Labour's civil war has erupted in furious clashes at a "brutal" meeting between leader Jeremy Corbyn and the party's MPs and peers.
As the Westminster meeting ended in a shouting match, angry Labour MPs rounded on Mr Corbyn, with one MP, ex-minister Ian Austin, telling him to "look in the mirror".
Corbyn ally, shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry, was heard shouting at another critic of the Labour boss, Wes Streeting, after he said the party was being "driven off a cliff".
Ex-minister Pat McFadden then told Mr Corbyn: "Our uselessness is emboldening the nationalist right wherever it exists."
And the former chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), Lord Watts, told Mr Corbyn's spin doctor Seumas Milne to his face that he was "a disgrace".
More than two hours after the showdown at the PLP, Mr Corbyn launched a fightback on Twitter, appearing to laugh off the earlier row and urging his critics to stop "navel-gazing".
"Today, spirits in the Labour Party have run high, so I want to send a message to all party members," he wrote, introducing a two-minute video.
In the video, appearing to chuckle, he begins: "Sometimes spirits in the Labour party can run high, today has been one of those days."
He then continues: "That's because we're a passionate party. So I'm going to send a message to all party members. I want to make it absolutely clear, members are an asset. As a party we must do more to involve and empower them. "
And in a swipe at his critics, he says: "May's local elections, to win we need unity, not naval gazing. My plea to all Labour party members, whether grassroots or in senior positions, is think of our people first. Think of our movement first. Think of the party first."
But another Labour MP critical of Mr Corbyn, Neil Coyle, immediately responded on Twitter: writing: "When 'navel-gazing' = 'uncomfortable Copeland Qs' & 'more member engagement' = absolutely no frontbench Brexit consultation with members..."
Earlier, the shouting and heckling inside committee room 14 in the Commons was so loud it could be heard clearly by journalists in a corridor outside the room.
After the meeting, Labour grandee Peter Mandelson told reporters the atmosphere in the party now was like that in 1985, when the Militant Tendency attempted to take over.
But when that was put to Lord Neil Kinnock, who as leader from 1983-92 fought bruising battles against the hard-left group, he told journalists: "No, it's worse than that."
After many Labour MPs left the meeting in a state of shock, a party official who was inside told Sky News: "It was brutal. It wasn't pretty."
And even Mr Milne, Mr Corbyn's director of communications, told journalists: "There was a robust and open debate."
On allegations of briefing against Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson, Mr Milne said: "We did not encourage it."
But an angry Lord Watts told Sky News: "I have told Seumas Milne he is a disgrace. He said I was abusing a member of staff, but it's him who is abusing Labour Party members."
The feuding between Corbyn allies and critics was triggered by a row over claims left-wing Momentum is plotting with the Unite union to seize control of the party.
The bust-up, at the weekly meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party, followed a shadow cabinet away-day which ended with accusations of hostile briefing against Mr Watson.
He came under attack from pro-Corbyn sources after he told Sky News earlier: "It looks like a secret plan to take over the Labour Party to me, and I think it needs to be called out.
"I regard this as a battle for the future existence of the Labour Party. This is high stakes."
The row at the PLP began when Mr Streeting, ex-minister John Spellar and veteran backbencher David Winnick asked Mr Corbyn who sanctioned the briefing against Mr Watson after the away-day.
The PLP chairman, left-wing Labour MP John Cryer, said the anti-Tom Watson briefing bore no relation to what happened.
Mr Watson looked visibly shaken as he left the PLP meeting. Asked if Labour was now in a state of civil war, a close ally told Sky News: "Not quite."
Monday, March 20, 2017
Passenger plane carrying 44 people crashes at South Sudan airport
A passenger plane has crashed at a South Sudan airport, reportedly injuring at least 14 people.
Some 44 people are thought to have been on board the South Supreme Airlines plane when it came down in the northwestern town of Wau.
State information minister Bona Gaudensio said: "Right now we have the ambulance which has just come out from the airport and we have received 14 patients being rushed to hospital in stable condition."
No information has been released on the condition of the other passengers.
An aid worker told Reuters news agency: "No one died but there are a number of injured people right now."
Photographs from the scene showed fire engines soaking the smouldering wreckage with water.
Paul Charles, an engineer at the airport, told AFP news agency that visibility was poor when the accident took place.
He said: "The weather is not good. Visibility was not good up to now and (the plane) was landing from the east to west then it just crashes (off) the runway."
