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    Pro-Palestine protesters gather outside Downing Street after Rafah airstrikes

    Protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza gathered outside 10 Downing Street on Monday, 12 February, after Rafah was hit by airstrikes overnight.Two Israeli hostages were rescued from the town on the border with Egypt overnight following a raid on a heavily guarded apartment which killed at least 67 people, according to a spokesperson for the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.Benjamin Netanyahu has signalled his intention to carry out a ground offensive on the city, now home to 1.4 million Palestinian refugees who have fled fighting elsewhere. More

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    Michael Gove makes awkward phone blunder during live TV interview with Laura Kuenssberg

    This is the moment Michael Gove makes an awkward phone blunder during a live TV interview with Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday (11 February).The Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Secretary appeared on BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. As Ms Kuenssberg introduces Mr Gove at the start of her live show, he can be seen looking at his mobile phone.Mr Gove then appears to realise he is live on television and smiles at the camera.Ms Kunessberg posted a clip of the moment on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday. She captioned her post: “Nice of you to join us, Mr Gove.” More

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    Pat McFadden slams Labour’s Azhar Ali’s ‘appalling’ claim Israel allowed 7 October attack

    The Labour Party’s UK campaign co-ordinator Pat McFadden has slammed Rochdale candidate Azhar Ali for comments he is alleged to have made about the 7 October Israel attack.Mr Ali has apologised after he reportedly said Israel had been warned about the 7 October attack and allowed it to happen.The Labour Party has issued a statement on behalf of the candidate after the Mail on Sunday published comments from a recording of him telling the Lancashire Labour party that Israel had warned of the attack before it happened, but they “deliberately took the security off”.Appearing on the Laura Kuenssberg Show on Sunday (11 February), Mr McFadden, who has been a Labour MP for more than 20 years, described Mr Ali’s claims as “appalling” and insisted they do not “represent the Labour Party”. More

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    Michael Gove admits he is ‘irritating’ when quizzed over ‘affair fall out’ with Kemi Badenoch

    Michael Gove admitted he can be “irritating” when he was quizzed over rumours of a fallout with his fellow cabinet minister Kemi Badenoch.The business secretary is understood to have fallen out with Mr Gove after he had an affair with one of her friends.The levelling-up secretary, who is divorced from columnist Sarah Vine, went on to have a relationship with the female friend of the business secretary, according to The Times. The woman has since separated from her husband.In an interview with The Times this week, Mr Badenoch confirmed the story for the first time. “He did something that was very, very annoying,” she admitted.When asked by Trevor Phillips what the “very annoying” thing was on Sunday (11 February), Mr Gove replied: “Me being me, there are plenty of things I do that irritate my colleagues from time to time.” More

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    Michael Gove dodges £1000 bet on Rwanda flights with Trevor Phillips and offers him dinner instead

    Michael Gove has refused to follow Rishi Sunak’s example and enter into a £1,000 bet over the success of the Government’s Rwanda asylum scheme.The Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Secretary told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips: “I don’t have that sort of money, Trevor.”But he added “we absolutely will” get flights off the ground before the general election.Asked whether he would make the bet with £100, Mr Gove said: “I would happily give you 100 quid, take you out for a very nice meal and spend that money on making sure that you are a happier man.”Phillips replied: “This is a political programme, not a dating agency.” More

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    BBC political editor Nick Robinson reveals ‘best’ cancer advice he received from unexpected source at No 10

    BBC former political editor Nick Robinson has revealed the “best” cancer advice he received from an unexpected source at No 10.Mr Robinson was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2015 and has undergone various treatments including surgery and chemotherapy.The 60-year-old, who is now a presenter on BBC Radio 4 Today programme, opened up about a visit to see David Cameron, who was Prime Minister at the time, at Downing Street.Speaking on The Today podcast on Saturday (10 February), he said: “I was greeted at the door by his top official, Chris Martin. A lovely man, sadly no longer with us.”Mr Robinson then revealed Mr Martin had put back his meeting with Mr Cameron as he wanted to speak with the journalist about cancer and offered some words of wisdom following his own battle. More

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    Rishi Sunak refuses to confirm general election date

    Rishi Sunak has once again refused to be drawn on exactly when a general election could be called.Speaking to ITV News on Friday 9 February, the prime minister suggested the UK will have a “brighter future” with another Conservative government and claimed voting in Labour would be “going back to square one”.“We are going to have an election this year,” Mr Sunak said when asked if a vote would happen “sooner rather than later”.“We have had a tough couple of years, I am the first person to say that… but at the start of this year, we are really pointing in the right direction.” More

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    Paddy McGuinness shocks Question Time audience with dental care story

    Paddy McGuinness shocked Question Time host Fiona Bruce – and the audience – by revealing his father once used pliers to pull his teeth.The panel, which also included James Daly and Wes Streeting, were discussing the difficulty of registering as an NHS dentist patient when a member of the audience asked if it was “time to invest in a pair of pliers”.“Funnily enough my dad did that, took his own teeth out because he couldn’t get a dentist appointment,” McGuinness said, drawing a shocked “what?” from Bruce.“This is a few years back, so I know that first hand.” More