Corbyn: Labour not wedded to EU free movement

Image copyright PA Jeremy Corbyn is to say Labour is not “wedded” to freedom of movement for EU citizens in the UK as a “matter of principle”, as he sets out his views on Brexit negotiations.
In a speech, the party leader will argue the UK “can be better off” after leaving the EU, but add that he will not allow Theresa May a “free pass”.
Mr Corbyn will pledge to push for “fair and reasonably managed migration”.
Mrs May has said Brexit can “change the country for the better”.
With negotiations between the UK government and the EU set to begin as early as April, there is much speculation over whether the prime minister will push for the UK to remain part of the European single market or opt for a so-called “hard Brexit” – leaving the single market but gaining fuller control over immigration.
May: Brexit can "change UK for better" Ireland-UK ties "need Brexit review" Davidson calls for single market access In a speech in Peterborough on Tuesday, Mr Corbyn will say: “W..

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Labour"s Kezia Dugdale says UK is Scotland"s more important union

Media captionKezia Dugdale was interviewed by presenter Gary Robertson on BBC Radio Scotland"s Good Morning Scotland programme Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale said the UK was more important to Scotland than the EU as she set out her plan to “save our Union” in 2017.
The MSP, who was speaking to BBC Radio Scotland"s Good Morning Scotland programme, also reiterated her call for a federal UK and a new Act of Union.
She explained that the EU was important but “not more important” than the UK.
The Scottish Conservatives said voters did not trust Labour and the SNP said Ms Dugdale had nothing new to offer.
Listen again to Kezia Dugdale being interviewed by Gary RobertsonResponding to questions from presenter Gary Robertson, the politician said: “The UK represents the best possible way to redistribute wealth across the country. I want to tackle poverty and inequality, that is why I am in the Labour Party and I think the UK is the best means by which we can do that.
“The EU is ..

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Labour too weak to win election alone, Fabian Society says

Image copyright Reuters Labour is “too weak” to win a general election alone and should consider working with other parties, a left-of-centre think tank has said.
The Fabian Society said securing an overall majority was “currently unthinkable” for Labour.
It said the party faced a “Brexit dilemma” because it needed to reach out to voters on both sides of the debate.
But Labour said leader Jeremy Corbyn offered the “only genuine alternative” to a failed political establishment.
"Fake anti-elitists"A spokesperson for Mr Corbyn said: “Rebuilding Labour support after its fragmentation at the 2015 election was always going to be a challenge.
“But Labour under Jeremy Corbyn will be taking its case to every part of Britain in the coming months with a radical policy platform, offering the only genuine alternative to a failed parliament political establishment and the fake anti-elitists of the hard right.”
Mr Corbyn has previously said his party could climb the “electoral mountain” ..

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Labour reshuffle: Diane Abbott made shadow home secretary

Image copyright PA Image caption The appointments of Diane Abbott, Shami Chakrabarti, Nick Brown and Keir Starmer were announced on Thursday Diane Abbott has been promoted to shadow home secretary in Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn"s front bench reshuffle.
Ex-Liberty director Shami Chakrabarti is shadow attorney general and Keir Starmer, who left the team in June amid a wave of resignations, returns as shadow Brexit secretary.
But Dame Rosie Winterton, who had tried to negotiate between Mr Corbyn and many of his MPs, is out as chief whip.
Mr Corbyn"s critics have suggested the reshuffle will fail to unify the party.
One senior figure said the reshuffle so far looked “vengeful and cack-handed”, and Middlesbrough South MP Tom Blenkinsop accused Mr Corbyn of “seeking submission not unity”.
Another MP, Neil Coyle, told BBC Radio 5 live that Dame Rosie"s work during a difficult period for Labour had been “underestimated”.
He said that, despite everything, “the parliamentary vot..

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At-a-glance: Guide to Labour 2016 conference agenda

This year"s Labour Party conference is taking place in Liverpool and could be one of the most dramatic for years. Here"s a rundown of what"s happening and some of the main highlights.
Sunday 25 September09:00: Andrew Marr: Newly re-elected leader Jeremy Corbyn is expected to appear on the BBC show and other media outlets during the morning
11:00: Conference opening: The conference will officially be opened by General Secretary Iain McNicol
12:00 Party reform: Debate on policy making in the party
14:15: Communities: Shadow energy secretary Barry Gardiner and shadow environment secretary Rachael Maskell among speakers
16:00: Scotland and Wales: Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale and Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones will address the conference
Monday 26 September09:30: Foreign Affairs: Shadow Foreign and Brexit Secretary Emily Thornberry will address the conference
10:30: Defence: Shadow Defence Secretary Clive Lewis will speak
12:00: Economy: Shadow Chancellor John McD..

