Summary

  • EU referendum campaigning latest

  1. Reaction to Facebook tax announcementpublished at 13:14 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2016

    Differing reactions from the government and opposition to the Facebook tax changes that the BBC is reporting. 

    Downing Street says: “We are committed to making sure multinationals pay their fair share of tax in the UK. That is why we have taken a wide range of action on this.”

    Labour responds, external: "From what we can see this means little or no real substantive change at this time. This government must wake up to the scale of the corporate tax abuse scandal in the UK. The truth is that the chancellor has allowed a situation where some companies feel they can pay what they want when they want."

  2. How much do UK farmers get from the European Union?published at 13:03

    By Anthony Reuben

    Reality Check

    Stephen Bush from the New Statesman

    There was a bit of a howler on the Daily Politics today, when Stephen Bush from the New Statesman said: "The Common Agricultural Policy puts £200bn into the agriculture sector over the course of the next parliament."

    After a hard stare from presenter Andrew Neil, he corrected himself to £20bn, a figure he had given earlier.

    Is his corrected figure right? If you look at table 3f on page 18 of this government publication, external, you will see figures for EAGF and EAFRD (that's money paid directly to farmers and money received for rural development), which over the five years of the parliament are forecast to add up to £15.9bn.

  3. 'Project Fear' hurts us all - SNP MPpublished at 12:53

    The Daily Politics

    The SNP's Stephen Gethins

    The SNP's foreign affairs spokesman Stephen Gethins says his party leader Nicola Sturgeon is one of the few people so far to have made an upbeat case for the economic, environmental and social benefits of EU membership and urges others on his side of the argument need to follow suit. 

    Quote Message

    I think that both sides have to learn the lessons that the Project Fear that was run during the (Scottish) independence referendum did nobody any favours. That is something we all need to take on board."

  4. Trump's 'tiny' fingers - and gold penspublished at 12:47 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2016

    Donald Trump says his hands aren't small - and neither is his penis.

    Read More
  5. Liam Fox: Negative campaigning 'must be credible'published at 12:43

    The Daily Politics

    Liam Fox speaking in Edinburgh earlier on Friday

    Liam Fox rejects suggestions that the Remain in EU campaign are only using tactics which unionists like him deployed during the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. The Tory MP says he and others made a positive case for the union during that campaign, stressing the deep social, cultural, human and economic links between Scotland and the rest of the UK - which he contrasts with the UK's relationship with the "political entity" that is the EU. While he accepts that negative campaigning has been successful in the past, he insists that it has to be credible - claiming that Thursday's warning about the end of French border controls was taken from a very old press release. 

    Quote Message

    I hope the Remain side will want to put the case for Project Europe, ie - a supranational project which diminishes the ability of nation states to maintain their identities."

  6. Boris Johnson: UK like a 'frog in boiling water' inside EUpublished at 12:29

    Boris Johnson

    Mayor of London Boris Johnson has said that if the UK votes to stay in the EU in June it would be like "the frog in the boiling saucepan of water".

    In an interview with the Evening Standard, external, the Tory MP - who backs EU exit - argued that if the UK was prepared to remain when the change on offer was so small, it would never again be able to push for more fundamental reform. 

    Quote Message

    We will never be able credibly to argue for any reform in Europe again...We will be signed up to this thing lock, stock and barrel — hook, line and sinker"

  7. Conservative MEP pokes fun at pro-EU argumentspublished at 12:22

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  8. MP urges other firms to follow Facebook tax leadpublished at 12:18

    The Labour MP who chairs the Commons Public Accounts Committee has urged other multinationals to restructure their tax arrangements after Facebook agreed in principle to changes which will result in it paying millions more in tax to the UK Treasury. Meg Hillier says it is up to companies to "get rid of" schemes and loopholes which minimise their tax contribution rather than waiting to be forced to do so by the authorities. 

    Quote Message

    If Facebook are changing their tax arrangements it shows that any large corporation, including Google, has the choice to do the same thing. Facebook have chosen of their own volition to change their tax arrangements. That shows that it’s possible for any company to do that. To have companies appearing in front of our committee bleating that it’s not their fault and it’s just the international tax laws, really it’s not the case.

