanks to: BBC England for the origional story

Homelessness in England ‘a national crisis’ say MPs

The report says 120,000 children are homeless and living in temporary accommodation
Homelessness in England is a “national crisis” and the government’s attitude to tackling it is “unacceptably complacent”, a committee of MPs say.

A Public Accounts Committee report found there were more than 9,000 rough sleepers and some 78,000 families living in temporary accommodation.

The cross-party research said there was a shortage of housing options for homeless people and those at risk.

The government says it is investing more than £1 billion on the problem.

The definition of homelessness under law includes rough sleepers, single people in hostels and those in temporary accommodation.

Since 2011, the number of people sleeping on the streets has increased by 134 per cent, the report says.

Meanwhile, those living in temporary accommodation has risen by about two-thirds in the last seven years.

Some 120,000 children are among those without permanent housing, the report says.

‘I asked to go to jail, rather than stay homeless’
Ten-year goal to end youth homelessness
Labour MP Meg Hillier, who chairs the committee, says the government’s approach to tackling the problem of homelessness has been an “abject failure”.

“The government must do more to understand and measure the real world costs and causes of homelessness and put in place the joined-up strategy that is so desperately needed.

“That means properly addressing the shortage of realistic housing options for those at risk of homelessness or already in temporary accommodation.

“More fundamentally, it means getting a grip on the market’s failure to provide genuinely affordable homes, both to rent and to buy.”

Ms Hillier suggests action such as providing financial support to local authorities with acute shortages of suitable housing.

With many thanks to: BBC England for the origional story.

WHY ARE THE NORTHERN IRELAND OFFICE (NIO), AND BRITISH PRIME MINISTER THERESA MAY KEEPING THE DUP’s DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS ? ‘HIDEN’???

The government wants all donations made public from July of this year
Labour and the SNP have failed to change government plans over the way political donations in North of Ireland are published.

The government wants all donations made public from July of this year.

However, Labour and the SNP have said donations should be backdated to January 2014.

Northern Ireland Office Minister Chloe Smith laid plans before parliament to allow the publication of donations and loans received after 1 July this year.

The order will now go before the House of Lords next month.

Assuming it is passed there, the first donations to Northern Ireland parties should be made public about the end of January or start of February.

The threshold for publishing donations is £7,500 for a central party or £1,500 for an individual politician or what’s known as an accounting unit such as a constituency branch.

Aid transparency
During a debate on Tuesday, Ms Smith said she found it “frankly quite amazing,” that Labour was “opposing transparency”.

She said the move would aid transparency.

Labour’s Ben Bradshaw said the government’s move did not go far enough and described the plans as “shabby”.

The Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary, Owen Smith, said the law should be retrospective and the government’s plans were “deeply disappointing”.

‘Affair stinks’
He raised the issue of a £435,000 donation from the Constitutional Research Council during the EU referendum campaign and said this legislation would not include details of that donation.

He told MPs “unfortunately this affair stinks” and described the donation as the largest in the history of Northern Ireland politics.

The DUP MP, Sammy Wilson, said he was surprised by the position of the Labour Party.

He said in relation to the Constitutional Research Council “all obligations had been met”.

Mr Wilson said in broad terms the last Labour government accepted there were “good reasons ” why donations were not made public

DUP MP Sammy Wilson said he was surprised by the position of the Labour Party
He said some of the opposition from the Labour Party was all about the result of the referendum campaign.

He said the Labour Party had “taken umbrage ” with those parties who had campaigned to leave the EU.

Other MPs criticised the Labour Party including the Conservative MP, Simon Clarke, who said Labour was guilty of “flip flopping”.

The government’s plans were opposed by the SNP MP, Deidre Brock, who argued that the publication of donors should be backdated to 2014.

Follow these links to find out more: https://www.opendemocracy.net/uk/brexitinc/adam-ramsay-mary-fitzgerald/why-is-northern-ireland-office-protecting-dups-dirty-little

With many thanks to: BBC England for the origional story