Matt Dathan
The Independent
United Kingdom
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Past articles by Matt:
MPs will debate whether to ban Donald Trump from the UK for three hours
MPs will debate a motion on whether to ban Donald Trump from the UK for three hours on Monday, the House of Commons has confirmed. More than 570,000 people have signed a petition demanding a debate in Parliament, easily passing the 100,000 threshold for motions to be considered for discussion in the Commons. → Read More
John Bercow accused of covering up staff drinking problems in Parliament
John Bercow has been accused of covering up the scale of alcohol problems in the Houses of Parliament. The House of Commons Speaker used a controversial loophole in the Freedom of Information Act to withold information believed to raise concerns about the extent of drinking problems in Westminster's subsidised bars. Taxpayers subsidise the sale of alcohol in around a dozen bars on the… → Read More
Parliament refurbishment: Plan to house MPs in underground car park described as 'bonkers' due to 1979 IRA car bomb
A proposal to house MPs in an underground car park while the Palace of Westminster undergoes crucial repairs has caused outrage among MPs because it was the spot where Conservative MP Airey Neave was killed by an IRA car bomb. The Palace - riddled with asbestos, rodents and moths - is in desperate need of a refurbishment and earlier this year a Government-led report found it would cost more than… → Read More
British air strikes in Syria have helped allow Sunni states to 'ditch fight against Isis and focus bombing on Shiites in Yemen'
Britain’s decision to bomb Isis in Syria has helped to allow Saudi Arabia and other Sunni Gulf States to play less of a role in the fight against Isis, it has been claimed. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond confirmed to MPs on Wednesday that there had been a “decrease in air sorties by Arab allies” in Syria due to the “challenges” of the Yemen conflict and research by the House of Commons Library… → Read More
Donald Trump loses Supreme Court battle to block wind farms in view of his luxury Scottish golf resort
Donald Trump has lost his battle to block an offshore wind farm project near his luxury Scottish golf resort. The Republican presidential candidate had appealed a Scottish Government decision to build 11 wind turbines off the Aberdeenshire coast in 2013 but Mr Trump fought the decision all the way to the Supreme Court argued that the wind farm would spoil the view from the Menie Estate golf… → Read More
Tony Blair: My deal with Gaddafi stopped Isis getting its hands on chemical weapons
Tony Blair has said Isis would have acquired chemical weapons had he not stepped in to thaw the West's relations with Colonel Gaddafi. The former Prime Minister made a staunch defence of his 2004 'deal in the desert' with the Libyan dictator, where he offered the support of Western oil companies to help extract Libya's natural resources in exchange for giving up its weapons of mass destruction. → Read More
Boris Johnson: The only reason I wouldn't go to some parts of New York is the real risk of meeting Donald Trump
Boris Johnson has hit out at Donald Trump for his "ill-informed comments" calling for Muslims to be banned from the United States to ensure the country does not end up with "radicalised" no-go areas like London. → Read More
The charts that show George Osborne's hopes of becoming Tory leader are fading
George Osborne's hopes of succeeding David Cameron as the next Tory leader have been dashed, according to a new poll that shows → Read More
Boris Johnson attacks 'disgraceful' spending on Hinkley
Boris Johnson has attacked the £18bn cost of Britain’s first nuclear power station in two decades as “a disgrace” – just one month after David Cameron announced the deal and hailed it as a “flagship project of cooperation” between China and the UK. → Read More
John McDonnell pledges 'socialism with an iPad' in a Jeremy Corbyn-led Britain
A Jeremy Corbyn-led Britain would usher in “socialism with an iPad,” Labour’s Shadow Chancellor has pledged as he set out his vision to make Britain a leading power in technology alongside new safeguards for the army of online and self-employed workers. John McDonnell said he wants to see the UK economy more diversified and make sure it is not only the financial centre of Europe but its… → Read More
Jeremy Hunt an 'absolute disgrace' for refusing to face MPs' questions on junior doctors strike
Jeremy Hunt has been branded an "absolute disgrace" for failing to turn up to face urgent questions from MPs on the junior doctors strike. The Health Secretary was too busy preparing contingency plans for the upcoming industrial action, according to his deputy Alistair Burt. → Read More
Latest Tory attack on Jeremy Corbyn: Choosing the veggie option at a buffet was his 'toughest decision' before he became Labour leader
He has been described as a “threat to national security,” accused of being a “terrorist-sympathiser” and branded a “Britain-hating” leader of the Labour party. → Read More
Jeremy Corbyn ahead of David Cameron in latest leadership ratings
Voters are happier with Jeremy Corbyn's leadership than they are with David Cameron's recent record, the latest polling evidence reveals. → Read More
MPs snub 190,000-strong petition calling for no confidence vote in David Cameron
MPs have snubbed a 190,000-strong petition calling for a no confidence vote in David Cameron. → Read More
Government officials remove more than 6,000 names from petition calling for no confidence vote in David Cameron
Civil servants have been removing signatures from a petition calling for MPs to debate a no confidence vote in David Cameron. → Read More
David Cameron says he would bomb Isis in Syria without UN mandate
David Cameron has said he is willing to launch air strikes against Isis in Syria without the backing of the United Nation’s Security Council. He said a UN mandate was “always preferable” but insisted the UK could not "outsource to Russian veto the decisions that we need to keep our country safe". He said he was also prepared to defy public opinion to bomb targets in Syria. → Read More
David Cameron pleads with junior doctors to call off 'damaging strike'
David Cameron has pleaded with the doctors union to call off its “damaging strike” as he claimed the new contract offered to junior doctors would not make them worse off. The ballot of 30,000 junior doctors is set to vote convincingly in favour of holding three strikes next month, with the result expected to be announced on Thursday morning. Ministers fear the strike action could cripple the NHS… → Read More
PMQs live: David Cameron and Jeremy Corbyn set to clash over Syria air strikes
The terror attacks on Paris, the ongoing security operation in the French capital and the prospect of British air strikes in Syria are set to dominate Prime Minister's Questions. It comes as: → Read More
Jeremy Corbyn risks further Labour party splits by appointing Ken Livingstone as co-chair of Trident review
Jeremy Corbyn has risked causing further splits in the Labour party by appointing Ken Livingstone as co-chair of the party's policy review on Trident. The former Mayor of London is a strong opponent of renewing Britain's nuclear deterrent and shadow defence secretary Maria Eagle, who is in charge of Labour's defence review, was said to be "furious" at the decision after hearing about it on… → Read More
Bombing Isis in Syria would be 'futile and a dangerous empty gesture' without a ground force, says senior Tory
Attacking Isis from the air would be “pointless, futile and a dangerous empty gesture" without boots on the ground, a senior Tory MP has said after David Cameron indicated his intention to win a Parliamentary vote on Syrian intervention by Christmas. Julian Lewis, chairman of the Defence Select Committee, said trained and experienced military forces on the ground would be needed to make any air… → Read More