Boris Johnson news: Labour vows no confidence vote in government as Downing Street says no way Brexit can be stopped
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Your support makes all the difference.Boris Johnson has defended his NHS funding as “new money” on visit to Lincolnshire after health experts dismissed the £1.8bn cash injection as a “drop in the ocean”.
It comes as No 10 is reportedly preparing a “people versus politicians” general election campaign after pushing the UK out of the EU without a deal in the autumn.
Health minister Matt Hancock has claimed a no-deal Brexit cannot be stopped by MPs in parliament before 31 October, leading Jeremy Corbyn to state he would call for a no confidence motion in the government in the autumn.
Potentially good news from Heathrow Airport, where it has been announced that tomorrow's strike by thousands of workers has been suspended while they vote on a new pay offer.
Some flights have already been cancelled but passengers are urged to contact their airline for up-to-date information.
A Heathrow spokesman said: "Unite will now take an improved offer to its members and we remain hopeful that we can find a resolution and stop this disruptive and unnecessary threat of strike action.
"We regret that passengers have been inconvenienced by this and urge them to contact their airline for up-to-date information on the status of their service."
Further strikes are planned for Friday 23 August and Saturday 24 August, unless the dispute is resolved.
A new poll has found that 56 per cent of people in the UK don’t think the NHS will receive enough funding under Boris Johnson, following the announcement that he will give it a £1.8bn cash boost.
Conservative voters are obviously more confident.
The same survey, which was completed by 3993 adults earlier today, also found that 72 per cent agree with the home secretary Priti Patel, in that they want criminals "to feel terror at the thought of committing offences".
And more bizarrely still, 11 per cent of people would feel flattered if they were famous and "met a fan who had a tattoo of your face".
Around 4,500 staff at Tesco are set to lose their jobs in the latest round of redundancies at the UK's biggest supermarket.
The company said the majority of workers will go from its Metro stores. It comes months after Tesco announced it was slimming down the business by cutting 9,000 workers.
Jason Tarry, Tesco UK and Ireland chief executive, said: "In a challenging, evolving retail environment, with increasing cost pressures, we have to continue to review the way we run our stores to ensure we reflect the way our customers are shopping and do so in the most efficient way."
In other business news, British clothing brand Jack Wills has been sold to Mike Ashley's Sports Direct, after being put into administration.
Following Matt Hancock's claims that parliament can no longer stop a no-deal Brexit, Liberal Democrat MP Chuka Umunna says he is confident backbenchers could seize control of the business of the House and force the government to seek an extension of Article 50, even if it is not possible to hold a general election before 31 October.
More details on Britain (in the form of two Royal Navy warships) joining the US in a naval mission to protect international shipping in the Gulf.
Government officials are claiming that the mission will not remain under American control and will eventually transition to one with European command. However so far no other European power has joined the initiative and some Western states, including France and Germany, have expressed unwillingness to join a task force led by the Americans.
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab, distancing himself from the US's more hostile stance on Iran, said: “Our approach to Iran hasn’t changed. We remain committed to working with Iran and our international partners to de-escalate the situation and maintain the nuclear deal.”
A former government adviser on transport has been fined £500 for taking part in the Extinction Rebellion protests in central London.
Dr Steven Melia, 57, wept in court as he told a court that his actions last April were a justified response to a "catastrophic" climate emergency.
He was found guilty of two counts of failing to comply with a condition to disperse protesters.
Judge Richard Blake, sitting at Westminster Magistrates' Court, told him: "I'm satisfied that there was an opportunity for freedom of expression without the commission of these offences."
Dr Melia is a senior lecturer at the University of the West of England in Bristol who has previously advised the UK Government on eco-towns.
Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland's first minister, has revealed her differing experiences in dealing with Theresa May and Boris Johnson.
Speaking an an Edinburgh Fringe Festival event, said: "I don't want to be too derogatory or pejorative about Theresa May, she's obviously no longer prime minister, but having conversations with Theresa May was pretty soul destroying.
"She would never depart from a script, no matter where you tried to take the conversation.
"I remember in one meeting, going in and trying to think about how can we get this meeting off on a sort of gentler start before we immediately got into the areas where we disagreed.
"And she had, as she often did, a fantastic pair of shoes, a really stylish pair of shoes. And I quite like shoes, so I started the meeting off by saying, 'before we get onto Brexit, fantastic shoes', and in that instant I could see in her eyes, that she didn't have an answer in the script before her for this.
"So it became, what should have been a light-hearted moment, really quite awkward.
"So talking to Boris, at least it was like having a conversation, albeit a bit of a crazy one.
"And you could debate and share views and disagree on things, more than agree, so I'll say that for him. It's a different experience."
That's it for today's politics liveblog. Come back tomorrow for more on the seemingly Neverending Story of Brexit.
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