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The Labour list

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has asked 198 questions at PMQs in 2016. Here"s a list of them all.

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Labour MP Jamie Reed quitting Parliament

Labour MP Jamie Reed is quitting Parliament to take a job in the nuclear industry.
The ex-shadow health minister said it was an “honour” to represent Copeland since 2005, adding: “Leaving Parliament is the hardest decision of my life.”
He will stand down at the end of January, triggering a by-election in a seat Labour retained in 2015 with a 2,564 majority.
Mr Reed has been a longstanding critic of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
He resigned from Labour"s front bench as soon as Mr Corbyn won the 2015 leadership contest.
In his resignation letter, he praised the efforts of the last Labour government and wished the current leader “every success” in his bid to become prime minister.
In his new job Mr Reed will be head of development and community relations at Sellafield Ltd.

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Fight for Labour"s soul

Media captionLen McCluskey warns Labour critics over Unite poll Who leads the Unite union is significant – it is the country"s biggest, and has members in many strategically important industries.
And, in most years, it is also the Labour Party"s single biggest source of funds.
The election of Unite"s general secretary is something of a proxy battle in the struggle for Labour"s soul.
There is a widespread belief among many of the party"s MPs that if there is an early election, Jeremy Corbyn will not only lead Labour, he will lead it to defeat, and then probably step aside.
There is a hope that if the election takes place as scheduled in 2020, Mr Corbyn will choose to stand aside sooner if polling remains bleak.
Even his shadow home secretary Diane Abbott has suggested he has a year to turn the poor polls around. Under either scenario, there would be another leadership contest in the next few years. Those on the left would want to see Mr Corbyn replaced by a ..

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At-a-glance: Guide to Labour 2016 conference agenda

This year"s Labour Party conference is taking place in Liverpool and could be one of the most dramatic for years. Here"s a rundown of what"s happening and some of the main highlights.
Sunday 25 September09:00: Andrew Marr: Newly re-elected leader Jeremy Corbyn is expected to appear on the BBC show and other media outlets during the morning
11:00: Conference opening: The conference will officially be opened by General Secretary Iain McNicol
12:00 Party reform: Debate on policy making in the party
14:15: Communities: Shadow energy secretary Barry Gardiner and shadow environment secretary Rachael Maskell among speakers
16:00: Scotland and Wales: Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale and Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones will address the conference
Monday 26 September09:30: Foreign Affairs: Shadow Foreign and Brexit Secretary Emily Thornberry will address the conference
10:30: Defence: Shadow Defence Secretary Clive Lewis will speak
12:00: Economy: Shadow Chancellor John McD..

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The Jeremy Corbyn Story: Profile of Labour leader

Image copyright Reuters Image caption He remains in the saddle but not everyone thinks he is heading in the right direction Jeremy Corbyn"s election in September 2015 as Labour leader, at the age of 66, counted as one of the biggest upsets in British political history.
His re-election to the post almost a year later was not such a surprise but could prove even more momentous in terms of Labour"s direction in the coming years and the future course of British politics.
Seeing off the challenge of Owen Smith, who had the backing of the majority of Labour MPs, has made Mr Corbyn, for the time being at least, seemingly unassailable and increased the likelihood that he will lead the opposition into the next general election – scheduled for 2020.
If that is the case, Mr Corbyn will be a highly influential figure during one of the most important political periods of the past 50 years – as the clock ticks down to the UK"s exit from the EU following the Brexit referendum vote.
To..

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Labour MPs record Christmas song about workers" rights

Labour MPs have swapped the green benches for the music studio to record a Christmas song about workers" rights.
The MPs donned reindeer hats and Santa antlers for their version of Band Aid"s 1980s hit Do They Know It"s Christmas?
The lyrics have been adapted to draw attention to claims some big companies are ditching staff perks in order to comply with the National Living Wage, introduced in April.
They accuse firms of cutting overtime payments and Christmas bonuses.
Workers" concern at National Living Wage National Living Wage "has not led to job losses" Replacing the famous “feed the world” lyric with “keep their perks”, the MPs urge employers: “Don"t be Scrooge, it"s Christmas time.”
The National Living Wage, announced by former Chancellor George Osborne, requires employers to pay staff aged 25 and over at least £7.20 an hour.
Some firms cut overtime pay rates or benefits such as free lunches to fund the rise in basic pay rates.
But several..

