Last Week in Politics
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Last week in politics was nowhere near as turbulent as the week before, but it has been busy nevertheless.
If you’ve missed bits of it or have no clue what went on, you have come to the right place. Everything you need to know about last week in politics is right here, explained simply and with (we like to think) style.
1. Monday – Theresa May confirms we are planning for a no-deal Brexit
Minister for International Trade Liam Fox told ITV journalist Paul Brand that the government has been told to prepare for a no-deal Brexit. This would mean that the UK has been unable to negotiate a trade deal with the European Union as well as decide on the future relationship we will have with them.
It was confirmed later on Monday by the Prime Minister Theresa May that Britain needs to be prepared for the no-deal scenario.
May told MPs this: “While I believe it is profoundly in all our interests for the negotiations to succeed, it is also our responsibility as a Government to prepare for every eventuality, so that is exactly what we are doing.
2. Tuesday – British race report is published, showing serious injustices
The Race Disparity Audit commissioned by Theresa May when she became Prime Minister was released on Tuesday and it showed some shocking injustices in Britain.
One of the most shocking things found as a result of the report was that those of an ethnic minority (mostly black, Asian and mixed-race people) were more than three times as likely to be arrested as white people. As well as this, black defendants in Crown Court cases were the most likely to be kept in custody.
3. Tuesday – World Mental Health Day sees 160 MPs sign a letter to the Prime Minister
On Tuesday it was World Mental Health Day and former Shadow Minister for Mental Health Luciana Berger rounded up 160 MPs to sign a letter to the Prime Minister asking her to ring-fence mental health funding.
If the demands of the letter were met, it would mean that funding for mental health would be set at a specific minimum amount and could not be cut.
On the eve of #WMHD17 160 @UKLabour MPs have written to the PM to ask that mental health funding is ring-fenced. Now is the time for action. pic.twitter.com/R8IHd50Dm2
— Luciana Berger (@lucianaberger) October 9, 2017
Labour MP for Blaydon Liz Twist signed the letter as well as Laura Pidcock, MP for North West Durham.
4. Wednesday – Liz Truss has no clue
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss said that families on benefits who need information on benefit reform should “visit the job centre” if they can’t afford the 55p per minute helpline.
She came under fire from plenty of MPs and commentators, who pointed out that the Conservative government had actually been closing job centres up and down the country which makes it difficult to get to job centres.
Presenter Andrew Neil who was interviewing Truss at the time was pretty good at getting her to crack and show she had no idea what she was talking about. You should watch it here.
5. Thursday – The EU’s chief negotiator says Brexit says negotiations with the UK are in ‘deadlock’
Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator for Brexit, said on Thursday that the talks with Britain are in “deadlock”. He also said that the amount (or lack of) the UK will pay the EU to leave is “very disturbing”. So things aren’t really going very well…
6. Friday – Trump says he has met…himself
On a much lighter note, President Donald Trump said he met himself.
So, it all sounds a bit odd, but basically, he told the press on Friday that he had met with the “President of the Virgin Islands”. Which is actually him. Donald Trump is the President of the US Virgin Islands. He is the President of the United States of America, which includes the US Virgin Islands.
It’s enough for even Theresa May to face-palm on his behalf.
In case you wondered, Trump actually met with the Governor of the Virgin Islands Kenneth Mapp. Yep.
So, that’s last week in politics for you. It was certainly interesting.
See you next week (that is if we haven’t been nuked or anything like that…).