Ukip Leader Henry Bolton Refuses To Quit Despite Party Issuing Vote Of No Confidence

Ukip’s ruling body has issued a vote of no confidence in party leader Henry Bolton – but he is refusing to stand down.

The anti-EU party’s National Executive Committee met today to discuss the future of Bolton, who has generated more than a week of negative headlines about his private life and the conduct of his now ex-girlfriend Jo Marney.

At a meeting in Central London today which went on for more than two and half hours, Bolton was grilled over his conduct before a vote was held.

Party members will now have the final say over Bolton’s future at a special meeting within the next four weeks.

A statement issued by a party spokesman said: “Having heard a statement from Mr Bolton, the NEC asked a number of questions pertaining to that coverage. At the conclusion of that discussion, the committee took the decision to hold a vote of no confidence in the Leadership of Henry Bolton.

“The vote was carried unanimously with the exception of the Leader.

“This decision will automatically trigger an EGM [Extraordinary General Meeting] of the party, to allow the membership of UKIP the democratic opportunity to decide to endorse or reject that vote of no confidence. The party is required to hold such an EGM within 28 days of today’s date unless Henry Bolton resigns in the meantime.

“Members will be written to in the next ten days to give details of where and when the EGM will take place.”

MORE TO FOLLOW

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/ukip-henry-bolton-nec-quits_uk_5a64c91fe4b002283003c42c

What counts as losing your virginity when you’re gay?
Why is sex always so complicated?

www.queerty.com/counts-losing-virginity-youre-gay-20180121?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+queerty2+%28Queerty%29

White House Releases Hilarious Photos of Trump Wishing He Was Golfing During Govt Shutdown

The White House on Saturday released a set of photos to show Americans that Donald Trump is totally working during the government shutdown.

One image showed Trump on a phone in the Oval Office with an unhappy look on his face.

Another photo showed Trump walking purposefully from one area of the White House to another.

A third photo showed Trump standing before Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Marc Short, Hope Hicks, Jessica Ditto, Hogan Gidley, Dan Scavino, Raj Shah, Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump, Rob Porter, Mick Mulvaney and Lindsay Walters, in the West Wing communication offices.

The photos are being widely mocked on social media, particularly the photo of the desk with nothing on it, which was also noted by MSNBC’s Ali Velshi.

An emerging trend is that Trump and his staff have no idea how to stage photos to make it seem like he’s actually working. pic.twitter.com/kFHKvWdKLf

— Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) January 21, 2018

The White House released this to show how hard Trump’s working during the #TrumpShutdown. He might as well be holding a banana. pic.twitter.com/r4Bmvi0Doe

— shauna (@goldengateblond) January 21, 2018

Trump working is such a rare occurrence, the White House had to make it a news announcement pic.twitter.com/8aaOH4AITx

— Matthias Beier (@MatthiasBeier) January 21, 2018

I too conduct most of my most important work with a phone in my hand and nothing on my desk, while staring vacantly off into space t.co/XrYVv3YEae

— janu-erin (@morninggloria) January 20, 2018

The post White House Releases Hilarious Photos of Trump Wishing He Was Golfing During Govt Shutdown appeared first on Towleroad.

White House Releases Hilarious Photos of Trump Wishing He Was Golfing During Govt Shutdown

Liz Truss: No ‘Full Estimate’ Of Cost To Taxpayers From Carillion Collapse
Ministers do not have a “full estimate” of how much the collapse of construction services company Carillion will cost the taxpayer, Liz Truss has said.

The Chief Secretary to the Treasury said it would be “completely wrong” to speculate on the cost, but said it would be a “significant amount of money”.

Do we know how much the collapse of #Carillion will cost taxpayers? @Peston asks Chief Secretary to the Treasury @trussliz#Pestonpic.twitter.com/GtdYoSkio7— Peston on Sunday (@pestononsunday) January 21, 2018
“At the moment we don’t have a full estimate – we heard about the collapse last week, we’ve been working to make sure public services keep going, that’s of course our most important priority,” she told ITV’s Peston On Sunday.