Gabriel Ngang, manager of South Supreme Airlines, said the plane had taken off from the capital Juba.
Some 44 people are thought to have been on board the South Supreme Airlines plane when it came down in the northwestern town of Wau.
State information minister Bona Gaudensio said: "Right now we have the ambulance which has just come out from the airport and we have received 14 patients being rushed to hospital in stable condition."
No information has been released on the condition of the other passengers.
An aid worker told Reuters news agency: "No one died but there are a number of injured people right now."
Photographs from the scene showed fire engines soaking the smouldering wreckage with water.
Paul Charles, an engineer at the airport, told AFP news agency that visibility was poor when the accident took place.
He said: "The weather is not good. Visibility was not good up to now and (the plane) was landing from the east to west then it just crashes (off) the runway."
Gabriel Ngang, manager of South Supreme Airlines, said the plane had taken off from the capital Juba.
Sunday, March 19, 2017
Hidden killer: Salt in food 'killing 14,000 people a year'
Too much salt in our diets is causing up to 14,000 preventable deaths every year according to health campaigners.
And food producers, they say, are not meeting voluntary reduction targets because it would drive down their profits.
It is called the hidden killer, causing strokes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
Professor Graham MacGregor, chairman of Consensus on Salt and Health (CASH), said: "The easiest way to make bland, cheap food more palatable is to add salt - and salt is practically free.
"This is a national scandal. The UK was leading the world in salt reduction, but the Government is doing nothing to ensure that the 2017 salt targets are met."
Professor MacGregor is urging the Government to impose strict limits on the amount of salt used in processed foods.
So far only one out of 28 food categories is on track to meet 2017 salt reduction targets. That is bread rolls.
A product survey, which was conducted using the updated FoodSwitch UK app and its SaltSwitch filter, compared two shopping baskets, each containing similar everyday food items, but with different amounts of salt.
The difference in salt content between the unhealthy and healthy baskets of products was 57g of salt.
Findings revealed many products exceed the maximum salt reduction targets.
Galaxy Ultimate Marshmallow Hot Chocolate is saltier than seawater and has 16 times more salt (per 100g) than the maximum target - one serving is saltier than a bag of crisps, the study found.
Katharine Jenner, registered nutritionist and campaign director for CASH, said: "Salt is the forgotten killer.
"The findings from our FoodSwitch shopping basket survey are alarming and we are shocked to see that many food manufacturers and retailers are still failing to meet the salt reduction targets, despite having had years to work towards them.
"We congratulate the other, more responsible manufacturers, that have successfully achieved them, or are on track to meet them by the end of the year - which shows it is possible.
"With only nine months to go, action must be taken now."
The app was able to demonstrate in all 28 categories there were products with at least 30% less salt, which would meet the maximum salt reduction target.
CASH said the shopping basket analysis reaffirms the public health goal of consuming no more than 6g of salt per person per day is achievable, but said manufacturers are dragging their heels.
Dr Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist at Public Health England, said: "The food industry has reduced the amount of salt found in our foods by 11% in recent years, which is encouraging progress.
"We know there is more to do. This is why we're talking to retailers, manufacturers, and the eating out of home sector on how they go further and faster to reaching the 2017 salt reduction targets."
And food producers, they say, are not meeting voluntary reduction targets because it would drive down their profits.
It is called the hidden killer, causing strokes, high blood pressure and heart disease.
Professor Graham MacGregor, chairman of Consensus on Salt and Health (CASH), said: "The easiest way to make bland, cheap food more palatable is to add salt - and salt is practically free.
"This is a national scandal. The UK was leading the world in salt reduction, but the Government is doing nothing to ensure that the 2017 salt targets are met."
Professor MacGregor is urging the Government to impose strict limits on the amount of salt used in processed foods.
So far only one out of 28 food categories is on track to meet 2017 salt reduction targets. That is bread rolls.
A product survey, which was conducted using the updated FoodSwitch UK app and its SaltSwitch filter, compared two shopping baskets, each containing similar everyday food items, but with different amounts of salt.
The difference in salt content between the unhealthy and healthy baskets of products was 57g of salt.
Findings revealed many products exceed the maximum salt reduction targets.
Galaxy Ultimate Marshmallow Hot Chocolate is saltier than seawater and has 16 times more salt (per 100g) than the maximum target - one serving is saltier than a bag of crisps, the study found.
Katharine Jenner, registered nutritionist and campaign director for CASH, said: "Salt is the forgotten killer.
