House of commons

Theresa May was handed a humiliating defeat in parliament by Labour and Conservative MPs who organised to demonstrate the strength of parliamentary opposition to leaving the EU with no deal. MPs voted by 303 to 296 in favour of an amendment to the finance bill tabled by Labour’s Yvette Cooper to curb some of the government’s tax administration powers in the event of no deal without explicit authorisation for parliament. The coalition of high-profile MPs behind the amendment are expected to use the victory as a springboard for further parliamentary action to prevent the UK crashing out of the EU. Sir Oliver Letwin, the former Tory minister who rebelled to back Cooper’s amendment, said: “The majority tonight that is expressed in this house will sustain itself. We will not allow a no-deal exit to occur at the end of March.” Twenty Conservatives rebelled against the government, including the former defence secretary Michael Fallon and former education … [Read more...] about Theresa May suffers Commons defeat over no-deal Brexit

A local authority that has major problems with its housing waiting list decided last week to demolish a structurally sound council estate and send its residents elsewhere. The mooted replacement, to which they then gave their enthusiastic backing, was a new campus for an elite university, University College London. It's so obviously immoral that you could easily assume this was a malevolent, Shirley Porter-style episode from the height of Thatcherism. It is, instead, the policy of a local authority that has 60 Labour councillors out of 60 and a high-profile Labour mayor – a one-party state. The London borough of Newham – the borough in question – recently made the news when it transpired they had asked a housing association in Stoke-on-Trent to rehouse hundreds of those on its massive waiting list. The association refused, but it was unclear what the leaked request really meant – was this political theatre on the part of the Labour council, drawing attention to … [Read more...] about Housing policy, Newham style: let residents make way for a UCL campus

“Urban commoning” is now becoming popular, as people respond to the increasing privatisation of our cities with commonly owned and managed spaces, housing and services. These examples of urban commons focus on shared resources and responsibility as a way to make our cities more “public” and inclusive. From community land trusts, co-op supermarkets and co-housing projects to other community-run spaces and services in your city, which examples of urban commoning do you know about – and what do you think about them? Wherever you are in the world, share your photos, videos and stories and we’ll feature a selection on Guardian Cities. GuardianWitness is the home of readers’ content on the Guardian. Contribute your video, pictures and stories, and browse news, reviews and creations submitted by others. Posts will be reviewed prior to publication on GuardianWitness, and the best pieces will feature on the Guardian site. Follow Guardian Cities on … [Read more...] about Community gardens and beyond: share your examples of ‘urban commoning’

In the early autumn sunshine, four-year-old Milo and his two playmates race between houses built of straw, in and out of open doors, grabbing an apple here and a drink there, occasionally slowing to greet an adult or poke the earth with a stick. Unlike most youngsters growing up in modern cities, these boys’ lives combine unusual freedom and security. They and their families are part of a tiny but growing movement to build and develop new urban neighbourhoods, based on co-operative and sustainable living. Milo lives with his parents, Paul Chatterton and Tash Gordon, and baby Rafi, in Lilac Grove in Leeds, a co-housing project of 35 adults and 10 children that has been up and running for 18 months after around six years of planning and construction. Its 20 individual, private housing units are grouped around a communal garden and courtyard, with shared facilities such as a laundry room, workshop, allotments and bike sheds. Central is a common house where residents meet, cook and … [Read more...] about How to create happy communities through co-housing

The defence secretary was forced to tell the Commons that British-made cluster bombs had been dropped by Saudi Arabia in Yemen, prompting MPs and charities to say that the UK should stop supporting the Gulf state’s military action. Sir Michael Fallon said that a “limited number” of the controversial BL755 bombs had been used by Saudi Arabia, shortly after the Gulf state formally admitted it had deployed the weapons in the Yemeni conflict. Although an international treaty bans the use of cluster bombs, Fallon defended Britain’s support for Saudi Arabia and insisted there was no breach of international law because they were used against “legitimate military targets”. The UK is one of 120 countries to have signed the 2008 Ottawa convention on cluster munitions, banning their use or assistance with their use. Saudi Arabia is not a signatory to the treaty. The munitions pose an indiscriminate risk to civilians because they contain dozens of bomblets that … [Read more...] about Saudis dropped British-made cluster bombs in Yemen, Fallon tells Commons