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The Labour list

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has asked 198 questions at PMQs in 2016. Here"s a list of them all.

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Man guilty of harassing Jewish Labour MP Luciana Berger

Image copyright PA Image caption Luciana Berger said it was the “most concerned” she had ever been about her personal safety since being elected A man has been found guilty of the racially-aggravated harassment of a Labour MP after sending a string of anti-Semitic rants.
Joshua Bonehill-Paine, 24, wrote five hate-filled blogs harassing Liverpool Wavertree MP Luciana Berger in 2014, a jury at the Old Bailey was told.
Ms Berger told the court she “felt sick” and “very much under attack”.
Bonehill-Paine, of Yeovil, Somerset, posted the articles after the jailing of a fellow far-right extremist.

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Labour says MPs are entitled to Brexit plan details

Parliament is entitled to know details ahead of the UK"s negotiations with the EU, Labour said as MPs debated the government"s Brexit strategy.
MPs are expected to vote in favour of the government"s timetable, of starting formal talks by the end of March, while also calling on the PM publish a “plan” beforehand.
The government has so far refused a “running commentary” on its strategy.
Labour"s Brexit spokesman Sir Keir Starmer said it had now “caved in”.
Opening the Commons debate, he said the government had refused “on every occasion” to give more details, saying information about its negotiating stance was important because it “sets the scene” for Brexit.
The plan to be published by the government must be detailed enough to allow Parliamentary scrutiny and enable the Office for Budget Responsibility to assess the impact on the public finances, he said.
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Diane Abbott on Labour"s immigration policy

Diane Abbott says there are "real issues of disaffection" in post-industrial Britain

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Corbyn the Musical creator on Labour leader Christmas single

Corbyn the Musical creator Bobby Friedman on the You Needed a Hero, You Got Corbyn track.

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Room to manoeuvre on EU free movement, says Labour

Image copyright JEFF OVERS/BBC There is “room to manoeuvre” on the key issue of free movement when the UK leaves the European Union, Labour"s shadow foreign secretary has insisted.
EU leaders have said free movement must be accepted if the UK is to retain full membership of the single market.
But Emily Thornberry said the UK had “common cause” with other countries and urged “good faith” in negotiations.
The government says it wants the maximum possible access to the single market and control of the UK"s borders.
What has actually happened since Brexit? Brexit: The options Major accused over new Brexit vote bid Labour says it wants guaranteed access to the single market, which removes tariffs and non-tariff barriers from trade within the EU, after Brexit.
On Saturday, shadow home secretary Diane Abbott told The Guardian such access would mean there could be “no deal to be done on freedom of movement”.
But speaking on the BBC"s Andrew Marr Show, Ms Thornberry said she be..

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Hodges road-tests Labour and Tory plans

Dan Hodges turns on the car puns as he looks back to the Autumn Statement.

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Theresa May wants post-Brexit UK at "cutting-edge"

Image copyright Getty Images Theresa May is to reach out to business leaders by pledging an extra £2bn a year in funding for scientific research and development by 2020.
In a speech to the CBI, Mrs May will outline a new fund that will back areas such as robotics and biotechnology and help commercialise new discoveries.
The investment will help put post-Brexit Britain at the “cutting edge”, the prime minister is to say.
Delegates will call on Mrs May to offer more “clarity” over Brexit.
Mrs May"s speech to the Confederation of British Industry in London comes two days before the government delivers its first post-EU referendum budget, in the form of the Autumn Statement.
She is to promise a new approach that is about “stepping up, not stepping back” when it comes to intervening in the economy.
Speaking about a new industrial strategy challenge fund, she will say: “Britain has firms and researchers leading in some of the most exciting fields of human discovery.
“We need to back ..

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Theresa May in "lowest" corporation tax pledge to business

Image copyright Getty Images Theresa May is to reach out to business leaders by pledging to maintain the UK"s corporation tax rate at the lowest of the group of 20 major economies.
In a speech to the CBI conference, she will also unveil an extra £2bn a year for research and development by 2020.
The prime minister will say the government plans are about “making the most of the historic opportunity” presented by the vote to leave the EU.
But delegates will call on Mrs May to offer more “clarity” over Brexit.
Mrs May"s speech to the Confederation of British Industry in London comes two days before the government delivers its first post-EU referendum budget, in the form of the Autumn Statement.
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She is to promise a new approach that is about “stepping up, not stepping back” when it comes to intervening in the economy.
Mrs May will outline a new industrial str..

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