Your morning news briefing, Friday 15th November
15 November 2019, 06:18
Good morning and here is the latest in UK and world news you're waking up to on Friday.
Snow is coming, or so the media has been reporting. Will we see a white weekend? Welcome to Friday's new brief, it's EJ here with all the news and views you need to ease you into the weekend.
General Election 2019 - Free For All
If there is a majority Labour government on December the 13th the Jeremy Corbyn's party is going to give everyone free broadband.
The Labour leader will make the announcement later today while giving a speech in Lancaster.
The party have said they would pay for this by nationalising part of BT and introducing a tax on tech companies.
However, if you tune into the news in 27 days and see Jeremy Corbyn walking through the doors of Downing Street, do not cancel your internet right away. The party's actual plans say they will give homes and businesses in the UK free full-fibre broadband by 2030.
The Tories described the idea as a "fantasy plan."
Arise...
Meanwhile, Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage has used Twitter to claim Downing Street is making a "concerted effort" to persuade his candidates to stand down in marginal seats.
He said those who agreed were being promised jobs if they did not run in the election.
In a video posted to his social media, Mr Farage also claimed that he, along with eight "senior figures" in his party, were offered peerages.
Find out more here.
Saving Pubs
While Labour is planning to connect people to the internet the Tories are planning to connect people's towns and villages to the rail network,
Boris Johnson has announced if he gets back into Downing Street then his party will save pubs, posts offices and the high street.
He's also promising to re-connect railway lines and stations removed by the 1960s Beeching Report.
The move is sure to play well to rural communities and areas outside of the Westminster bubble. Many corner shops will receive a cut in business rates.
Labour suggested it was the Tories fault shops were closing down anyway.
Dear Sir,
Earlier in the week I reported election campaigning had entered the 'high-viz and hardhat' stage, I can now confirm we have entered the letter stage.
This is when one politician writes to another politician from the opposition party "seeking clarification" or "expressing concerns."
Oddly, the letters seem to arrive in journalist's inboxes before they arrive in the letterboxes of the names recipients.
All parties do this, and it provides an interesting insight into what their priorities are, it also means newsrooms up and down the country are filled with journalists laughing at politicians signatures.
Voting
If you are a loyal reader of my morning briefing then you probably know there is an election on, in 26 days the country will go to the polls and decide who the next Prime Minister will be, we'll decide which party we want to have in power.
It's an amazing power, once every few years we go to school halls, and post offices and pubs and effectively overthrow the government.
This is our chance to have our say, to decide who we want to represent us.
However, you can't do it if you haven't registered to vote. Which only takes a few minutes and you can do it here.
To quote CJ from the West Wing: : Think government isn't about you? How many of you have student loans to pay? How many have credit card debt? How many want clean air and clean water and civil liberties? How many want jobs? How many want kids? How many want their kids to go to good schools and walk on safe streets? Decisions are made by those who show up. You gotta rock the vote!"
In Other News - Flooding
It's not just the North of England facing floods, Italy is preparing to declare a state of emergency after Venice suffered its worst flooding in half a century.
The country's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte has described the tragedy as "a blow to the heart of our country".
Read the full story by my colleague Sylvia De Luca here.
More heavy rain is forecast this weekend bringing fears of flooding to parts of the UK which are already suffering.
Nearly 150 warnings are in place across England and Wales - with South Yorkshire and the Midlands the worst affected.
For the latest on the weather listen to LBC News.
And Finally...
The country went a little mad over a dragon yesterday morning.
John Lewis released their annual Christmas advert and the reaction was amazing. Many of my colleagues were stopped in their tracks at the sight of Edgar (the dragon) and rushed to their computers to watch it.
You can watch it here:
That's it, you're up to date. I will be back at the same time on Monday but until then have an amazing Friday and a fantastic weekend. EJ