"The findings from our FoodSwitch shopping basket survey are alarming and we are shocked to see that many food manufacturers and retailers are still failing to meet the salt reduction targets, despite having had years to work towards them.
"We congratulate the other, more responsible manufacturers, that have successfully achieved them, or are on track to meet them by the end of the year - which shows it is possible.
"With only nine months to go, action must be taken now."
The app was able to demonstrate in all 28 categories there were products with at least 30% less salt, which would meet the maximum salt reduction target.
CASH said the shopping basket analysis reaffirms the public health goal of consuming no more than 6g of salt per person per day is achievable, but said manufacturers are dragging their heels.
Dr Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist at Public Health England, said: "The food industry has reduced the amount of salt found in our foods by 11% in recent years, which is encouraging progress.
"We know there is more to do. This is why we're talking to retailers, manufacturers, and the eating out of home sector on how they go further and faster to reaching the 2017 salt reduction targets."
PM begins Brexit tour amid battle to keep UK together
The Prime Minister will visit Wales today as the Government tries to convince the devolved nations that their input will help shape its Brexit negotiations.
Theresa May has faced criticism from the Scottish Nationalist Party that its compromise Brexit proposals were ignored, despite Number 10 launching the Joint Ministerial Committee as a forum to hear their concerns.
First Minister and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon has used the Government's intransigence as one of the key reasons for seeking a Section 30 order to organise a second independence referendum.
:: Sturgeon says Scotland will keep the pound and apply for full EU membership
Ms Sturgeon said she is determined to hold the ballot and told Sky News' Sophy Ridge on Sunday that Scotland would seek to remain part of the European Union.
"There is no queue to join the European Union and we have had several voices over recent times saying that if Scotland wanted to be in the EU then there would be a very open warm reception for that," she said.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister said the trip to Swansea was part of an "ongoing engagement" with the nations, and that Mrs May will be "listening to people from right across the nation as we prepare to leave the EU".
The Government says it will trigger the Article 50 process, to begin the formal process of leaving the EU, before the end of the month.
It follows a torrid few days for Number 10, with a record fine for the Conservative party for election expenses irregularities and a bruising U-turn over increasing National Insurance contributions for the self-employed.
Mrs May will visit Swansea as it signs a £1.3bn City Deal to build research centres and a new "digital district" in the Bay area.
The investment is jointly funded by both the UK and Welsh Governments as well as local authorities and could deliver 9,000 new jobs.
The Prime Minister believes such a scheme is an example of what can be achieved when various bodies within the UK pull together for a single purpose.
"From my first day on the steps of Downing Street, I made clear my determination to strengthen and sustain the precious Union," Mrs May said.
"I have also been clear that as we leave the European Union I will work to deliver a deal that works for the whole of the UK.
"I want every part of the United Kingdom to be able to make the most of the opportunities ahead and for Welsh businesses to benefit from the freest possible trade as part of a global trading nation," she said in a statement.
Wales - together with England - voted in favour of leaving the EU, while Scotland and Northern Ireland opted to remain.
Theresa May has faced criticism from the Scottish Nationalist Party that its compromise Brexit proposals were ignored, despite Number 10 launching the Joint Ministerial Committee as a forum to hear their concerns.
First Minister and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon has used the Government's intransigence as one of the key reasons for seeking a Section 30 order to organise a second independence referendum.
:: Sturgeon says Scotland will keep the pound and apply for full EU membership
Ms Sturgeon said she is determined to hold the ballot and told Sky News' Sophy Ridge on Sunday that Scotland would seek to remain part of the European Union.
"There is no queue to join the European Union and we have had several voices over recent times saying that if Scotland wanted to be in the EU then there would be a very open warm reception for that," she said.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister said the trip to Swansea was part of an "ongoing engagement" with the nations, and that Mrs May will be "listening to people from right across the nation as we prepare to leave the EU".
The Government says it will trigger the Article 50 process, to begin the formal process of leaving the EU, before the end of the month.
It follows a torrid few days for Number 10, with a record fine for the Conservative party for election expenses irregularities and a bruising U-turn over increasing National Insurance contributions for the self-employed.
Mrs May will visit Swansea as it signs a £1.3bn City Deal to build research centres and a new "digital district" in the Bay area.
The investment is jointly funded by both the UK and Welsh Governments as well as local authorities and could deliver 9,000 new jobs.
