thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-03--Boris Johnson Prefers No Trade Deal Brexit To Meeting EU Demands

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Boris Johnson has insisted Britain is ready to walk away from Brexit trade negotiations without a comprehensive deal rather than accept key EU demands.
The prime minister said there was “no need” to accept Brussels’ demands for a “level playing field” on areas like worker’s rights, the environment, tax and state aid.
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It put him on a collision course with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier, who insisted a level playing field was “inextricably linked” to Johnson’s call for a comprehensive Canada-style free trade agreement.
Johnson said if Brussels did not relax its red lines and approve a Canada-style deal, the UK would enter a much more restricted Australia-style relationship with the EU, which would mean no trade agreement and the imposition of potentially damaging tariffs, quotas and checks on British businesses.
The pair were setting out their opening positions for the second phase of Brexit negotiations.
The PM wants to conclude a deal by the end of the year when the standstill transition period, during which there is very little change in the country’s relationship with the EU, finishes.
At a speech in the grand painted hall at Greenwich’s Old Royal Naval College, Johnson did not mention “Brexit” once, instead referring to “the B-word”, confirming HuffPost UK’s revelation that he now wants the country to move on.
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Setting out his demands, the PM said: “There is no need for a free trade agreement to involve accepting EU rules on competition policies, subsidies, social protection, the environment or anything similar, any more than the EU should be obliged to accept UK rules,” he said.
“The UK will maintain the highest standards in these areas, better in many respects than those of the EU, without the compulsion of a treaty.”
Boris Johnson delivers his unleashing Britain's potential speech in the painted hall, Old Royal Naval College Greenwich, London PA Wire/PA Images
He went on: “We want a comprehensive free trade agreement similar to Canada’s, but in the unlikely event that we do not succeed then our trade will have to be based on our existing withdrawal agreement with the EU.
“The question is whether we agree a trading relationship with the EU comparable to Canada’s or more like Australia’s and I have no doubt that in either case the UK will prosper mightily.”
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Barnier insisted the EU was ready to make an “exceptional offer” for a comprehensive FTA but that it was conditional on competition remaining “open and fair” with “specific and effective guarantees” to ensure a level playing field over the long term.
“That means mechanisms to uphold the high standards we have on social, environmental, climate, tax and state aid matters,” he said.
Major battles also lie ahead on fish, with Barnier insisting on an agreement that allows European trawlers access to British waters and vice versa with “stable quota shares”.
Johnson said the UK was willing to do a deal but insisted quotas must be up for negotiation every year “using the latest scientific data, ensuring British fishing grounds are first and foremost for British boats”.
Chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier says the EU is ready to offer the U.K. a "highly ambitious" free trade deal, with two conditions: an agreement on a level playing field on tax, state aid and environmental standards, and access to U.K. fishing waters https://t.co/koIoVFt4eH pic.twitter.com/gwP7799kLY — Bloomberg Brexit (@Brexit) February 3, 2020
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Barnier also insisted the UK must agree a role for the European Court of Justice (ECJ) if it wants to agree a new binding security partnership with the EU.
But Johnson suggested there was “no need” for a new treaty in many of these areas.
“I see no need to bind ourselves to an agreement with the EU – we will restore full sovereign control over our borders and immigration, competition, subsidy rules, procurement, data protection,” he said.
“And while we will always cooperate with our European friends in foreign and defence policy whenever our interests converge as they often, if not always, will, this will not in my view necessarily require any new treaty or new institutions.
“Because we will not need them for the simple reason that the UK is not a European power by treaty or by law but by irrevocable facts of history, geography and language and culture and instinct and sentiment.”
Whatever happens, it will not be “business as usual”, Barnier said.
Even if the two sides agree a Canada-style deal, the UK would have left the single market and customs union and so businesses would face barriers to trade relating to rules of origin and customs.
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Access to EU markets would be subject to “certification and market authorisation and supervision activities”.
There would be no harmonisation or mutual recognition of rules, and UK financial services providers would no longer enjoy EU “passporting rights” that allow them to sell into the EU.
Goods entering the EU from the UK would be subject to regulatory checks, Barnier said.
“These are the automatic and mechanical consequences of the UK’s choices and businesses must adapt now to this new reality,” he added.
Barnier said the more the UK was prepared to maintain common standards with the EU, the higher quality access it would get to EU markets.
“This will be up to the UK to decide. Will it continue to adhere to Europe’s societal and regulatory model in the future or will it seek to diverge?” he said.
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“The UK’s answer to this question will be fundamental to the level of our ambition of our future relationship. The UK must know this.”
And he warned that there was little chance of concluding a deal in all areas by the end of the year.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-03--Emily Maitlis' Stalker Jailed For Three Years After Breaching Restraining Order For The Twelfth Time

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BBC Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis David Levenson via Getty Images
A man who stalked Emily Maitlis for 27 years has jailed for three years after breaching his restraining order for the 12th time.
Edward Vines, 49, sent two letters to the BBC Newsnight presenter’s mother saying he was in love with Maitlis and was “distressed” when she ceased contact with him.
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Vines said he had been “troubled” by Maitlis’s treatment of him while at Cambridge University in the mid-1990s – adding that she lied about him during a previous trial.
At Nottingham Crown Court on Monday, a judge said he feared there was “no sight of this ever ending” – describing the defendant’s behaviour as a “life-long obsession”.
During sentencing, judge Stuart Rafferty said he had to sentence Vines “on the basis you are a long way from any reality dawning on you”.
“If you love Emily Maitlis as you say you do, one might be forgiven for saying you have a very strange way of showing it, because you have made her life, in many ways, a misery,” Rafferty said.
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Concluding his sentencing remarks, the judge added: “She can’t live a free life because of you. She is forever looking over her shoulder to see if you are there.
“If you keep breaching the order, all the court can do is lock you up.
“This at the moment has to be treated as a life-long obsession by you. All the court can do is try to protect Ms Maitlis and her family as best as it can.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-03--Pamela Anderson Confirms Split From Husband Of 12 Days, Jon Peters

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Pamela Anderson has confirmed that she and husband Jon Peters have split, 12 days after tying the knot.
Last month, the Baywatch star married the film producer and former hairdresser – who she has referred to in the past as the “original bad boy of Hollywood” – in a private ceremony in Malibu, California.
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However, less than two weeks later, the actress has confirmed that she and Jon are taking “some time apart”.
In a statement, Pamela explained: “We would be very grateful for your support as we take some time apart to re-evaluate what we want from life and from one another.”
Pamela Anderson Matt Baron/Shutterstock
She continued: “Life is a journey and love is a process. With that universal truth in mind, we have mutually decided to put off the formalisation of our marriage certificate and put our faith in the process. Thank you for respecting our privacy.”
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An undisclosed insider also told The Hollywood Reporter that the couple had not yet filed the legal paperwork for a marriage certificate.
In a poem she shared publicly, Pamela previously said of her husband: “We understand and respect each other... we love each other without conditions... I’m a lucky woman… [he’s] proof God has a plan.”
Film producer Jon Peters Frank Trapper via Getty Images
Pamela’s marriage is her fifth overall, having previously tied the knot with musicians Kid Rock and Tommy Lee.
She also married professional poker player Rick Salomon on two different occasions, each lasting a year – first in 2007 and again in 2014.
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Jon’s film credits include Batman Returns, The Witches Of Eastwick, Man Of Steel and two different remakes of A Star Is Born.
The 74-year-old has been married four times, including to Oscar nominee Lesley Ann Warren.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-03--What You Didn't See In The Taylor Swift Documentary, Miss Americana

