Ian Paisley, North Antrim MP since 2010, could face a by-election if after a recall petition was started. If 10% of voters in the constituency activate his recall it would lead to a by-election which could cost Mr Paisley his seat in Parliament. The DUP MP was suspended from his duties in July due to his failure to declare two holidays for himself and his family which were paid for by the Sri Lankan government. This recall power has been possible since the 2015 Recall of MP’s Act and is the first time that such a petition has been invoked.
The US has decided to impose sanctions on Russia for the poisoning of the Skipral’s in London nearly five months ago. The US State Department announced these round of sanctions stating that they are an intended punishment for Russia’s action on UK soil in March. It is unclear as to the reason for the timing of these sanctions, but it comes in the wake of growing speculation about Trump’s ties to Russia since the Helsinki Summit and the ongoing trial of Paul Manafort.
Northamptonshire county council have voted on massive cuts to services in the region. Unprecedented jobs and services cuts are expected to be announced later today due to a £70 million budget shortfall. The conservative leader of the council, Matt Golby stated that balancing the counties books would require ‘some very difficult decisions’ that are going to lead to significant redundancies and a drop in services. This comes after a hike in Northamptonshire’s council tax at the end of 2017 to arrest the budget deficit.
And in other news,
The Oscars are set to introduce a new award for ‘popular’ film. The new category was announced by the academy, but it is unclear as to whether it would feature in the next awards or if it will be introduced in 2020. It is designed to recognise those films which are popular with the public but not necessarily critically acclaimed for their artistic value.
From the Speakerpolitics news desk, you are up to date.