The Prime Minister believes such a scheme is an example of what can be achieved when various bodies within the UK pull together for a single purpose.
"From my first day on the steps of Downing Street, I made clear my determination to strengthen and sustain the precious Union," Mrs May said.
"I have also been clear that as we leave the European Union I will work to deliver a deal that works for the whole of the UK.
"I want every part of the United Kingdom to be able to make the most of the opportunities ahead and for Welsh businesses to benefit from the freest possible trade as part of a global trading nation," she said in a statement.
Wales - together with England - voted in favour of leaving the EU, while Scotland and Northern Ireland opted to remain.
Row over Trump billboard with 'swastika dollar signs'
An anti-Trump billboard containing a picture of the president, nuclear mushroom clouds and Nazi-like dollar signs has sparked controversy in Phoenix, Arizona.
The work is by artist Karen Fiorito who said she was expressing "tension in the air" among people "who don't have a voice".
She said: "I do feel like we are headed down a road of destruction and apocalyptic destruction."
She also told KSAZ-TV she did not regret the billboard, saying: "I got the opportunity to have a platform to say something and I took that opportunity and I take full responsibly for it."
Ms Fiorito said she was speaking for those "who feel they don't have a voice right now."
She said the limited liability corporation, an organisation in Phoenix that supports the arts, gave her a platform to make a statement about the President.
The billboard contains an image of him, with post-atomic bomb mushroom clouds in the background, and dollar signs that bear a resemblance to swastikas on each side.
After it was put up, she said she was expecting a backlash and death threats.
On the other side of the same billboard is one showing five fists forming sign language letters with the word "unity" beneath them.
The work is by artist Karen Fiorito who said she was expressing "tension in the air" among people "who don't have a voice".
She said: "I do feel like we are headed down a road of destruction and apocalyptic destruction."
She also told KSAZ-TV she did not regret the billboard, saying: "I got the opportunity to have a platform to say something and I took that opportunity and I take full responsibly for it."
Ms Fiorito said she was speaking for those "who feel they don't have a voice right now."
She said the limited liability corporation, an organisation in Phoenix that supports the arts, gave her a platform to make a statement about the President.
The billboard contains an image of him, with post-atomic bomb mushroom clouds in the background, and dollar signs that bear a resemblance to swastikas on each side.
After it was put up, she said she was expecting a backlash and death threats.
On the other side of the same billboard is one showing five fists forming sign language letters with the word "unity" beneath them.
Saturday, March 18, 2017
Paris shooting and Orly airport attack: Timeline
A man shot dead at a Paris airport after grabbing a soldier's gun had earlier opened fire on police officers at a road check.
Here is a timeline of how events unfolded.
:: Three police officers pull over a vehicle for speeding in Stains in the north of Paris at 6.55am local time.
A man /opens fire, "lightly" injuring one officer in her head.
:: Gunman shoots officer before Paris airport attack
:: The gunman flees and later hijacks a woman's car at gunpoint in the Vitry area. The vehicle was found abandoned near Orly, the capital's second largest airport.
:: At 8.30am a man attempts to take the assault rifle of a soldier at the airport.
She was patrolling as part of the national 'Sentinelle' security operation, launched following deadly terror attacks in the country.
:: Defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian says the woman managed to hold on to the weapon and that her two colleagues shot him dead.
:: An image shows the man, said to be in his 40's, lying on his back on the floor of the terminal building.
:: Thousands of people were evacuated from the airport during the security lockdown and flights diverted to Charles de Gaulle airport.
:: Bomb squad teams swept the airport to check for explosives, but nothing was found.
:: Police sources revealed the dead man was as "a radicalised Muslim known to intelligence services and the justice system".
:: The father and brother of the man killed have been taken into custody
:: France's anti-terrorism prosecutor opens an investigation into the incident.
:: The suspect is named as Ziyed B by local media.
:: Diplomats confirm the visit by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Paris will continue unaffected.
:: The country, which holds presidential elections in a few weeks time, remains on high alert after a series of deadly terror attacks and a state of emergency remains in force until at least the end of July.
Here is a timeline of how events unfolded.
:: Three police officers pull over a vehicle for speeding in Stains in the north of Paris at 6.55am local time.
A man /opens fire, "lightly" injuring one officer in her head.
:: Gunman shoots officer before Paris airport attack
:: The gunman flees and later hijacks a woman's car at gunpoint in the Vitry area. The vehicle was found abandoned near Orly, the capital's second largest airport.
