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.
- The government is set to offer around 1 million NHS staff a 6.5% pay rise over the next three years but is insisting that health workers give up a day’s holiday in return for the £3.3bn deal.
- The boss of the port of Calais has said there could be tailbacks up to 30 miles in all directions and potential food shortages in Britain if a Brexit deal involves mandatory customs and sanitary checks at the French ferry terminal.
- Ministers have rejected calls for a “latte levy” on takeaway coffee cups to reduce the amount of waste they create.
- More than £400m of the £1bn the Democratic Unionist party extracted from the Conservatives to prop up Theresa May’s government has been added to a new budget for Northern Ireland.
- Labour has suspended several party members who posted in a closed Facebook group which featured a number of antisemitic messages.
On Thursdays local council byelections take place. There were eight yesterday. Britain Elects has the results.
Labour won four seats (two holds, two gains from the Conservatives).
Independents won three seats (two gains from Conservatives, one from Labour).
And the Lib Dems won one (a gain from the Conservatives).
That means the Conservatives lost five seats.
Eight councils by-elections tonight, previewed by @andrewteale https://t.co/YnT8E0pJZP
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) March 8, 2018
Little Parndon & Hare Street (Harlow) result:
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) March 8, 2018
LAB: 62.2% (+7.9)
CON: 31.4% (+5.2)
UKIP: 6.4% (-13.1)
Labour HOLD.
Liberal Democrat GAIN Northchurch (Dacorum) from Conservative.
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) March 8, 2018
Northchurch (Dacorum) result:
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) March 8, 2018
LDEM: 59.2% (+40.4)
CON: 28.2% (-32.1)
LAB: 10.5% (-1.7)
GRN: 2.1% (-6.6)
LDem GAIN from Con.
Petersfield Bell Hill (East Hampshire) result:
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) March 8, 2018
IND: 32.7% (+32.7)
LDEM: 28.3% (+14.3)
CON: 26.7% (-20.8)
LAB: 10.3% (-4.9)
UKIP: 2.0% (-10.1)
Independent GAIN from Conservative.
Droylsden East (Tameside) result:
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) March 8, 2018
LAB: 61.5% (+7.4) HOLD
CON: 30.5% (+30.5)
GRN: 6.1% (-1.5)
LDEM: 1.9% (+1.9)
No UKIP (-32.5) and Ind (-5.7) as prev.
Chgs. w/ 2015
Labour GAIN Rochester West (Medway) from Conservative.
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) March 8, 2018
Rochester West (Medway) result:
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) March 8, 2018
LAB: 47.5% (+26.5)
CON: 39.5% (-4.0)
LDEM: 4.7% (+1.0)
GRN: 4.2% (-6.1)
UKIP: 4.1% (-16.2)
Labour GAIN from Conservative.
Oakham South East (Rutland) result:
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) March 8, 2018
IND: 59.5% (+59.5)
CON: 40.5% (+5.1)
Independent GAIN from Conservative.
No other Ind(s) (-35.6) and LDem (-29.1) as prev.
Farnworth & Kearsley First GAIN Farnworth (Bolton) from Labour.
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) March 8, 2018
Farnworth (Bolton) result:
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) March 9, 2018
FAKF: 47.5% (+47.5)
LAB: 38.2% (-10.2)
UKIP: 6.7% (-29.7)
CON: 6.0% (-2.6)
LDEM: 0.9% (-2.1)
GRN: 0.7% (-2.8)
Labour GAIN Wollaton West (Nottingham) from Conservative.
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) March 9, 2018
Wollaton West (Nottingham) result:
— Britain Elects (@britainelects) March 9, 2018
LAB: 48.8% (+10.1)
CON: 43.4% (+8.2)
LDEM: 5.3% (-1.8)
GRN: 1.6% (-8.1)
BPEP: 0.9% (+0.9)
Labour GAIN from Conservative.
