Vince Cable I can lead Lib Dems back to power

Sir Vince Cable has said he can lead the Liberal Democrats back to power by offering a mix of "hope and realism".

In his first conference speech as leader, he said he was "impatient for success" and had the vision and "grown-up" approach to "fill a huge gap in the centre of British politics".

He called for higher taxes on foreign property speculators and second home owners to help tackle inequality.

And he claimed Brexit would be an act of "masochism", leaving the UK poorer.

He said his party must not be solely defined by their opposition to Brexit - but he repeated his call for the public to have the final say on whether the UK actually leaves or not through a further referendum.

But the party - which increased its MPs from eight to 12 in June, but saw its vote share go down - had paid a "very high political price".

On tuition fees, he said levels of student debt were a source of "real concern" and the party was ready to consider all options to improve the current system, including a graduate tax, in a wide-ranging review.

Barriers to young people getting on the housing ladder must be removed, he said, with councils being able to borrow to build affordable homes and private sector investment in new garden cities.

Calling for a bigger programme of investment in the railways, broadband and other infrastructure, to be funded by government borrowing, he said his party would be both pro-enterprise and pro-worker, prepared to stand up to tech giants over corporate tax avoidance.

It was becoming ever clearer that the UK's exit from the EU was a "looming disaster" which could leave the UK poorer and weaker, he told party activists.

"And that pain will mainly be felt by young people who overwhelmingly voted to Remain."

"We have to put aside tribal differences and work alongside like-minded people to keep the single market and customs union, essential for trade and jobs."

Questions

What did Vince Cable say about Brexit?

How many seats do the liberal democrats have in the House of Commons?

What did he say about tuition fees and young people getting on the housing ladder?

What does he mean when he says the liberal democrats will be “pro enterprise and pro worker?

Trump US would destroy North Korea if forced to defend itself

US President Donald Trump has told the UN General Assembly that America would destroy North Korea if forced to defend itself or its allies.

In his debut speech, he mocked North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un, saying: "Rocket man is on a suicide mission."

North Korea has tested nuclear bombs and missiles in defiance of the UN.

Just before Mr Trump spoke, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres had urged statesmanship, saying: "We must not sleepwalk our way into war."

The American leader also attacked Iran, saying it was a "corrupt dictatorship" intent on destabilising the Middle East.

He called on the government in Tehran to cease supporting terrorism and again criticised the Obama-era international agreement over Iran's nuclear programme, which he called an embarrassment.

In his own debut speech, French President Emmanuel Macron strongly defended the Paris climate accord, signed in the same room in New York two years ago and rejected in June by Mr Trump, to widespread international dismay.

The General Assembly, which continues until Monday, is an annual event, bringing together leaders of the UN's 193 member states.

In other parts of Mr Trump's speech he:

said the US could "no longer be taken advantage of or enter one-sided deals"

said the crisis in Venezuela, which is led by a leftwing government hostile to the US, was "unacceptable" and America could not "stand by and watch"

denounced socialism as an ideology, saying it had only brought "anguish and devastation and failure"

condemned "uncontrolled migration" but insisted America was a "compassionate nation" which had spent billions of dollars on helping refugees return to their home countries

Washington has repeatedly warned North Korea over its weapons tests, which violate UN Security Council resolutions.

The crisis worsened last month when the North announced plans to test missiles around the US Pacific territory of Guam.

Kim Jong-un watched a recent missile test in person

Brexit - EU repeal bill wins first Commons vote

You have ten minutes - read the article and complete the questions below

The government's bid to extract the UK from EU law in time for Brexit has passed its first parliamentary test. 

MPs backed the EU Withdrawal Bill by 326 votes to 290 despite critics warning that it represented a "power grab" by ministers.   

The bill, which will end the supremacy of EU law in the UK, now moves onto its next parliamentary stage.

Ministers sought to reassure MPs by considering calls for safeguards over their use of new powers.

