I’m not writing my usual blog today but here, as an alternative, is the Politics Live readers’ edition. It is a place for you to discuss today’s politics, and to share links to breaking news and to the most interesting stories and blogs on the web.
Feel free to express your views robustly, but please treat others with respect and don’t resort to abuse. Guardian comment pages are supposed to be a haven from the Twitter/social media rant-orama, not an extension of it.
You can read all today’s Guardian politics stories here.
And here are some of the main ones on our site this morning.
- Theresa May said on Thursday she will delay legislating to implement a controversial national insurance rise for self-employed workers until the autumn, after a public rebellion by senior Conservatives, including a government minister.
- Theresa May should think back to Margaret Thatcher’s fight for a UK rebate from Brussels as she battles a multibillion pound Brexit divorce bill from the EU, Boris Johnson has suggested.
- British citizens should be able to keep various benefits of EU membership including freedom of movement after Brexit, the European parliament’s chief negotiator has said.
- Labour has urged the Conservatives to carry out a gender audit of its tax and spending policies, as the shadow equalities minister, Sarah Champion, published analysis showing that 86% of the burden of austerity since 2010 has fallen on women.
- The Palace of Westminster is at risk of “catastrophic failure” unless ministers bring forward a renovation programme as a matter of urgency, an influential committee of MPs has found.
On Thursday nights local council byelections take place. There were seven last night and six have counted Britain Elects has the results.
A couple of council by-elections tonight: one UKIP, two Labour, four Conservative. https://t.co/Q1lXVZh7PI pic.twitter.com/BSkFxTk1fc
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) March 9, 2017
Conservative HOLD Exton (Rutland).
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) March 9, 2017
Exton (Rutland) result:
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) March 9, 2017
CON: 59.5% (+6.5)
LDEM: 30.8% (+11.6)
UKIP: 9.8% (-5.0)
No Ind as previous.
Liberal Democrat GAIN Hailey, Minster Lovell & Leafield (West Oxfordshire) from Conservative.
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) March 9, 2017
Hailey, Minster Lovell & Leafield (W. Oxfordshire):
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) March 9, 2017
LD: 46.7% (+34.0)
CON: 41.5% (+3.8)
LAB: 5.8% (-4.5)
GRN: 3.1% (-2.8)
UKIP: 2.9% (+2.9)
Conservative GAIN Waltham Cross (Broxbourne) from Labour.
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) March 9, 2017
Waltham Cross (Broxbourne) result:
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) March 9, 2017
CON: 41.0% (-3.5)
LAB: 40.8% (-14.8)
UKIP: 12.6% (+12.6)
LDEM: 5.6% (+5.6)
Conservative HOLD Hertford Castle (East Hertfordshire).
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) March 9, 2017
Hertford Castle (East Hertfordshire) result:
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) March 9, 2017
CON: 49.0% (+8.2)
LAB: 17.1% (-2.9)
LDEM: 15.5% (+15.5)
GRN: 13.0% (-4.7)
UKIP: 5.4% (+5.4)
Conservative HOLD Red Horse (Stratford on Avon).
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) March 9, 2017
Red Horse (Stratford on Avon) result:
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) March 9, 2017
CON: 53.4% (-9.0)
LDEM: 29.8% (+20.3)
UKIP: 10.3% (-4.8)
GRN: 6.5% (+6.5)
No Labour as previous.
Conservative GAIN Derwent (Derby) from UKIP.
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) March 9, 2017
Derwent (Derby) result:
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) March 9, 2017
CON: 37.1% (+28.1)
LAB: 28.7% (-2.4)
UKIP: 25.2% (-7.2)
LDEM: 9.0% (-15.4)
Tonight's results: one Con gain from Lab, one Con gain from UKIP, one LDem gain from Con, two Con holds. https://t.co/Q1lXVZh7PI pic.twitter.com/LNNipm8SFb
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) March 10, 2017
Updated