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Documentarian Lana Wilson felt an immediate connection to Taylor Swift.
Their conversations about art flowed, their points of view on the female experience in the industry aligned. Lana was a top candidate to direct a film on Taylor’s life and career after the Lover singer responded to her films After Tiller and The Departure, which take on significant topics like late-term abortion and suicide prevention.
“She appreciated that it’s really important to me to not feel like I’m making an advocacy piece or pushing a point of view on an audience, but actually just giving them space to see people and experiences as complicated and multilayered,” Lana told HuffPost in a cosy Park City lounge area at the Sundance Film Festival.
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“She was interested in making a documentary that felt raw and genuine and intimate, and she was clear that she really wanted a director who had a perspective on the stuff she was going through.”
Taylor Swift and Lana Wilson speak at the Netflix premiere of Miss Americana Kevin Mazur via Getty Images
The pair ended up creating Miss Americana, a very pro-Taylor Swift piece now streaming on Netflix.
“I connected to this idea of being ‘a good girl’ ― needing approval and pats on the head ― and then this growing feminist political consciousness and awareness of the double standard that she’s experiencing,” Lana said.
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“I found a lot of inspiration in the fact that she decided she needed to be her true self and take the muzzle off in a way that she hadn’t done before.”
Making an 85-minute movie with hours and hours of footage to choose from is a difficult task, so Lana filled us in on what was left on the cutting room floor, and why.
Taylor Swift in a scene from the documentary Miss Americana Netflix
Kanye West’s Side Of The Story
The infamous 2009 MTV Video Music Awards moment between Taylor and a mic-grabbing Kanye West is mentioned within the first 15 minutes of Miss Americana. Taylor’s You Belong With Me won Best Female Video over Beyoncé’s Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) and Kanye ransacked the stage to interrupt and express his disapproval.
In the doc, we see the fallout of the event, in which President Barack Obama called West “a jackass” and Dr. Phil said the rapper stole a teenager’s spotlight “because he could”.
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“When you’re living for the approval of strangers and that is where you derive all of your joy and fulfillment, one bad thing can cause everything to crumble,” Taylor says about the moment. For her, it changed the good girl approach and was “a catalyst for a lot of the psychological paths I went down”.
When asked if she ever considered reaching out to Kanye to get his perspective on their eventual reconnection-turned-scam-friendship and the social media madness that ensued, Lana told HuffPost that she “didn’t want it to be about Kanye”.
“She was like a prodigy in country music, and it was this fairy-tale rise culminating in pulling up at the VMAs in a horse-drawn carriage,” Lana said.
“When Kanye took the microphone away and when the crowd was booing, she felt like people were booing her. I could totally understand this is less about Kanye and more about a 19-year-old artist who loves performing and being applauded, having this humiliating and devastating experience and how that affected her.”
A Whole Lot More Studio Time
In the film, audiences get incredible access to Taylor’s songwriting process and her experience in the recording studio. A highlight is when she “turns on her party shoes for vocals” and works on Getaway Car with producer Jack Antonoff. Viewers see their creative process result in a stadium of people singing Taylor’s lyrics back to her during a performance of the song.
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“There’s so much more songwriting stuff [we cut],” Lana said. “That was hard to whittle down. At one point, I know we had like a 40-minute version of her writing Only The Young.”
Lana said it was thrilling to watch Taylor use her phone to record voice memos and track lyrics. She now relies on her own cell as a tool in the filmmaking process. “Inspiration comes and goes,” Lana stated, “and you have to catch it when it’s there.”
Taylor Swift and Big Machine Records CEO Scott Borchetta Kevin Mazur/TAS18 via Getty Images
The Big Machine Drama
Some of the latest headlines on Taylor have involved her split from Scott Borchetta and Big Machine Records, her label of 13 years, which owns her catalogue of music from her self-titled debut album to 2017′s Reputation.
Taylor made the switch to Republic Records and Universal Music Group in the autumn of 2018 and was hopeful for the future until music manager and entrepreneur Scooter Braun announced his company’s purchase of Big Machine.
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In November 2019, Taylor said Scooter and Scott were preventing her from performing a medley of her songs at the American Music Awards. And although the two music execs accused Taylor of spreading false information, she claimed they were keeping her from using songs in Miss Americana, as well.
Lana said there was simply no new information to add to the documentary about this situation.
“Taylor has put it out there in her own words already, and the whole thing has been so extensively covered by the press that I just really wanted to focus on the story that I felt like hadn’t been told before, which was the story of the experience this woman went through over a couple of years that led to her deciding to use her voice in a new way,” she insisted. “So that was really it.”
The Full Todrick Hall Spa Treatment
In one of the cutest scenes in the doc, Taylor paints her friend and collaborator Todrick Hall’s nails backstage at the 2019 VMAs. She tells him she’s acted as her own personal manicurist for a year now because she realised she “really likes having cute nails”, but “really can’t go [to a salon] in public”.
“That scene was actually an hour long,” Lana said. “It was so relaxing to film. She did his nails for like an hour, and she was doing all these steps that almost no manicurist knows how to do!”
“This has been one of my favorite manis I’ve ever gotten,” Todrick tells the star, who jokes, “I appreciate it. Give me a good review on Yelp.”
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As Todrick says, Swift Nails is the place to go.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-03--How To Deal With A Friend Who Always Complains About Their Partner

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When you’re in a relationship, occasionally venting to your friends about your partner is normal and even healthy: it can help you process your feelings or put certain problems in perspective. But when the complaining is constant, it becomes unproductive and can put strain on the friendship, too.
Hearing your friend complain again and again inevitably begins to colour your perception of their partner.
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“If they are only telling you about the negative aspects of their relationship and partner, they are giving you an incomplete and possibly inaccurate picture of the relationship,” therapist Anna Poss told HuffPost. “You may then start to dislike their partner and become frustrated with them for staying in a relationship that you understand to be wholly negative.”
And if your friend relies on conversations with you to deal with the issues, rather than talking them through with their partner, it could be doing a disservice to their relationship.
“It’s kind of like procrastination. You can put off that big project, instead settling into the couch with some popcorn, but that project is not going anywhere,“ said Nicole O-Pries, a therapist at Virginia Affirming Counselling. “And if you keep procrastinating on that project, it’s going to make you feel bad tomorrow and the day after that. You have to work on the project. You have to work on the relationship.”
Below, therapists share some signs that your friend’s complaining may be excessive and advice on how to respond.
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When Venting Goes Too Far
akindo via Getty Images At a certain point, all that venting just isn't productive anymore.
While you want your friend to be comfortable coming to you with their relationship troubles, listening to long rants about their partner every time you hang out isn’t good for your pal, their relationship or your friendship. Consider these questions when trying to determine if your friend may have taken their venting to an unproductive level, Poss said.
How much of your time together is spent talking about their relationship problems?
Are they talking predominately about their partner, or do they share equally about other important parts of their life?
How often are they asking about your life?
Are they talking about the same issue every time and ignoring your advice or comments?
How To Handle The Situation
Linka A Odom via Getty Images It's OK to let your friend know that you'd like to talk about topics other than just their relationship.
Don’t be afraid to set some limits.
Healthy relationships should be able to handle healthy boundaries. So it’s OK to put some parameters around the amount of time dedicated to negative conversations about their partner, Poss said.
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“You could say something along the lines of, ‘I’ve noticed that when we are together, our conversations seem to mostly be about your relationship. It would mean a lot if we can spend our time together catching up on other aspects of our lives,’” she said.
Resist the temptation to give them advice — unless they ask for it.
After hearing your friend go on and on for the umpteenth time about how their partner never helps out around the house, you may be thinking: Why don’t you just break up with them already?! But reserve your judgments, as voicing your opinions could backfire should they stay together.
“Keep in mind that you are not the one in a relationship with him. What might be annoying or even a deal-breaker for you, might not be for your friend,” marriage and family therapist Caroline Madden told Verily Magazine. “Don’t press her to break up even if she says she wants to break up or that’s what you think should happen. What might be common sense to you will feel like too much pressure for her.”
Suggest they talk to a professional.
Remember: You’re their friend, not their therapist. There’s only so much listening you can do.
“Letting friends know that their relationship issues are something you do not feel equipped to help them solve is one strategy,” Poss said. “Suggest that they may benefit more from speaking to a professional counsellor or therapist.”
If you suspect your friend is in a toxic relationship, support them.
There’s a big difference between a friend bemoaning their partner’s annoying habits and someone whose relationship could be threatening their emotional or physical wellbeing.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-03--Oprah Winfrey's Best Career Advice Is What I Use All The Time At My Job

When Oprah Winfrey gives career advice, she gets me to listen. As a master orator, the media executive, former daytime talk show host and self-made billionaire makes a living out of finding divine meaning in mundane questions, like the difference between a job and a calling, or what you would tell your younger self.
For me personally, though, what has encouraged me through redundancy, career disappointment and unreasonable managers is her advice on how to handle challenging career losses that feel overwhelming.
Oprah Winfrey taught me to reframe career setbacks as learning moments
One grim winter, when I was unemployed and worried I was unemployable, I encountered a YouTube clip from Winfrey’s 2014 lecture to Stanford Graduate School of Business students, in which she shared the one piece of career advice she wanted to leave with them.
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As soon as I watched it, I was transfixed by her ability to make the career story of failure I had been telling myself into a much bigger story about life:
There is a supreme moment of destiny calling on your life. Your job is to feel that, to hear that, to know that. And sometimes when you’re not listening, you get taken off track. You get in the wrong marriage, the wrong relationship, you take the wrong job, but it’s all leading to the same path. There are no wrong paths. There are none. There is no such thing as failure really, because failure is just that thing trying to move you in another direction. So you get as much from your losses as you do from your victories, because the losses are there to wake you up.
Her speech gave me the permission I needed to put those hard months into wider perspective. Yes, a layoff was a job loss, but it was not a failure in Winfrey’s eyes ― and shouldn’t be in mine, either. Winfrey said that when you understand that losses are there to wake you up, “you don’t allow yourself to be completely thrown by a grade or by a circumstance, because your life is bigger than any one experience.”
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That job I hated? Instead of seeing it as a waste of time, I could be kinder to my younger self and see those draining final months as the push I needed to move toward a role that would energise me. The layoff I experienced? It was a necessary reset after overstaying at a comfortable job out of complacency.
Her speech was a reminder to listen to what my body is telling me. When you are not at ease with yourself, Winfrey said, that’s your cue to move in a different direction. It’s an intuition I listen to more now. “I did the best I could with the knowledge I had at the time, and now I’m going to learn from this moment,” I now think to myself, instead of obsessing over should-haves.
Feelings may not always be facts, but they do carry important messages if you regularly wake up in the morning dreading work. That’s a barometer I have used, and you can, too.
ASSOCIATED PRESS Oprah Winfrey's wisdom on how to reframe career loss has stayed with me.
Instead of worrying about one big task, ask yourself: What’s the next right move?
Winfrey’s approach to managing challenges is one I apply all the time when I multitask. As part of her career advice on how to get through hard times, Winfrey tells the Stanford students, “The way through the challenge is to get still and ask yourself, What is the next right move? Not thinking about, ‘Ohh, I got all of this to —.’ What is the next right move?”
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It’s a helpful question I use to break down large tasks with many moving parts. Whenever there’s a work project that is starting to overwhelm me, I take a breath, go for a walk, talk to a friend, make a cup of tea, bake a dessert —activities that I know force me to interact with the world outside of my head and outside of my phone. Once I’m in that centered space, I give myself permission to not solve the huge task all at once. That allows me to stay on course with a task instead of going off on detours to my anxiety. Then I think about what the next right move is, and the next right move, and proceed more strategically from there.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-03--Hong Kong Closes 10 Of 13 Border Crossings With China To Curb Spread Of Coronavirus