  9. Cameron aiming for opposition...(in Scotland)published at 12:12

    Channel 4 political correspondent tweets...

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  10. Late MP's widow 'incredibly proud' at selectionpublished at 12:11

    Labour election candidate tweets...

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  11. More on UKIP's reshufflepublished at 11:56 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2016

    Ex-welfare spokeswoman tweets...

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  12. Political chat from noonpublished at 11:55 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2016

    The Daily Politics

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    Andrew Neil is joined by Stephen Bush of the New Statesman and Carole Malone from the Sunday Mirror as his guests of the day on Friday's Daily Politics.And they will talk to Conservative Liam Fox and the SNP's Stephen Gethins about whether Scotland would be better off in or our of the EU.

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    And talking about the referendum, reporter Giles Dilnot offers voters the unscientific choice of trusting Boris Johnson or George Osborne, You can watch the programme on the Live Coverage tab above.  

  13. Leaders discuss Syria truce in 50-minute callpublished at 11:53 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2016

    Residents of Jobar, on the outskirts of Damascus, display an opposition flagImage source, AFP

    Details have emerged of David Cameron's phone call earlier with Angela Merkel, Francois Hollande, Vladimir Putin and Matteo Renzi about Syria. 

    Downing Street said the main point the European leaders made during the 50-minute conversation was to welcome the fact that the fragile truce appears to be holding.

    The PM's spokesman said there was a sense from everybody on the call that this was an opportunity to create momentum behind the peace talks scheduled for next week.

    The Russian President, he said, made it clear he wanted to ensure compliance with the cessation of hostilities while Mr Cameron made the point that there was a common interest in defeating Daesh. 

    The PM was very clear about the need for the truce to hold and to be properly respected by all sides, and underlined the need for a transition away from President Assad towards an inclusive, representative government.

    There was a very clear message from European leaders of the need to make sure civilians are not being targeted. They also spoke about the need to allow humanitarian aid to reach besieged towns.

  14. Suzanne Evans loses UKIP welfare briefpublished at 11:48 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2016

    Sun political correspondent tweets...

    Suzanne Evans has confirmed she has lost her role as UKIP's welfare spokeswoman. Ms Evans, who helped put together the party's last election manifesto and was talked of briefly as a successor to Nigel Farage, was recently removed as the party's deputy chairwoman.

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  15. PM: Tories 'only party of defence'published at 11:44 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2016

    David Cameron speaking to Scottish activists

    David Cameron turns his attack on Scottish Labour's plan to raise income tax, which includes a payment scheme for people earning under £20,000. 

    It is "classic Labour - dock people's pay, hand some of it back to them and ask them to thank you for it", he says.

    He goes on to say the Conservatives are "the only party of defence", arguing that the SNP want to scrap the Trident nuclear missile system, as does Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

    Opposition to Trident puts defence jobs and national security at risk, the PM says, arguing that he "cannot turn a blind eye to this appalling policy". 

  16. Cameron warns of EU exit impact on food exportspublished at 11:36 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2016

    Turning to the EU referendum, David Cameron warns that a vote to leave could lead to trade tariffs of 13% on Scottish salmon, 40% on lamb - and up to 70% on "some beef products". He says those advocating EU exit "need to look farmers in the eye" and explain what it will mean in practice. 

  17. Conservatives 'the only party of the union'published at 11:32 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2016

    David Cameron

    David Cameron is speaking at the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party conference in Edinburgh. He pays tribute to the Scottish Tory team, including leader Ruth Davidson, who he describes as "a Sturgeon-slaying, Dugdale-defying, absolute star". The Conservatives are "the only party of the union" representing people who voted No in the independence referendum, he says.

  18. Pic: Scottish activists wait for Cameron speechpublished at 11:26 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2016

    Members of the Scottish Conservatives await the prime minister's arrival to give a speech
    Image caption,

    Members of the Scottish Conservatives await the prime minister's arrival to give a speech in Edinburgh

  19. Tory and Labour grandees share EU platformpublished at 11:26 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2016

    Conservative MP tweets...

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  20. Pic: Cameron arrives at Scottish Conservative conferencepublished at 11:16 Greenwich Mean Time 4 March 2016

    PM greeted by Ruth Davidson

    David Cameron and Ruth Davidson