“There’s a lot of investigatory work to do in terms of what the directors knew and when they knew it, but also making sure that we can move those contracts on, either to organisations within the public sector or to other private sector organisations.

“It’s right that that’s our priority – making sure things work – but of course we will be doing a sort of post review of understanding what the total costs are.”

Truss was later challenged on whether she was being “economical with the truth” about the cost of the collapse to taxpayers, and said: “There’s a difference between the cost that the administrator finds and what the impact will be on public spending and public services.

“What I’m talking about is the cost to the taxpayer which there will be but we don’t know until we find out exactly which bits will be run by other parts of the private sector, which bits will be run by the individual Government department where we can find savings and efficiencies which I am constantly looking for.”

She was also asked about comments by the head of the CBI, who said remaining in a customs union with Brussels is the best option for British business.

Truss said: “It’s very important that we don’t just listen to the big players, we also listen to those who want to enter the market, the new businesses starting up, the exciting new disruptors who might have different ideas about the way of doing things.

“The whole point about the customs union is if we remained in the customs union, we can’t run an independent trade policy, we can’t get the best possible deal on a trade deal with America or the Far East where a lot of those new opportunities are emerging from.”

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/carillion-collapse_uk_5a649720e4b002283003a349

Watch Time’s Up Women’s March In London
Thousands of women have taken to the streets in London to say “Time’s Up” on issues including sexual harassment and the gender pay gap, a day after huge crowds gathered for marches across the US.

The march, which began on Richmond Terrace, opposite Downing Street at 11am, is the latest in a series of rallies that have seen women in at least 34 countries protest this weekend.

The march marks the anniversary of the Women’s March movement which was sparked by the US Presidential election victory of Donald Trump and comes as organisers urge people to come together to say “Time’s Up” in honour of the #MeToo movement.

Women’s rights activist Helen Pankhurt, great granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst and journalist and author Reni Eddo-Lodge are to speak at the event along with MP Stella Creasy and Sophie Walker.

Around three thousand people registered their interest in the march on a  Facebook page for the event, while more than 8,000 said they were interested.

A statement from organisers reads:

One year on, we are coming together to say Time’s Up.

Time’s Up on gender based violence, sexual harassment and abuse. Time’s Up on the systematic and politically motivated underfunding of the services survivors depend on. Time’s Up on victimizing survivors and allowing abusers to avoid accountability. Time’s Up on the misogynistic abuse of women on social media. Time’s Up on the culture that tells men they are entitled to women’s bodies.

Time’s Up on bigotry and prejudice – scapegoating Refugees and Muslims. Time’s Up on racially motivated violence and harassment. Time’s Up on deportations, inhuman detention centres and human trafficking. Time’s Up on islamophobia, anti-semitism, transphobia, homophobia and ableism. Time’s Up on the under representation of marginalised groups in politics and in the media.

Time’s Up on the economic oppression of women. Time’s Up on the gender pay gap that sees women paid less than their male counterparts for the same job. Time’s Up on the cruel and ideological universal credit system which plunges millions into deeper poverty. Time’s Up on austerity, a policy which serves to worsen the country’s economy and disproportionately impacts women. Time’s Up on the needless deaths from benefit cuts and sanctions.

Time’s Up on controlling the bodies of either women or anyone who was assigned female at birth. Time’s Up on telling women what to wear. Time’s Up on Burka Bans and the phobia of Hijabs. Time’s Up on body shaming and fatphobia. Time’s Up on menstrual poverty and taboo. Time’s Up on the unequal provision of abortion services. Time’s Up on the policing of trans women’s bodies.

Time’s Up on the climate of profit over people. We want#Justice4Grenfell. Time’s Up on climate change denial and the destruction of the environment. #ClimateChangeIsReal.

We are coming together to pledge that we are going to make change in big and small ways. We will stand side by side, once again, in solidarity with our sisters, brothers and siblings around the world. Together we are strong and if we all work for a better world then time is really up for oppressors of women.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/times-up-womens-march_uk_5a64764de4b0dc592a09925a

Costa Rica: Peer Kusmagk teilt ein Babybild, das einen großen Streit auslöst

www.huffingtonpost.de/entry/peer-kusmagk-wollte-nur-ein-susses-babybild-teilen-dann-bricht-ein-streit-zwischen-seinen-fans-aus_de_5a645d0ce4b0dc592a098620

UK Weather: More Snow Expected After Coldest Night For Nearly Two Years
People across the country are braced for more snow after the UK froze on the coldest night in nearly two years.