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Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has announced plans to suspend 10 of the city’s 13 border crossings with mainland China in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus.
It came as hundreds of Hong Kong’s medical workers went on strike on Monday calling on the government to close the border entirely amid concerns about the city’s already-stretched healthcare sector.
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But Lam said that shutting the border completely would not only be “inappropriate and impractical”, but “discriminatory”.
To date, Hong Kong has seen one man die of coronavirus, which has killed more than 425 people in China and infected more than 20,400.
Now, medical workers are calling for the border to be closed and for face masks to be handed out to the public.
Medical workers hold a strike near Queen Elizabeth Hospital as they demand Hong Kong close its border with China REUTERS
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They also want to ensure that there are enough isolation wards available for patients.
About 100 people rallied in the heart of Hong Kong‘s financial district in support of the health workers’ union, with some holding banners saying: “Close borders, contain epidemics.”
Reuters reported that panic-stricken residents have emptied shelves in Hong Kong’s major supermarkets as fears over the coronavirus escalate.
About 90% of the city’s food is imported, with the bulk coming from the mainland, according to official data.
The scare over the virus comes after months of anti-government protests in Hong Kong, triggered by what many residents see as unnecessary interference by Beijing.
The coronavirus is expected to additional pile pressure on the city’s economy, which sank into recession in the third quarter as the often violent protests scared away tourists and took a heavy toll on retailers.
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Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has closed 10 of the city's 13 border crossings with mainland China REUTERS
Extra flights out of China for Brits in Hubei
While Hong Kong discussed plans to limit its border with mainland China, the British Embassy in Beijing revealed plans to help more Brits get out of the coronavirus-hit region of Hubei, calling them the “last flights available”.
Last flights available for British nationals and immediate families out of Hubei. If you are in Hubei and want to leave, please register with us as soon as possible using 24/7 contact numbers +86(0)1085296600 or +44(0)2070081500 #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/Hb7WIcP61x — UK in China 🇬🇧 (@ukinchina) February 3, 2020
“There will be a number of new flights this week arranged by partner countries,” the embassy said in a statement.
“We are working hard to get seats on those flights for British nationals and their immediate families – the Chinese authorities have confirmed that this would include Chinese and third-party nationals.”
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-03--Best Bits From The Baftas 2020

Best Bits From The Baftas 2020

Best Bits From The Baftas 2020
The British Academy Film Awards, 2020 are over, with World War I epic 1917 being the biggest winner, winning seven awards including best picture and best director. Joaquin Phoenix was named best actor with Renée Zellwegger picking up Best Actress. Rebel Wilson stole the show with Brad Pitt joking about Brexit via Margot Robbie.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-03--Celebrity Big Brother Fans' Excitement At Those Return Rumours May Be A Little Premature

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Celebrity Big Brother fans were given news they’ve been waiting for since the show was cancelled on Sunday, with reports Channel 4 is in talks to revive it.
However, it seems their excitement could be a little premature, as the channel has flatly denied speculation it is about to bring the show back.
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Reports first surfaced in the Daily Star Sunday, claiming the show’s former broadcaster was planning to revive the celebrity edition of the reality show, after it was axed by Channel 5 in 2018.
The story claimed Celebrity Big Brother could be back on air as early as January 2021, with the tagline “Reborn” because it would feature a line-up of controversial stars hoping to change their public image.
Davina McCall hosted Celebrity Big Brother from 2001 to 2010 Ian Gavan via Getty Images
Their unnamed source also claimed Channel 4 bosses were exploring the option of reviving the show with production company Endemol, as the network has been experiencing a run of low ratings.
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The rumours obviously delighted hordes of Big Brother fans online...
i knew channel 4 wouldn’t let me down. bring back the mothetfuckin HOUSE! #BBUK pic.twitter.com/LxBdYRe64z — beth (@bethhopex) February 2, 2020
literally me and my household when I read that Big Brother could be returning #BBUK pic.twitter.com/8cKK9GPx1j — Tom Gardiner (@IAmTomGardiner) February 2, 2020
Having Big Brother return to Channel 4 would be the best move for the show. Channel 5 just didn’t really get it right. Bring back Davina too! #BBUK — M A J I D (@Majid_K_1994) February 2, 2020
Me waking up this morning realising that #BBUK could be returning on Channel 4 pic.twitter.com/FhYetvG3mG — Josh (@sharonsballum) February 2, 2020
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Yes!!! Finally something good to come after this brexit saga!!! Make this happen channel 4 #BBUK #SaveBBUK https://t.co/BZ2DcDysBt — Kasim (@Kasim____) February 2, 2020
While former contestant and Bit On The Side presenter Rylan Clark-Neal and the show’s narrator Marcus Bentley also shared their excitement...
Wow ! I hope @EdHotTV is right - he usually is!! Fingers crossed x. https://t.co/e47ZOkbiqT — Marcus Bentley (@marcusBBbentley) February 2, 2020
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Since then, however, a Channel 4 spokesperson has insisted the network has “no plans” to bring back either the celebrity or civilian edition of Big Brother.
They said in a statement: “We have no plans to bring back Celebrity Big Brother or Big Brother to Channel 4.”
Big Brother first aired on Channel 4 in 2000, with Celebrity Big Brother following a year later.
The celebrity series was originally dreamed up as a charity special for Comic Relief, but went on to spawn seven series before Channel 4 axed Big Brother altogether in 2010.
CBB and its civilian equivalent were brought back by Channel 5 in 2011, before being cancelled again in September 2018.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-03--The Funniest Tweets From Parents This Week

4yo: How old will I be when our pet guinea pigs get married?
Me: They don’t get married.
4: Why?
Me: Because they’re animals.
4: Why?
Me: Because that’s how they were born.
4: Why?
Me: You’ll be 6 when they get married.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-03--Louis Tomlinson Blasts BBC Breakfast, Accusing Hosts Of Quizzing Him About Grief 'For Gossip Purpose

Louis Tomlinson Blasts BBC Breakfast, Accusing Hosts Of Quizzing Him About Grief 'For Gossip Purposes'

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Louis Tomlinson has vowed never to appear on BBC Breakfast again after being interviewed on Monday morning’s show.
The former One Direction singer is currently on the promo trail for his debut solo album, and took issue with presenters Louise Minchin and Dan Walker’s line of questioning following his appearance.
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But while many fans suspected he was unhappy that the hosts focussed so much on his time in the chart-topping boyband, he later clarified he was more annoyed that they had put a lot of emphasis on his own personal troubles, namely the loss of his mother and sister.
After sitting down with the hosts, he tweeted: “Defo wont be going on there again Haha! Love to all my fans for always having my back.”
Louis on BBC Breakfast BBC
Presenter Dan Walker quickly wrote back: “Sorry you feel like that. It was nice to speak to you on #BBCBreakfast this morning. Can I ask what you are upset about?”
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Defo wont be going on there again Haha! Love to all my fans for always having my back — Louis Tomlinson (@Louis_Tomlinson) February 3, 2020
Sorry you feel like that. It was nice to speak to you on #BBCBreakfast this morning.
Can I ask what you are upset about? https://t.co/MNMUyHGQuj — Dan Walker (@mrdanwalker) February 3, 2020
We asked him loads of questions about his new album but also in the context of his past success. Thanks for watching 👍🏻 https://t.co/xqOz1ZNlI1 — Dan Walker (@mrdanwalker) February 3, 2020
Louis then responded: “I was upset that you continued to ask me about my grief. It goes without saying how hard it is to lose both people so close to me.
“The least I ask is that you respect my decision of not wanting to be asked in interviews about something so painful.”
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He added: “I’m lucky enough to have a creative outlet for me to talk about grief this doesn’t however give you the right to talk about it for gossip purposes.”
I was upset that you continued to ask me about my grief. It goes without saying how hard it is to lose both people so close to me. The least I ask is that you respect my decision of not wanting to be asked in interviews about something so painfull. — Louis Tomlinson (@Louis_Tomlinson) February 3, 2020
I'm lucky enough to have a creative outlet for me to talk about grief this doesn't however give you the right to talk about it for gossip purposes. — Louis Tomlinson (@Louis_Tomlinson) February 3, 2020
Hi Louis. We were asking you about the song on your new album about your mum. We know it’s painful which is why we didn’t dwell on it. No intention to upset you or be ‘gossipy’ about it at all. That’s not our style on #BBCBreakfast. — Dan Walker (@mrdanwalker) February 3, 2020
Anyway fuck the negativity now. It's been a siiiiick week — Louis Tomlinson (@Louis_Tomlinson) February 3, 2020
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At the beginning of the interview, Louise suggested that Louis was “not feeling great”, but promised to “treat him nicely”.
After Louise asked what it was like being “at the centre” of a band like One Direction, Dan then brought up some of the “negatives” that come with “worldwide fame”, asking Louis how he looks back on his experience of being in the group.
“It’s all positive,” Louis insisted. “It is, it is. We had the luxury of going through that experience together, we all got on with each other, and we had a great time… and it was an incredible experience. So massive positive memories, only positive.”
Louise and Dan then moved onto some of the “deeply personal” tracks on Louis’ new album, with the latter questioning whether he ever felt he’d put “too much of himself” into his music, specifically referencing the deaths of his mum and sister.
The singer responded: “I think because of where I started my career, on X Factor, there’s always been a camera on me, and I’ve always given a lot of myself… so I kind of use that to my advantage, I’m brave enough to talk about these things and… yeah, it’s worked out.”
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After a few questions about the song Two Of Us, which centres around the death of his mum, the conversation moved on, before Louise asked about the other members of One Direction (“they’re all on their second albums, aren’t they?”), specifically Zayn Malik, asking how their much-publicised “spat” was “going”.
“God you’re proper going in here today,” Louis replied. “People pick up on every little thing I say, I’m just not ready to have that conversation yet, that’s fair enough.”
Minutes later, the subject of a One Direction reunion was brought up, to which Louis said: “You’ve ticked them all off now. You’ve gone trauma, Zayn and now this one. I like it… I’ve only just released my first album, that’s what I’m here for, you know what I mean?”
Louis speaks to Dan Walker and Louise Minchin BBC
In 2016, Louis lost his mother Johannah to cancer at the age of 43.
Three years later, Louis’ sister Felicité died after an accidental drug overdose, aged 18.
Félicité was one of seven children and is survived by Louis, older sister Lottie, twin sisters Daisy and Phoebe and twins Ernest and Doris. She was also an aunt to Louis’ son Freddie.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-03--Baftas 2020: Hugh Grant's Bridget Jones Joke Went Down Well With Renée Zellweger

