Nick discusses his visit to Buenos Aries as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for LGBT+ Rights.
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Nick sets out the College of Policing’s new vision to improve leadership, standards, and professionalism in policing..
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Nick’s interview on Radio 4’s The World at One about College of Policing’s plans for a National Leadership Centre for the service.
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Nick’s choice of favourite painting, Velazquez’ Christ Crucified, is featured in Country Life magazine this week. Here he writes about this work, why he chose it and some of the other paintings which he loves.
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Today Britain was meant to leave the EU. But the House of Commons has just rejected the Withdrawal Agreement for a third time. I deeply regret this as I continue to believe that we should honour the referendum result by leaving the EU with a deal.
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I have now voted twice for the Prime Minister’s Brexit deal and I was extremely disappointed when it was once again voted down this week. I still believe that the referendum result must be honoured and that the right way to leave the EU is with a pragmatic deal.
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It wasn’t hard to be riled by President Macron’s portentous letter to the citizens of Europe this week. I choked no sooner than reaching his second sentence, which asserted that June’s elections for the European Parliament would be “decisive for the future of our continent”.
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In today’s Daily Telegraph I’ve co-signed a letter with 20 fellow MPs in support of Conservatives for Reform in Europe, the new campaign which I chair. They include former ministers, senior MPs and a number who are known to be particularly sceptical about the EU, for instance rebelling against the Government in the last Parliament to demand a referendum.
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Last week the World Health Organisation published its latest estimates of the TB epidemic. The good news is that the global campaign against HIV has led to a remarkable fall in deaths from AIDS. The bad news is that TB now claims the unwanted title of being the world’s biggest infectious killer.
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The Liberal Democrat Peer Lord Taylor of Goss Moor has authored a pamphlet published today by Policy Exchange, 'Garden Villages: Empowering localism to solve the housing crisis'. What a pity that Lord Taylor fails to mention in his pamphlet that he is a director of Mayfield Market Towns Limited, a developer which has been trying to build a "new market town" of up to 10,000 houses in open countryside in my West Sussex constituency.
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Together with a number of senior Conservative MPs I have tabled three amendments to the Infrastructure Bill, which has its Report Stage today (Monday 26 January).
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Today's Sunday Times splash that "David Cameron plans to slash EU migration by imposing an annual cap on the number of national insurance numbers given to low-skilled immigrants from Europe" is the latest in a series of briefings which suggest that the Prime Minister is set to announce a big new policy position on EU migration.
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The Prime Minister's statement, in response to Scotland's 'no' vote, that 'a new and fair settlement for Scotland should be accompanied by a new and fair settlement that applies to all parts of our United Kingdom' is welcome and right. Now we have to work out what devolution in England will look like.
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We weren't meant to go. I mean, no-one actually said 'please don't', but the vibe was unmistakeable. Please go to Clacton where there'll be a by-election. Have a great recess and maybe even see you at the Party Conference. But don't go to Scotland.
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Boris Johnson has today launched a really interesting initiative: a compulsory sobriety trial in South London which aims to reduce alcohol-related reoffending. People committing alcohol-related offences will be required to remain sober for a period of up to four months, enforced with electronically monitored tags that can detect if they have been drinking.
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The Government’s announcement today that fracking will not take place in National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty save ‘in exceptional circumstances and where it can be demonstrated they are in the public interest’ is a welcome and sensible move. That will be a relief to the residents of Wisborough Green and Kirdford in my constituency, two villages in beautiful countryside close to the South Downs National Park which have faced the prospect of drilling.
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The BBC's Political Editor Nick Robinson had an interesting report this morning that the Conservatives are planning - should we form the next government - to pass a Bill to allow Parliament to override a decision of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), although Britain would aim to remain a member of the Council of Europe and a party to the European Convention on Human Rights.
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Overshadowed in the ephemeral excitement of the reshuffle, a change at least as significant. It's been announced today that Sir Bob Kerslake is to step down as Head of the Civil Service, to be replaced by a Chief Executive "at the centre of government". The new CEO will "lead the next phase of work on Civil Service transformation and the Government’s efficiency and reform agenda".
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This week Theresa May became the longest serving Home Secretary since 'RAB' Butler held the post over half a century ago. The BBC's Home Affairs Correspondent Danny Shaw interviewed me and others about this remarkable achievement, and his piece was broadcast by Radio 4's Today programme yesterday morning. You can listen to it here.
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The Government has just published some welcome changes to planning guidance which address a number of the concerns which I and other MPs have been putting to ministers about how reforms were being implemented. The Telegraph reports some of the changes this morning, but here is a more detailed take.
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