Wintry conditions are to continue to grip large parts of the UK on Sunday, with snow forecast for areas from northern Scotland to the Home Counties.

Temperatures plummeted overnight, with a low of -13.5C (7.7F) recorded in the Highland village of Dalwhinnie, while freezing temperatures were recorded as far south as London Luton Airport.

A yellow severe weather warning for #snow and #ice has been updated: t.co/QwDLMfRBfs Stay #weatheraware@metofficeukpic.twitter.com/sKTW4gDkSq
The Met Office has updated a yellow “be aware” warning of snow and ice to cover much of Scotland, north Wales and England down to southern parts.

The warning, valid from 6am until 6pm, predicts snow on higher routes and says that rain may fall onto frozen surfaces for a time, particularly across Scotland, following a very cold night.

Icy patches are likely on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths – while some disruption could be seen to journeys by road, bus and train on affected routes.

Traffic Scotland urged drivers to check their routes before setting off and to ensure they were carrying emergency supplies in case they get stuck.

North Wales Police also warned of poor conditions on the roads due to snow and ice, particularly on routes in Snowdonia.

Meanwhile, the Mountain Road was closed on the Isle of Man due to snow.

#Snow is set to affect parts of the UK today and may cause some disruption. You can also keep up to date with our warnings on our app! Stay #weatherawarepic.twitter.com/E5RDBAFlFZ

January 21, 2018
In Northern Ireland, a yellow warning of ice is in force until 9am on Sunday, while a yellow warning of rain runs until 3pm.

Snowy conditions have seen crowds flock to Scottish ski resorts over the weekend.

On Friday in Glencoe, blizzard conditions hampered a rescue operation to save two ski tourers stranded without shelter at 3,000ft.

The pair were winched into a coastguard helicopter at first light on Saturday before being taken to hospital by ambulance.

Police warned skiers heading to resorts not to park on the verges after disruption on Saturday and warned that cars causing obstructions may be seized.

Skiers faced six-mile tailbacks as they flocked to the slopes at Glencoe Mountain Resort to take advantage of the snowy conditions.

Drivers abandoned their cars on the roads as they tried to reach the resorts where car parks were full and police said high volumes of traffic hampered the efforts of gritters.

Heading to @glencoemountain & @TheNevisRange today? Please do NOT park on verges/sides of roads & cause obstructions. Gritters & emergency vehicles require access at ALL times. Arrive early & use car parks. Cars causing obstructions may be seized. pic.twitter.com/8p1bMV6bPb— NorthernPolice (@northernPolice) January 21, 2018
Saturday night saw the coldest temperature recorded in the UK since 14 February 2016, when minus 14.1C (6.6F) was recorded at Braemar.

Despite the frigid temperatures in the far north, the mercury rose to 11C in the (52F) in the far south west of England.

Met Office forecaster Steven Keate said the near 20C (46F) difference, caused as warmer air moves in, was “pretty unusual for the UK”.

“The broad theme is it is turning milder from the west, but before we get there some snow will fall,” he said.

Good Morning, A wet, cloudy start for western and southwestern UK. Windy in far west. Cold, dry elsewhere. Rain then spreading eastwards bringing snow to northern high ground and temporarily to lower levels. Snow will turn increasingly to rain. t.co/jtrhUzUBdR ^Daniel pic.twitter.com/x2Go0ktYE8

January 21, 2018
On Friday, members of the public were urged to stay off the roads in some areas of Scotland, with weather warnings covering much of the country.

Dozens of schools around Scotland were closed while some shut early due to the weather.

On Tuesday night, more than 200 motorists were stranded overnight on the M74 as heavy snow and ice caused treacherous driving conditions.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/uk-weather-more-snow_uk_5a645d8ee4b0e5630070706d