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Renée Zellweger was a big fan of Hugh Grant’s reference to her performance as Bridget Jones at this year’s Baftas, the actress has revealed.
On Sunday night, Renée received the Bafta for Best Actress for the first time, following her performance in the Judy Garland biopic, Judy.
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After her acceptance speech, she was immediately followed on stage by Hugh, who couldn’t resist a nod to their days appearing opposite one another in the first two Bridget Jones films.
Presenting the award for Best Film, Hugh joked, in the style of his character, Daniel Cleaver: “First of all, well done Jones. That was a very, very silly little dress, I thought.”
My Daniel Cleaver and Bridget Jones heart #BAFTAs pic.twitter.com/Lro7wzGo3r — 𝘒𝘢𝘺 (@HughsMungo) February 2, 2020
Backstage, Renée also shared her reaction to the comment, telling reporters she thought it was “really cool”.
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“That’s part of what I’m talking about with this [win] being really, really special,” she added, in a video posted by Heatworld. “It makes you feel like you’re one of the gang, and it’s quite a gang to be a part of.”
Renee Zellweger responds to Hugh Grant’s hilarious Bridget Jones joke at the #BAFTAs
COULD THIS WOMAN BE ANY SWEETER pic.twitter.com/oMQLkXiDKr — heat & heatworld.com (@heatworld) February 2, 2020
Renée and Hugh appeared together in the first two Bridget Jones films, for which the former was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in the title role.
However, Hugh declined to appear in the third film, Bridget Jones’s Baby, which was released in 2016, and starred Patrick Dempsey and Colin Firth.
Renée poses backstage with her Bafta Joe Maher via Getty Images
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Later this week, Renée will find out if she has won her second Oscar for her performance in Judy, having already scooped the Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice Award and SAG Award for the role.
Check out the full list of winners from this year’s Baftas here.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-03--Trump Congratulates Wrong State On Super Bowl Win

Trump Congratulates Wrong State On Super Bowl Win
President Donald Trump took to Twitter to congratulate the state of Kansas for the victory by Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. Only problem being the Chiefs are from Missouri.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-03--Baftas 2020: Quentin Tarantino Might Need To Work On His 'Gracious Loser' Face

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Listen, we understand that for the nominees who don’t win, awards season must be a bit of a chore.
You’re flown all over the US – and, with the Baftas also part of the schedule, the world – just to hear over and over again that your performance isn’t the winning one, and that’s why it’s important to always have your “gracious loser face” ready.
Apparently, though, film director Quentin Tarantino did not get the memo.
During Sunday night’s Baftas, Quentin looked stony-faced pretty much throughout, but never more than when it was announced he hadn’t won.
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Here, for example, is his reaction to learning that Sam Mendes had picked up Best Director…
BBC
...and here he is learning that Bong Joon-ho had picked up Best Original Screenplay for Parasite...
Quentin Tarantino BBC
Meanwhile, this is the director when everyone in the audience had a little chuckle during Bong Joon-ho’s speech...
Quentin BBC
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Seriously, Quentin – this year’s Oscars are looming, so we reckon it might be an idea to dust off even a half-smile ahead of the big night.
Quentin’s latest film, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, was nominated for an impressive 10 Baftas, making it one of the night’s top contenders.
However, the film ultimately won just one of the awards it was up for, with Brad Pitt receiving Best Supporting Actor.
Although he wasn’t there to collect the Bafta in person, he impressively still ended up stealing the show with his speech, which was read out on the night by his Once Upon A Time In Hollywood co-star Margot Robbie.
Check out the full list of this year’s Bafta winners here.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-03--Baftas 2020: Al Pacino Suffers Fall On Red Carpet

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Al Pacino took an unfortunate tumble as he made his way into this year’s Baftas.
On Sunday night, the 71-year-old actor was among the A-list guests at the biggest night in British cinema, and was seen posing for photographers and greeting fans on the red carpet.
However, as he made his way up some steps ahead of the awards ceremony, the Scarface actor was seen falling over.
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Fortunately, he was quickly helped to his feet by his fellow guests, and looked unbothered by the incident as he sat in the auditorium during the Baftas broadcast.
The 71-year-old fell on the Baftas red carpet Ian West - PA Images via Getty Images
The Irishman star was helped to his feet by fellow guests Dave J Hogan via Getty Images
Al had been nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category, following his performance in the Netflix gangster epic The Irishman, alongside co-star Joe Pesci.
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The award ultimately ended up going to Brad Pitt, who still managed to steal the show, despite not even being present.
The acting legend was all smiles later in the evening Neil Mockford via Getty Images
Brad won the award for his performance in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood – in which he actually appears opposite Al Pacino – and sent fellow nominee Margot Robbie to deliver his speech on his behalf.
“Hey Britain, heard you’d just become single, welcome to the club. Wishing you the best with the divorce settlement,” she read, before joking: “He says he’s going to name this Harry because he is really excited about bringing it back to the States with him.”
“His words, not mine,” Margot added before quickly exiting the stage.
Brad Pitt wins the Supporting Actor award for @OnceInHollywood but Margot Robbie was there to accept it on his behalf! 🌠🙏 #EEBAFTAs #BAFTAs pic.twitter.com/GHnkGiEZpI — BAFTA (@BAFTA) February 2, 2020
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The joke was particularly noteworthy as, seated in the front row, was Prince Harry’s brother, William, as well as the Duchess Of Cambridge.
Check out the full list of Baftas winners here.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-03--Joaquin Phoenix Slams Baftas' All-White Acting Nominees In Moving Acceptance Speech

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Joaquin Phoenix gratefully accepted his Best Actor award at the Baftas on Sunday night. Then he dressed down the awards system — and the industry — for sending a “clear message to people of colour” that they’re “not welcome”.
The Joker spoke for two minutes to a dead-silent audience, before listeners erupted in cheers and applause.
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“The Baftas have already been very supportive of my career and I’m deeply appreciative,” Joaquin began at the awards event at the Royal Albert Hall in London, where he was honored for his leading role in Joker.
“But I have to say I also feel conflicted because so many of my fellow actors that are deserving don’t have that same privilege,” he added. “I think that we send a very clear message to people of colour that you’re not welcome here.”
Joaquin insisted his words weren’t a “self-righteous” criticism, continuing: “I’m ashamed to say that I’m part of the problem... I have not done everything in my power to ensure that the sets I work on are inclusive.”
But he also said the problem was more than simply pushing for “multicultural” sets.
Joaquin Phoenix Lia Toby via Getty Images
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“I think that we have to really do the hard work to truly understand systemic racism,” he added.
″[It’s the] obligation of the people that have created and perpetuate and benefit from a system of oppression to be the ones that dismantle it, so that’s on us.”
The lack of diversity in the film awards in Britain — and across the pond — is a perennial issue.
The chair of Bafta’s film committee Marc Samuelson early last month said this year’s lineup of acting award nominees represented an “infuriating lack of diversity”.
Emma Baehr, Bafta’s director of awards, told The Hollywood Reporter that while the academy would “have liked to have seen more diversity in the nominations, it does continue to be an industry-wide issue”.
British star Cynthia Erivo, the lone actor of colour nominated at the upcoming Oscars this year for her leading role as abolitionist Harriet Tubman in the film Harriet, refused a request to sing at the Bafta ceremony because of the lack of diversity.
Her appearance isn’t “something that can be thrown in as a party trick,” she complained in an interview with Extra last month.
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Cynthia Erivo VALERIE MACON via Getty Images
“I work hard, and every single person of colour who is working in these films this year has worked really hard, and there are many of them who deserve to be celebrated,” she emphasised.
The issue is bound to come up again on Sunday at the Oscars, which Joaquin and Cynthia will both attend as favourites to win the Best Actor and Best Actress awards.
Check out the full list of winners – including Renée Zellweger and 1917 – here.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-03--Jennifer Lopez And Shakira's Super Bowl Halftime Show: All The Best Bits