:: At 8.30am a man attempts to take the assault rifle of a soldier at the airport.
She was patrolling as part of the national 'Sentinelle' security operation, launched following deadly terror attacks in the country.
:: Defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian says the woman managed to hold on to the weapon and that her two colleagues shot him dead.
:: An image shows the man, said to be in his 40's, lying on his back on the floor of the terminal building.
:: Thousands of people were evacuated from the airport during the security lockdown and flights diverted to Charles de Gaulle airport.
:: Bomb squad teams swept the airport to check for explosives, but nothing was found.
:: Police sources revealed the dead man was as "a radicalised Muslim known to intelligence services and the justice system".
:: The father and brother of the man killed have been taken into custody
:: France's anti-terrorism prosecutor opens an investigation into the incident.
:: The suspect is named as Ziyed B by local media.
:: Diplomats confirm the visit by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Paris will continue unaffected.
:: The country, which holds presidential elections in a few weeks time, remains on high alert after a series of deadly terror attacks and a state of emergency remains in force until at least the end of July.
George Osborne may have broken rules over Evening Standard editor job
Pressure is mounting on George Osborne to step down as an MP after it emerged he may have broken post-ministerial rules when taking his new job as editor of the Evening Standard.
When ministers step down from office they are subject to a two-year grace period, during which any other jobs or employment they undertake is contingent on approval by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA).
The members of that committee subject the appointment to a number of tests around conflict of interest.
:: New Evening Standard editor Osborne criticised for remaining as MP
Ex-ministers are also supposed to submit their requests and then wait for the committee's guidance before accepting something and making it public.
Sky News has learnt that Mr Osborne did not await for approval from ACOBA and is therefore in breach of its guidelines - and more importantly of the ministerial code.
One former senior civil servant familiar with the process told Sky News that it is a clear case of "business appointment guidelines not being followed".
Another put it more punchily: "He's made a mockery of the whole process."
:: Former chancellor George Osborne has HOW many jobs?
The latter acknowledged why Mr Osborne had done it; the committee within Whitehall is notoriously slow in conducting its work and the news may have leaked.
Nevertheless, if procedure is not followed then "the whole process is pretty pointless".
Mr Osborne has some form on this. When his appointment to the Chairmanship of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership was announced, the committee ticked off the former Chancellor.
In its report on the subject, it said: "The Committee wrote to Mr Osborne and noted with concern that he sought advice on this appointment after the launch of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership.
"The Committee advised it is unable to offer retrospective advice on appointments that have already been announced."
Therefore it is possible that ACOBA does not offer advice on the Standard job.
Theoretically, it could veto Mr Osborne's appointment, although it has never done this for any appointment in its history.
Labour looks likely to call for an inquiry into the matter from the Cabinet Office when the House of Commons next meets on Monday.
Thus pressure may mount on Mr Osborne to explain himself.
When ministers step down from office they are subject to a two-year grace period, during which any other jobs or employment they undertake is contingent on approval by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA).
The members of that committee subject the appointment to a number of tests around conflict of interest.
:: New Evening Standard editor Osborne criticised for remaining as MP
Ex-ministers are also supposed to submit their requests and then wait for the committee's guidance before accepting something and making it public.
Sky News has learnt that Mr Osborne did not await for approval from ACOBA and is therefore in breach of its guidelines - and more importantly of the ministerial code.
One former senior civil servant familiar with the process told Sky News that it is a clear case of "business appointment guidelines not being followed".
Another put it more punchily: "He's made a mockery of the whole process."
:: Former chancellor George Osborne has HOW many jobs?
The latter acknowledged why Mr Osborne had done it; the committee within Whitehall is notoriously slow in conducting its work and the news may have leaked.
Nevertheless, if procedure is not followed then "the whole process is pretty pointless".
Mr Osborne has some form on this. When his appointment to the Chairmanship of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership was announced, the committee ticked off the former Chancellor.
In its report on the subject, it said: "The Committee wrote to Mr Osborne and noted with concern that he sought advice on this appointment after the launch of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership.
"The Committee advised it is unable to offer retrospective advice on appointments that have already been announced."
Therefore it is possible that ACOBA does not offer advice on the Standard job.
Theoretically, it could veto Mr Osborne's appointment, although it has never done this for any appointment in its history.
Labour looks likely to call for an inquiry into the matter from the Cabinet Office when the House of Commons next meets on Monday.
Thus pressure may mount on Mr Osborne to explain himself.
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