Prime Minister Theresa May welcomed the Commons vote in the early hours of Tuesday morning, saying the bill offered "certainty and clarity" - but Labour described it as an "affront to parliamentary democracy".

Having cleared the second reading stage, the bill will now face more attempts to change it with Conservative MPs believed to have tabled new amendments.

Previously referred to as the Great Repeal Bill, the EU Withdrawal Bill overturns the 1972 European Communities Act which took the UK into the then European Economic Community.

It will also convert all existing EU laws into UK law, to ensure there are no gaps in legislation on Brexit day.

Critics' concerns centre on ministers giving themselves the power to make changes to laws during this process without consulting MPs.

The government says it needs to be able to make minor technical changes to ensure a smooth transition, but fears were raised that ministers were getting sweeping powers to avoid parliamentary scrutiny.

The bill will now receive line-by-line scrutiny in its committee stage.

The Bill's committee stage will take place when MPs return to parliament after their party conferences.

Questions

1. What was the figures for the vote?
2. How many votes did the government win by?
3. What did the Prime Minister say the bill offered?
4. What did Labour say about the bill?
5. What was the bill known as previously?
6. What is the correct name for the bill?
7. What will the bill overturn?
8. What will it do?
9. Why has the bill been criticised?
10. What will happen in the Committee stage?
11. When will this take place?

Government defeated by Lords over Brexit Bill

Government defeated by Lords over Brexit Bill

You have 15 Minutes

Read the article and answer the questions below

The government has been defeated after the House of Lords said ministers should guarantee EU nationals' right to stay in the UK after Brexit.

The vote, by 358 to 256, is the first Parliamentary defeat for the government's Brexit bill.

However, MPs will be able to remove their changes when the bill returns to the House of Commons.

Ministers say the issue is a priority but must be part of a deal protecting UK expats overseas.

The bill will give Theresa May the authority to trigger Brexit under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty and begin official negotiations.

The amendment backed by the Lords requires the government to introduce proposals within three months of Article 50 to ensure EU citizens in the UK have the same residence rights after Brexit.

But it could be overturned when MPs, who have already backed the Brexit bill without amendments, vote on it again.

"The bill has a straightforward purpose - to enact the referendum result and allow the government to get on with the negotiations."

The government said its position had "repeatedly been made clear", saying it wanted to guarantee the rights of EU citizens and British nationals "as early as we can".

Ahead of the vote, the government made a last-minute attempt to persuade peers not to change the draft legislation.

Brexit Minister Lord Bridges said the government had been keen to reach an agreement with other EU nations on the issue.

However, he said, "a small number of our European counterparts" insisted there could be no discussions until the formal Brexit talks begin once Article 50 had been invoked.

But most peers wanted a unilateral move from the UK government.

Labour's shadow Brexit minister Lady Hayter said the concerns of EU nationals here and British expats living in Europe shouldn't be "traded against each other".

She added: "These people need to know now - not in two years' time or even 12 months' time. They simply can't put their lives on hold."

Seven Conservative peers voted in favour of the amendment, which was proposed by Labour with the support of the Liberal Democrats.

Among those opposing it during the sometimes heated exchanges was former Conservative cabinet minister Lord Tebbit, who said the debate seemed to focus on "nothing but the rights of foreigners".

Shortly after the Lords vote, MEPs in the European Parliament debated the status of EU migrants in the UK.

Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova told MEPs that EU citizens in UK and British citizens elsewhere in the EU "deserve to know that their rights will be" after Brexit.

She said the matter should be addressed "as soon as possible" but that negotiations could only begin after the UK has triggered Article 50.

Questions

Why has the Lords voted against the Brexit bill?

What was the number of peers who voted in the debate?

What was the result?

Why have ministers been reluctant to clarify the rights the rights of EU nationals living in the UK?

What will the bill allow Theresa May to do?

What has Lady Hayter said about the rights of EU nationals?

Which party proposed the amendment?

What was Lord Tebitt’s position on the bill and what did he say?

Using the bar chart above, how many Polish, Italian and Bulgarian EU nationals live in the UK?