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There was no doubt in our minds they’d deliver, but Jennifer Lopez and Shakira well and truly brought it when they teamed up to put on a show during this year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show.
While performers in recent years may have opted for huge props and gimmicks, the duo kept things fairly simple in terms of staging, instead relying on choreography and their vast catalogue of hits to help them entertain the millions watching both in the US and around the world.
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Between them, they sailed through more than 15 of their signature tunes, bringing out guest performers like J Balvin and even performing a few covers of songs by Beyoncé, Cardi B and Bruce Springsteen.
Here’s a rundown of what J-Lo and Shakira, Shakira gave us at this year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show…
1. Shakira kicked things off with She Wolf…
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With only 14 minutes to put on as big a show as possible, there was absolutely no time to hang around, and Shakira got the proceedings off immediately with a choreo-heavy performance of She Wolf, complete with a nod to the... erm... unusual moves seen in the song’s music video.
All together now: “Aoooooo!”
2. ...before rocking out to a bit of Empire…
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As well as performing in English, Spanish and occasionally French, Shakira reminded everyone she has even more strings to her bow by rocking out on the guitar at the Super Bowl.
Later in the show, she’d also be seen playing the drums.
3. ...and pulling out the belly-dancing for Whenever, Wherever
Shakira NFL
Because who doesn’t love a bit of rope-ography, right?
4. The first guest of the night then performed a bit of Cardi B’s I Like It
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As the performance segued into a rendition of I Like It, Shakira was joined on stage by the Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny, who provides a guest verse on the track.
Cardi B, as it goes, had been invited as a guest performer at last year’s Halftime Show, but turned it down as a protest against the NFL’s treatment of player Colin Kaepernick.
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In the lead-up to the performance, Shakira gave her own reasons for saying yes to the Super Bowl.
5. And her solo section ended on a classic
Shakira NFL
Well, she wasn’t going to get all the way to the end without giving us a bit of Hips Don’t Lie – complete with an actual crowd-surf – was she?
6. Let it never be said Jennifer Lopez doesn’t know how to make an entrance
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Did someone say “icon”, “diva” and “legend”?
7. Get Right was accompanied by some old school cane-ography
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Fred Astaire, who?
8. J-Lo wasn’t going to let those pole-dancing skills she learned in Hustlers go to waste
J NFL
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After flying through Jenny From The Block, Ain’t It Funny and Get Real, J-Lo changed into something a little more risque (yes, more risque than black leather) as she hopped on a pole for her performance of Waiting For Tonight.
The Academy might not have appreciated her moves enough to nominate Jennifer for an actress, but she certainly gets the thumbs up from us.
9. Yes, she performed Booty
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Booty peaked outside the top 10 both in the US (18) and here in the UK (137), and it spawned a music video we still have to watch through our fingers, but for some reason the song is clearly one of J-Lo’s favourites.
Not only did she include the track in her Las Vegas residency and her VMAs Video Vanguard performance in 2018, the track also made a brief appearance during the Super Bowl, mashed up with Beyoncé’s Mi Gente.
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10. And speaking of Mi Gente...
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The second guest of the night was trailblazing reggaeton singer J Balvin, who J-Lo joined for a rendition of his famous Beyoncé collaboration, Mi Gente, which really allowed her to show off her moves.
11. However, the final guest of the night was our favourite
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If you were wondering why this little girl looked familiar, that’s because she’s Jennifer Lopez’s 11-year-old daughter, Emme.
Emme joined her mum onstage at the Super Bowl, performing a stripped-back rendition of the track Let’s Get Loud.
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12. The two divas came together for the final section of the performance
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Although both stars were solo for most of the show, they came together at the very end, to perform the tracks Let’s Get Loud and Waka Waka (This Time For Africa).
This part of the night was centred around female empowerment, with the stage being lit up with the symbol for womanhood, while an all-girls choir backed Jennifer’s daughter during her rendition of Let’s Get Loud.
13. And did things end on a political note?
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The choice to have J-Lo perform in a stars-and-stripes coat, which was flipped to reveal the Puerto Rican flag – combined with the imagery of children singing in what appeared to be glowing cages – led many on social media to believe the final section of the performance was a deliberate dig at President Trump’s immigration policies...
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Emme took the stage for the most political moment: children in"cages" a reference to a Trump’s "zero tolerance" policy. @JLo returned wearing an American flag that she then lifted to reveal the flag of Puerto Rico. #PepsiHalftime #SuperBowl2020 pic.twitter.com/WH8N9wPZiN — Taiba Sultana (@TSultana2019) February 3, 2020
🙌🏽 @JLo making political statement on immigration reminding Trump that Puerto Rico is very much a part of America singing “Born in the USA” draped in a 🇵🇷Puerto Rican flag during her #SuperBowl halftime performance with her daughter in tow...
I STAN‼ pic.twitter.com/rQWhULP0Ow — AC (@ACThePlug) February 3, 2020
Do you think @realDonaldTrump Trump caught the halftime show?
Do you think he recognized the Puerto Rican flag 🇵🇷 as they sang “Born in the USA”?
Do you think he saw the kids in the cages?
Do you think he understood any of the symbolism & messages sent his way? @JLo @shakira pic.twitter.com/LaCmVlJbZA — DJ Electric (@DJ___Electric) February 3, 2020
I have watched the Jennifer Lopez and shakiraz halftime show 5 times now. It's exuberant. So much joy but I loved the dig at Trump with the children singing in cages including j.lo's own daughter. Amazing moment. — Steven Moore (@stevieintoronto) February 3, 2020
HOW IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT THIS POWERFUL YET SUBTLE STATEMENT #PepsiHalftime pic.twitter.com/NJiD2lxmXn — lyam (@luthorswift) February 3, 2020
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J-Lo also briefly launched into a rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s Born In The USA at this part in the show.
14. There was also a subtle tribute to Kobe Bryant
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Although it was small, the performance also included a cross lit up in purple and yellow, intended as a tribute to US sporting icon Kobe Bryant, who died last month at the age of 41.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-03--Streatham Terror Attack: Everything We Know So Far

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Three people injured in attack carried out by convicted terrorist in Streatham on Sunday
Two people were stabbed by 20-year-old Sudesh Amman, who was wearing a fake suicide vest, at around 2pm
Amman was shot dead by police at the scene of the incident
He had recently been freed from jail, where he was serving sentence of three years and four months for terror offences
Police have carried out searches on a number of homes in south London and Bishop Stortford after a terror attack in Streatham on Sunday left three people injured.
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Here’s everything we know about the attack and Sudesh Amman so far.
How many people have been injured?
Three people were injured during the attack – two after being stabbed by Amman and one after being injured by shattering glass after police discharged a firearm.
All three were taken to hospital by ambulance.
Police have confirmed that a man in his 40s is no longer in critical condition following treatment.
A woman in her 50s received treatment for non-life threatening injuries and was discharged from hospital.
A woman in her 20s, who was injured by the glass, is receiving continued medical treatment.
Reports circulating on social media suggested that it was 30 minutes before medics arrived at the scene, however the London Ambulance Service clarified on Monday morning that they arrived in just four minutes.
We have heard reports that it took 30 minutes for our medics to arrive at yesterday’s incident in Streatham
We can confirm that our medics arrived in 4 minutes, and were initially directed to a rendezvous point until the police confirmed it was safe for them to approach patients pic.twitter.com/dxXPRdX5r6 — London Ambulance Service (@Ldn_Ambulance) February 3, 2020
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Graham Norton, the services’ strategic commander, published a statement online which explained that first responders had initially been directed to a rendezvous point by police until it was deemed safe for them to approach and treat the injured.
Scotland Yard also revealed that armed officers had been following the suspect on foot as part of a “proactive counter-terrorism surveillance operation” on Streatham High Road.
Residents of nearby flats and people hiding in shops along the road were quickly evacuated as specialist officers determined that the device worn by Amman was a hoax.
On Monday evening, the Metropolitan Police said its officers responded within 60 seconds of Amman’s attack but refused to reveal more details about their surveillance operation on the terror convict.
What do we know about the attacker?
Undated handout photo issued by the Metropolitan Police of Sudesh Amman. PA Media
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Police are yet to formally identify the attacker, but have said they are “confident” he is 20-year-old Sudesh Amman.
It is understood Amman, who was jailed for possessing and distributing terrorist documents in December 2018, had been freed in the past six weeks.
Sam Armstrong, from the Henry Jackson Society – a foreign policy think tank – said Amman was thought to have been staying in a bail hostel in Tulse Hill.
He said the society had warned in December that Amman was due for release within the next two months and should not be let out of prison.
Amman, who at the time of his sentencing was 18 years old and had an address in Harrow, north-west London, had been jailed for three years and four months.
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Details about his previous convictions emerged in the hours after he was shot dead, with The Independent reporting at the time that he had encouraged his then-girlfriend to behead her parents and had stockpiled a combat knife, an air gun, and a black flag at his family home.
Forensic specialists who investigated him at the time found almost 350,000 media on Amman’s laptop, phone, and other devices, which included manuals on knife-fighting and bomb-making.
Forensic officers at the scene following the terror attack in Streatham High Road by Sudesh Amman, 20 PA Wire/PA Images
The North West London College student had written notes on how to make explosives and outlined his “goal” to be a martyr in a notebook, the Old Bailey heard in 2018.
Judge Mark Lucraft QC said he was just 17 when he began gathering the material, and called the crimes “a very concerning series of offences”.
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Speaking to Sky News, Amman’s mother Haleema Faraz Khan described him as a “nice, polite boy” who had seemed “normal” when she visited him at his bail hostel on Thursday.
She told the broadcaster that he had become more religious since being in prison, and that she believed he had been radicalised while in high-security jail Belmarsh.
Khan also said that Amman, the eldest of her five sons, had also developed extreme views after looking at Islamist material online.
She said she’d “had a feeling” her son had carried out the attack in south London when she saw the news. “I saw it on the TV, that’s when I knew it was him,” she said.
“His name was there. That was the first time I heard.
“He didn’t answer his phone, I tried to ring him [after the attack].”
What have politicians said?
In the wake of the incident, Boris Johnson said he will announce plans on Monday for “fundamental changes to the system for dealing with those convicted of terrorism offences” following the attack.
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He added: “Following the awful events at Fishmongers’ Hall in December, we have moved quickly to introduce a package of measures to strengthen every element of our response to terrorism – including longer prison sentences and more money for the police.”
Robert Buckland, the justice secretary, is expected to reveal more details about the government’s plans later today.
Home secretary Priti Patel, noting the recently-introduced measures including blocking the early release of terrorist offenders, paid tribute to police “who were able to act very swiftly and also prevent any other further acts of violence and to protect the public”.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan published a statement via Twitter soon after the attack, writing that he was “in close contact with the Met commissioner and local representatives, and want to thank our police, security, and emergency services staff for their swift and courageous response. They are truly the best of us.
“Terrorists seek to divide us and destroy our way of life – here in London we will never let them succeed.”
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Can I travel through the area?
Streatham High Road, a major route through the area, remains closed on Monday morning.
The Sutton and Croydon Guardian have reported extensive congestion in the area as forensic work continues.
Nineteen bus routes are believed to have been disrupted by the ongoing closure.
Can I help?
Deputy assistant commissioner of the Met Police, Lucy D’Orsi, released a statement in the aftermath of the incident urging members of the public with information to come forward.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-03--Labour Data Probe After Long-Bailey Campaign Shares Links To Membership Phonebank

