Photograph: Darren Staples/Reuters
I’m not writing my usual blog this week because I’m off for half term 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.
- Tony Blair will declare his mission to persuade the UK to stay in the EU today, calling for remain supporters to “rise up in defence of what we believe”.
- The Lib Dems have alerted the police after messages sent to some Muslim voters in Stoke-on-Trent suggested they could go to hell if they failed to vote Labour to keep out Ukip’s Paul Nuttall.
- A graphic Labour pamphlet warns voters in Copeland that a Tory victory in the by-election will “cost mums their children” in an open letter aimed at highlighting the risks of NHS cuts in the constituency.
- The chancellor, Philip Hammond, has been described as “economically illiterate” by the head of a group of economists lobbying for the UK to ditch tariffs and embrace free trade after Brexit.
- MPs from parties across the House of Commons, including Labour, the Conservatives, the SNP and Ukip, have signed an amendment backing the Speaker, John Bercow, to try to halt attempts by Tory backbenchers to remove him from office.
On Thursday nights local council byelections take place. There were seven last night. Britain Elects has the results.
Seven council by-elections tonight: three LDem, two Lab, one Con, one UKIP.
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) February 16, 2017
Results will be made available here: https://t.co/Q1lXVZh7PI x pic.twitter.com/uT5H6aKDwV
Liberal Democrat HOLD Burton (East Staffordshire).
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) February 16, 2017
Burton (East Staffordshire) result:
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) February 17, 2017
LDEM: 52.7% (+5.4)
LAB: 24.7% (-5.2)
UKIP: 11.7% (+11.7)
CON: 10.9% (-11.9)
Labour HOLD Failsworth East (Oldham).
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) February 16, 2017
Failsworth East (Oldham) result:
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) February 16, 2017
LAB: 58.4% (-7.3)
CON: 25.4% (+1.6)
UKIP: 11.7% (+11.7)
GRN: 3.5% (-4.3)
LDEM: 1.1% (-1.8)
Green GAIN Lydbrook & Ruardean (Forest of Dean) from UKIP.
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) February 16, 2017
Lydbrook & Ruardean (Forest of Dean) result:
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) February 16, 2017
GRN: 35.3% (+27.9)
CON: 24.3% (+6.2)
LAB: 22.7% (-2.0)
UKIP: 11.1% (-12.2)
LDEM: 6.6% (+6.6)
Labour HOLD St Thomas's (Dudley).
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) February 16, 2017
St Thomas's (Dudley) result:
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) February 16, 2017
LAB: 60.8% (+3.4)
UKIP: 26.7% (+4.2)
CON: 10.3% (-5.4)
GRN: 2.2% (-2.3)
Bollington First GAIN Bollington (East Cheshire) from Conservative.
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) February 16, 2017
Bollington (East Cheshire) result:
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) February 16, 2017
BFIR: 50.6% (+13.4)
CON: 17.2% (-13.4)
LAB: 12.9% (-8.6)
LDEM: 10.7% (-0.2)
GRN: 8.7% (+8.7)
As numbers appear deceiving, Bollington is a multi-member ward. Con won second placed seat in 2015.
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) February 16, 2017
Residents for Uttlesford GAIN Elsenham & Henham (Uttlesford) from Liberal Democrat (x2).
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) February 17, 2017
Elsenham & Henham:
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) February 17, 2017
RES 59.3% (+32.1)
LDEM 22.5% (-24.2)
CON 10.0% (-11.0)
UKIP 4.8% (+4.8)
LAB 2.8% (-2.3)
GRN 0.6% (+0.6)
Top vote method.
Tonight's by-election results:https://t.co/Q1lXVZh7PI pic.twitter.com/ooa3kYer46
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) February 17, 2017