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The Labour party is investigating whether any data rules have been broken in its leadership contest after it emerged that party members’ phone numbers were potentially accessible to the Rebecca Long-Bailey campaign and Momentum this weekend.
Officials acted after HuffPost UK discovered that Long-Bailey’s campaign had shared with its volunteers links to Labour’s official phone-banking system, a move that allowed them to, in theory, contact and lobby any of the party’s more than half a million members.
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But the party - which appears to have now suspended its phone bank website - was also likely to face criticism itself for failing to adequately protect the data of its rank and file members across the country.
Access to members data - crucial to any campaign in garnering support in the leadership and deputy leader elections - is tightly restricted until after February 14, under rules approved by Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) earlier this month.
However, both the Long-Bailey campaign and Momentum worked in tandem this weekend to share with volunteers links to Labour’s own ‘Dialogue’ phone bank system that accesses members in constituencies across the UK.
Matthew Horwood via Getty Images
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The shadow business secretary is vying with rivals Keir Starmer, Lisa Nandy and Emily Thornberry in the race to succeed Jeremy Corbyn, with the winner announced on April 4.
The Long-Bailey campaign and Momentum used a renewed version of Momentum’s ‘MyCampaign.com’ app that included WhatsApp and Facebook groups with links to spreadsheets used to mobilise activists in marginal seats in the last election.
The Long-Bailey campaign insisted that there were “no plans” to use the Dialogue system. Sources suggested the anomaly had arisen because old WhatsApp and Facebook groups used during the last election had been included in the new campaign tool.
Campaign sources added that it had not authorised any use of Dialogue, which appeared to be open to any other campaign too, and that the party itself had a duty to provide better safeguards for members’ data.
The Long-Bailey Campaign app. HuffPost UK
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After being contacted by HuffPost, the Long-Bailey campaign “has now unpublished the WhatsApp and Facebook groups from the MyCampaignMap site”, a spokesman said.
Labour HQ stressed that because all individuals who try to access its phonebank system are logged and recorded, it could identify any possible misuse.
An early review of recent activity had suggested no misuse but it was now taking steps to safeguard the system, it said. The party added it was still investigating to see if any data breaches had occurred.
The issue first arose on Saturday when Momentum and the Long-Bailey campaign sent emails to their members alerting them to the return of the highly popular ‘MyCampaign.com’ app, which was last used in the 2019 election to mobilise party activists.
The email said: “Yesterday we launched Ring for Rebecca - a huge, people-powered plan to phonebank thousands of Momentum and Labour members to talk about how Rebecca is the Labour leadership candidate to win back power.”
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Until February 14, when the final candidates on the leadership ballots will be confirmed as having met thresholds of local party and union backing, Labour members’s data cannot be shared with any campaign.
The Long-Bailey campaign is allowed to phonebank its own members and those of Momentum to rally support, but is forbidden from giving any access to the wider Labour membership.
When Momentum and Long-Bailey volunteers they entered a postcode on the ‘MyCampaign.com’ app or website, they were directed to various events including phone banks which allowed them to ‘join’ Whatsapp groups at the click of a button.
The ‘RLB’ WhatsApp group was seen in several groups, including the ‘East London Climate Phone Bank’, ‘South London Climate Phone Bank’ and ‘Activists in Edinburgh’.
East London Phone Bank HuffPost UK
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Several of the WhatsApp groups featured Google spreadsheets that contained lists of marginal target seats in the last election, with their local constituency Labour parties’ (CLP) details and links to Dialogue’s system for each.
Dialogue Link HuffPost UK
After entering a member login and password, and ticking a ‘data protection and campaign rules’ box, activists then had full access through a ‘dashboard’ to call members and volunteers.
After clicking on ‘all members’, they had access to all members phone numbers in that CLP.
HuffPost has been told of at least one member who managed to call individual party members through their own phone - but routed through Labour’s own phone bank system. The cost of the call is paid by the party itself.
A spokesman for the Long-Bailey campaign said: “Old WhatsApp and Facebook groups used during the general election were still visible on the MyCampaignMap site, and one of these groups contained a spreadsheet that had links in it to Dialogue, as activists were encouraged to use Dialogue when phone banking for the Labour Party.
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“The Rebecca For Leader campaign’s own phone banking operation is aimed at people already in Momentum’s database, and the campaign will not call Labour members that are not in Momentum’s database until the party releases the data.
“There are no plans for the Rebecca For Leader campaign to use Dialogue, and if that platform is still accessible to members then it is the responsibility of the Labour Party to restrict access to it in line with its own rules and procedures. In any case, the Rebecca For Leader campaign has now unpublished the WhatsApp and Facebook groups from the MyCampaignMap site.”
But critics pointed out that even though the Whatsapp groups for activists were indeed ‘old’ and had been originally set up by Momentum for the general election, the presence on each of the ‘RLB’ campaign Whatsapp group suggested it was intending to use the links to members’ data at some point.
Labour's Dialogue Phonebank HuffPost UK
The party appeared to suspend its Dialogue site after being contacted by HuffPost.
A party spokesperson said: “All calls made through this system are logged against the individuals making them. An initial review of recent activity suggests there has been no misuse of our systems in this manner.
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“We have taken precautionary steps to ensure no such activity could take place in the future.
“Any potential breach of the Party’s data protection processes is investigated and we will continue to look into whether any misuse of data or resources has occurred.”
No party member can access the full Dialogue system without first ticking an agreement to follow data protection and other rules.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-03--Taxpayers Get $3.4 Million Tab So Trump Can Host Super Bowl Party For His Club Members

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Taxpayers shelled out another $3.4 million (£2.6m) to send President Donald Trump to Florida over the weekend so he could host a Super Bowl party for paying guests at his for-profit golf course.
The president’s official schedule shows him spending two and a half hours Sunday evening at a “Super Bowl LIV watch party” at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. Tickets sold for $75 each but were only available to members of the club — the initiation fee for which reportedly runs about $450,000, with annual dues costing several thousands of dollars more.
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“Well, obviously there are no TVs in the White House, so what alternative did he have?” quipped Robert Weissman, president of the liberal group Public Citizen. “He could have saved money by chartering a plane and flying club members to watch the game at the White House.”
In response to a query, White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham defended Trump’s trip and attacked HuffPost: “The premise of your story is ridiculous and false, and just more left-wing media bias on display. The president never stops working, and that includes when he is at the Winter White House.”
Her phrase “Winter White House” refers to Mar-a-Lago, the for-profit resort in Palm Beach that is several miles east of the golf course and that doubled its initiation fee from $100,000 to $200,000 after Trump was elected in 2016. Trump frequently mingles with guests at social events there.
On Saturday, for example, Trump appeared at a dinner at Mar-a-Lago arranged by the “Trumpettes,” a group his female supporters. The dinner did not appear on the president’s publicly released schedule, and in any case was a campaign event, not an “official” one.
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When a pool reporter asked the White House on Saturday what work Trump did over the weekend, the reply was that he had calls and “meetings with staff.” The president did not attend a rally on Saturday for Venezuelan leader Juan Guaido, whom the United States and other governments have recognised as the legitimate president of that country. That rally began while Trump was still at his golf course, and attending it could have made him late for the start of the Trumpettes’ dinner.
Trump promised during his presidential campaign that he would separate himself from his businesses if he won. However, he reneged on that vow, as well as on his promise to release his tax returns.
Protesters hold signs as President Donald Trump's motorcade makes its way to the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on April 20, 2019. NICHOLAS KAMM via Getty Images
On his most recent financial disclosure form, which was filed last May, Trump claimed he had received $12,325,355 in income from the West Palm Beach golf course over the previous year. It’s unclear how accurate that is, given Trump’s tendency to file widely varying figures to different government authorities.
He told the U.S. Office of Government Ethics in his 2018 financial disclosure, for example, that his Scotland golf courses are worth more than $50 million each, even as he told authorities in the United Kingdom that they had a combined net debt of $65 million.
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In any event, money spent at Trump hotels and golf courses flows directly to the president, as he is the sole beneficiary of a trust that now owns his family business. US taxpayers have been the source of at least a few million dollars that have gone to the Trump Organisation in the form of hotel rooms, meals and other expenses for Secret Service agents and other government employees who have stayed on-site with Trump in Florida, New Jersey, Scotland and Ireland.
“When Donald Trump announced that he would break decades of precedent and hold onto his business, many were afraid it was to find ways to keep making money on the side of his work as president,” said Jordan Libowitz with the group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. “Turns out the presidency is more like a thing he does on the side to help make money for his business.”
“Trump is using taxpayer money to personally enrich himself because virtually all of his travel is to Trump properties. That is the swamp Trump pledged to drain. Trump is the swamp.” - former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.)
This weekend’s trip to Mar-a-Lago was Trump’s 28th to the property since becoming president. Saturday’s and Sunday’s golf outings at the West Palm Beach club brings his total to 79 days there since taking office and 244 total golf days at properties that he owns.
Taxpayers’ total tab for his golf hobby, meanwhile, climbed to $130.4 million.
That figure and the $3.4 million for each Mar-a-Lago trip are based on a HuffPost analysis that included the costs of Air Force transportation, Coast Guard patrols, Secret Service security and other expenses, as detailed in a January 2019 report from the Government Accountability Office of Trump’s first four visits to Mar-a-Lago in early 2017.
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Trump frequently criticised former President Barack Obama for golfing too much and promised during his campaign that he would be too busy to take any vacations at all, let alone play golf. Instead, he is on pace to play more than twice as much golf as Obama did ― at a cost three times that of Obama’s, because he insists on playing so many rounds at his courses in Florida and New Jersey, which require expensive flights on Air Force One. Obama mostly played golf at military bases within a short drive of the White House.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-03--How To Ask Your Partner How Many People They've Slept With

Erdark via Getty Images There's nothing wrong with asking your partner about their 'body count,' but it's also worth examining why you want to know.
Part of the fun of having a new sex partner is learning their sexual history and divulging yours, too: What are you into, sexually speaking? When did you lose your virginity (and was it as awkward as everyone else’s?) Are there any sexual fantasies you’re dying to make a reality?
Naturally, this sexy, sex-positive line of questioning leads to another classic question: What’s your sex “number”?
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For some of us, nothing piques the interest quite like knowing how many people the person we’re boinking has boinked before. (Try saying that 10 times fast.) It’s not only a fun topic, but one that can bring you closer together and help you understand how you relate to each other as sexual partners, said Megan Negendank, a psychotherapist and sex therapist.
“It’s really important to be able to have open conversations about sex with our partners and sharing our number could lead to a good discussion about what sex means to us and what we want from sexual intimacy at this point in our lives,” she said.
After a decade of marriage, Negendank still vividly remembers posing the question to her husband when she was 20. She wanted to know everything: What it was like, who they were, how her S.O. felt about the encounters now.
“He was open to sharing with me and I think that early conversation still helps me better understand him as a partner,” she said.
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Her future husband wasn’t so inquisitive, taking a “the past is the past” outlook on her sexual count.
“I asked him if he wanted to know my number, and he said he wasn’t interested,” she said. “We’ve had a lot of other conversations about my past sexual experiences and serious relationships, so I know it’s not from lack of interest or caring. I think he just thinks knowing the number isn’t that important and that’s fine with me.”
Negendank’s intense curiosity and her husband’s indifference highlights an interesting divide: When it comes to other people’s “body count,” interest levels vary. If you are intrigued and want to know, there’s nothing wrong with casually bringing it up like Negendank did. It’s quite a different story if you take the question seriously and get judgmental about your S.O.’s response.
First, consider why you want to know and why the number feels important to you, if it does, said Rachel Kazez, a therapist and founder of All Along, a programme that helps people understand mental health and find therapy.
If you’re asking out of concern, you might want to explore a few things, she said. For instance, are you asking because you’re insecure about how you rank given their past experiences?
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“If it’s that, do you trust your partner when they say you are important to them now?” Kazez said. “Do you have judgments about the number that may be based on religious, societal or media messages that don’t actually align with your own values? Would your thoughts on their number differ if they were a different gender?”
“Ultimately, it’s not fair to judge and add meaning to anyone else’s sexual experiences. Your partner trusted you enough to share this number and honoring that trust includes managing your judgments.” - Jesse Kahn, the director and a sex therapist at The Gender & Sexuality Therapy Center in New York City.
It’s smart for you to analyse your reasons for asking, but there’s no need to get super serious or anxious when you broach something like this. After all, it’s not so much a Big Important Couple Discussion as it is fun pillow talk.
As for how to respond to the big reveal, treat it with the same casualness you’re (hopefully!) treating the question itself. (Yes, keep it casual even if you’re a teeny bit surprised by the number, whether it’s high or low or something in between.)
“I think you could say something like, ‘Cool!’ ‘Fun!’ or ‘Into it,’” said Jesse Kahn, the director and a sex therapist at The Gender & Sexuality Therapy Center in New York.
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In the event that you are surprised by their number, Kahn suggests asking some internal follow-up questions to yourself. (No need to bring these up with the other person!)
“Ask yourself, ‘Am I comparing our numbers?’ ‘Why am I surprised?’ and ‘Am I judging them and if so what are those judgments?’” he said. “Ultimately, it’s not fair to judge and add meaning to anyone else’s sexual experiences. Your partner trusted you enough to share this number and honouring that trust includes managing your judgments.”
Also, remind yourself that no one “owes” anyone information about their sexual history. It’s your right in a relationship to know if your partner has any STDs or STIs (if the two of you are sexually active), what their sexual boundaries are and whether they’re faithful to you (if you are monogamous), but sex “numbers” are quite another matter. By sharing their number with you, your partner is getting vulnerable with you and trusting you with very private, intimate information, Negendank said.
“You should thank your partner for opening up about their number and if you both feel comfortable talking more about it, go for it,” she said. “Try not to focus on the number so much and instead just stay curious and you’ll come to better understand your partner and their sexuality. You might learn a lot about them!”
Sex Ed for Grown-Ups is a series tackling everything you didn’t learn about sex in school — beyond the birds and the bees. Keep checking back for more expert-based articles and personal stories.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-03--Want To Keep Your Kids Safe Online? Then Remember Children Lie

Getty Children lie online, and the government needs to recognise it.
In this digital age, where parents use screens to pacify, distract and engage their toddlers, it’s no surprise that children and young people pester parents for earlier access to devices of their own. They are going online “solo”, earlier than ever before.
Smartphones and tablets are therefore no longer reserved for older children. According to a recent Ofcom report, 42% of 5-7 year old’s have their own tablet. Our own experience working in schools across the UK with the Safer Schools partnership suggests that this is a conservative estimate.
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Protecting children and young people from inappropriate material is not a new challenge. The top shelf of newsagents limited but didn’t always prevent the vertically challenged (small children) from reaching unsuitable content. Nor has the law always been able to stop a highly motivated youth from by-passing restrictions to access alcohol. However, online anonymity and universal accessibility is a gamechanger in virtual spaces, and for how we protect our children and young people.
“Age verification, if not the silver bullet, remains the critical gateway for protecting the health and wellbeing of the young and vulnerable.”
The ICO has recently published its finalised version of “Age Appropriate Design: Code of Practice for Online Services” (first seen, in draft form last year) which aims to protect children’s privacy in online spaces. But does it go far enough?
The code will require digital services to automatically provide children with a “built-in baseline of data protection” whenever they download a new app, game or visit a website. While many of the proposals in the new Code of Conduct are well-intentioned and legal requirements for sites to assess risk on their platform are indeed, well placed – the real challenge will come from how the code is practically enforced and tested.
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Age verification has been debated at length, with the government backtracking last year on its plan to prevent children and young people from accessing adult porn sites. The harsh reality was the final realisation that their tentative plans just weren’t practicably viable.
Age verification, if not the silver bullet, remains the critical gateway for protecting the health and wellbeing of the young and vulnerable. Any active attempt at age verification needs to begin by acknowledging that children (like adults) can and do lie about their age.
“No matter how good systems are, children and young people will find ways around them.”
The new code prompts digital service providers to consider in their design the age range and developmental stage of children and young people who access their platforms. Many of the most popular sites already do this. Exposure to language and advertising are constructed (and targeted) based on the age of a user on Facebook and other platforms. However, this is undermined by weak age verification, i.e. self-declaration.
The ICO code suggests several solutions, including: Artificial Intelligence, third party Age Verification services, and ‘hard identifiers’ (passports/ID cards). The casual reader would be forgiven for thinking these functions are already widely tried and tested working solutions. The problem is that they’re not.
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In the absence of agreed workable models, choice will invariably mean that the providers will take the path of least resistance and do what is easiest for them. In my experience, this generally defaults to self-declaration and or an unrealistic age classification that mitigates their responsibility but doesn’t address the problems for their undeclared underage users.
Not that long ago, while visiting a primary school with the INEQE Safeguarding Group, I spoke with a boy aged 10. Already a user of some of the popular sites whose terms and conditions required him to be 13, he explained his approach to age verification.
He signed up as if he was 15. He explained that social media companies are very clever and that if he had said 13, that would have been too obvious a lie. The nodding heads of his peers implied that this logic was accepted.
By the time he is 13 and old enough to visit the sites he routinely frequents – the site will think he is 18. His ‘virtual self’ will have aged, become an adult and be exposed to targeted advertising, language and content meant for adults.
No matter how good systems are, children and young people will find ways around them. So, our approach needs to be smarter and focused on how we educate and empower users to better protect themselves.
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In school, teachers need to target the year group in which the majority of the class are due to turn 13. The classroom-based lesson should focus on the benefits of using their true age on social media platforms and getting them to commit to changing their original fake date of birth, to their true one. After all, they can now legitimately use most of the sites they already frequent. Homework on this subject involving parents or carers will help spread and reinforce this simple but powerful message.
I believe the government is moving in the right direction regarding online harms and my advice to them is simply this: Pause to consider the next steps, keep them simple and, above all else, get the basics right.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-03--Traumatic Births Can Be Hard For Dads Too. We Need To Talk About It

HuffPost UK Courtesy of the author
It was all so sudden. We’d been asleep for about an hour when my wife went to the bathroom. I barely stirred as she got up, but when she dashed back into the bedroom, I knew something was wrong.
“I don’t want to alarm you, but I think my waters have broken.”
That was impossible, I told her – she was only 27 weeks pregnant after all. But something clearly wasn’t right. We phoned the hospital and were asked to get there as soon as possible.
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We were rushed to a delivery room where an army of nurses, midwives and doctors buzzed around, reassuring us as our concern grew.
My wife’s early labour was confirmed, and the contractions quickly became so frequent that it was clear we were soon about to become parents, 13 weeks earlier than expected. Beads of sweat ran down my face as my apprehension grew, and my wife’s panicked expression told me that she was in a similar state of fear.
A few short hours later (though it felt like minutes), our world was turned upside down.
Our twin sons were born 50 minutes apart, each managing a gentle cry before being whisked away and hooked up to machines to support their breathing. Those few seconds were the only time I’d see their faces without tubes and wires for weeks.
“I didn’t sleep that first night. How could I, when I didn’t know if my sons would make it through?”
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Later, I stood alone and looked at my sons in their incubators.
“You can touch them”, the midwife told me.
Could I? Of course I wanted to touch them, to scoop them up, tell them everything was going to be okay – but I didn’t know if it would. Their skin looked almost translucent, their tiny frames so fragile. I couldn’t take my eyes off them, but I didn’t feel joy or happiness.
I settled for placing my finger inside the incubator, and it filled their entire palms. There was barely a sign of life until both gently wrapped their fingers around mine – the first signal that they’d have the fight required to get through this.
There was scarcely time to process what had happened before the boys were transferred to a specialist hospital, my wife following in an ambulance and me in tow in the car, bags hastily packed.
Our sons received astonishing around-the-clock care, as machines beeped incessantly. The noises set me on edge, but the nurses reassured me every time.
I didn’t sleep that first night. How could I, when I didn’t know if my sons would make it through?
We were told by a consultant to prepare for “good days and bad days… sometimes in the same day.″ There was a long road ahead, he said, and told us the chances of our children making it were “around 80-90%”. Good odds, sure, but I didn’t like the 20% chance that they wouldn’t survive.
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My wife’s complexion changed. I knew I had to be strong to help her through this, yet I was unable to console or comfort her. My loyalties and love were suddenly divided between three people, and I was gravitating towards our sons.
In the first few days, a brain scan showed that one of the boys had a bleed on the brain, which could hamper his development. My wife’s tears were instant, but again I was unable to assuage her devastation. I wanted to – more than anything in the world – hold her and tell her everything would be fine. It broke me seeing her anguish and not being able to summon the ability to soothe her.
Instead, I was frozen. Would he have a poor quality of life? Was he going to die? I left the room and cried uncontrollably.
HuffPost UK Courtesy of the author
Every day brought new torment; blood transfusions, infections, heart conditions. All while we yearned to just hold them. It was six days before we could have that first bonding experience, restricted to a chair surrounded by wires and tubes.
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We struggled to come to terms with our ordeal. A counselling session helped us realise that things were affecting us, while nurses offered support and cajoled us in-between taking care of our babies.
Returning to work was a huge obstacle; I couldn’t bear to not be at my children’s sides. To soften the blow, my employer was understanding enough to offer additional compassionate leave on top of my paternity allowance.
Gradually, our sons progressed. They were transferred back to our hometown, and after nine weeks, we finally took them home. But things didn’t get much easier. The upheaval was replaced by the torture of sleepless nights and accompanying exhaustion.
I was struggling but I knew I had to be strong, so bottled my emotions up, allowing them to fester. People constantly told me how well I was doing, but inside I felt as though I was sinking. One day I suffered a panic attack at work, but nobody knew. I locked myself in a bathroom until I’d composed myself.
“Thousands of men will go through a similar situation; I want them to know that it is hard, and it’s completely normal to be affected.”
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At home, my relationship with my wife was fraught. Conversation was almost non-existent, and we blamed one another. Wasn’t this supposed to be the happiest of times? The watershed came when our health visitor suggested we see a doctor. I was diagnosed with depression and prescribed medication.
With the passing of time, I’ve realised that it’s okay not to be okay. Becoming a dad is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done, but also the hardest. And, although it’s sometimes felt like it, I’m not alone. I’m one of 200,000 parents to go through the trauma of having their babies admitted to a neonatal unit each year.
I witnessed firsthand how a traumatic birth can affect a mother. Thankfully, my wife is making positive steps each day, and our improving mental health has started to heal the fractures that had crept into our relationship.
And I now know how being thrust into sudden parenthood can affect a father. It’s made me realise that I can’t do everything alone. Thousands of men will go through a similar situation; I want them to know that it is hard, and it’s completely normal to be affected.
My sons’ fight and resilience is what drove me, and continues to do so.
The boys are now thriving and – so far – show little sign of being impacted by their prematurity. And I’m feeling happier and embracing the challenge of fatherhood. It’s still demanding, but it’s a challenge I won’t shirk.
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Carl MacDonald is a writer and copywriter. Follow him on Twitter at @cmcopywriting


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-03--The 6 Best Prams For Newborn Babies, As Chosen By Parents

HuffPost UK HuffPost UK
All The Gear, No Idea is a regular series from HuffPost Finds where we feature product recommendations for parents, by parents.
Buying a pram is a bit like buying a new car. It has to meet all your needs and it is likely to be one of the most expensive things you’ve bought for many years.
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From those suited to ‘rugged terrain’ and others perfect for ‘urban living’, you need a pram that suits your lifestyle as much as it suits your baby. Plus, it’s a bonus if you can find one that will last beyond the baby years.
To help, we asked HuffPost parents who have wheeled their kids around the block a few times to give us their picks of the best prams on the market.
Huffington Post UK Bugaboo Bee 5, John Lewis, £689
Light and compact, the Bugaboo Bee 5 is a smart choice for urban adventurers with a newborn or toddler. With smooth steering and four-wheel suspension, a one hand, one-piece fold and a reversible, extendable, 3-position reclinable comfort seat. Can be used from birth with a carrycot or baby cocoon (sold separately, buy it here). To extend, pull on the bottom of the seat and this will help support small legs when babies are asleep. It also comes with an extendable sun canopy and a height-adjusted backrest that ‘grows’ with your baby, a 5-point harness and one-handed steering, with a fully height-adjustable handlebar.
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Review: Sarah Davis, mum of two
“It seems an age ago, now, but I couldn’t have been without my Bugaboo Bee. Survived two babies and then with a toddler on a buggy board, endlessly marching around the streets of London.”
Huffington Post UK Stokke Xplory, Stokke, from £671.30
The Stokke looks different to any other pram on the market because of its height. The idea, the manufacturers say, is to raise your baby higher “to promote eye contact and connection”, which we love. Suitable from birth, the Stokke frame and chair can be combined with the additional Stokke Xplory carrycot (£125, buy it here), seen above. It has multiple parent and forward-facing pram seat positions and is suitable for toddlers up to 15kg with the Stokke Stroller Seat (included). It also has 360 degree lockable swivel wheels for enhanced manoeuvrability.
Review: Laura Johns, mum of two
“The Stokke is quite expensive, but as soon as I saw it, I fell in love with it. It’s slim and sleek and you can easily take it into shops without worrying you’re going to knock everything over! I’ve used it for both children and found having conversations with them while they were in it really easy, because they were almost at my eye level.”
Huffington Post UK Baby Jogger City Mini GT2 Single Stroller Jet, Amazon, £374.22
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With its signature one-hand compact fold, ‘forever air’ rubber tyres and all-wheel suspension, the Baby Jogger City Mini GT2 stroller promises agility on all types of terrain. Once you’ve switched from the newborn carrycot to the seat, it’s easy to fold (simply lift a strap with one hand and it will fold itself, then lock the fold automatically for transportation or storage) and holds an infant weighing up to 22kg. It comes with a 5-point harness for extra security plus an adjustable handbar, hand-operated parking brake and a UV50 sun canopy with peek-a-boo windows. There’s also an extra-large storage basket with front or rear access.
Review: Joe Clapson, author and dad of two
“I am a big fan of the City Mini Jogger GT. It’s a mix of robust, with rugged wheels and solid frame and versatile for moving in and out of shops and on and off public transport. When juggling a child in one hand, it’s so simple to fold up and launch the buggy into the car boot with the other hand. Equally it’s very straightforward to switch from newborn (lying flat) to buggy, upright. We bought ours in 2015 and it’s still going strong.″
The Techno XT is a buggy rather than a pram but it is fully reclining so can be used from newborn (see how to use its built-in Newborn Safety System, here), either on its own or with a Maclaren carrycot, which can be bought separately here. This umbrella-fold stroller will change with the growing needs of your child and is suitable for children up to 25kg, it features a full recline 4-position seat with convenient one-handed adjustment, extendable leg rest and coordinating headhugger and shoulder pads. It also has a 5-point harness with an enhanced aviator buckle, height-adjustable handles, an expandable hood and sun visor and comes with a raincover and a storage basket.
Review: Stefanie Seddon, mum of two
“We chose the smallest, most foldable Maclaren buggy that would still go (almost) flat, as I wanted to be public-transport friendly. It was a great decision, super-easy for tube and bus and made it easy to get around London when he was tiny. He never looked quite as snug as his Bugaboo baby friends but with a few extra blankets, it did the job and kept me mobile and sane!”
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Huffington Post UK iCandy Raspberry Pushchair in Chrome/Bloomsbury Black, John Lewis, from £580
The iCandy is aimed at urban parents, because it’s lightweight (just 6.6kg), compact and nimble - perfect for nipping in and out of busy streets. For newborn, there’s an optional Raspberry Universal carrycot (sold separately for £180, buy it here). Once you switch to the pushchair seat, the buggy becomes easily foldable, and it has a 3-in-1 design to adapt to a car seat, a carrycot and a reversible seat position. The reclinable seat can also be adjusted to three different positions: to sit the baby up straight when awake, recline when relaxed or lie flat when asleep. The baby faces the parent and there’s a concealed storage pod which holds weight up to 5kg. It comes with a five-year guarantee.
Review: Matt Thomas, dad of one
“We chose it because it was lightweight and narrow (it fits through the tube barriers, not just the big gates). It says you can use the buggy from newborn with a special pod, but I’m glad we bought the pram attachment which was nice and cosy. I like the fact it’s so manoeuvrable. There’s no bar, so the baby feels a bit out in the open sometimes, but there are other plus points - like a giant basket. We bring nets of logs home in it for the fire.”
Huffington Post UK BABYZEN YOYO+ Pushchair, Black/Black, John Lewis, from £389
The BABYZEN YOYO+ is ideal for everything from everyday errands, to travelling by car, bus, train or plane. To use the YOYO+ from birth you’ll need to purchase the BABYZEN YOYO+ Newborn Pack (including carry-cot, sold separately for £190, buy it here). It fits into most overhead plane storage when folded - and can be folded using just one hand. It has a multi-position reclingin seat and a 5-point harness. 4-wheel suspension and is very light, weighing just 6.2kg. It comes with a UPF 50+ sun protection canopy and a two-year warranty.
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Review: Sarah Williams, mum of one
“I absolutely love the Babyzen Yoyo. It’s my first baby and he’s very active. The Babyzen is perfect for him as it’s light and compact and I can get him in and out of it easily. It can go on the plane as hand luggage because it’s so small - which was handy on a recent long-haul trip to South Africa, as we could take it through the gate and on to the plane with us. It’s not hugely expensive. The only downside is that it’s not brilliant off-road.”