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Thousands of UK political ads went missing from Facebook’s searchable advertising database on Tuesday, hampering researchers’ ability to track political ads two days before Britain’s general election. Facebook’s ad library, which it launched in the UK in 2018, is a public tool for users to track political advertising on the platform. The problem, first reported by Sky News, affected ads from the ruling Conservative Party, the Brexit Party and the Liberal Democrats. It was not immediately clear if any Labor Party ads were affected. Facebook declined to answer what caused the issue or when it would be resolved. …

LONDON — The governing Conservative party lost its majority today as one of its MPs defected to join the anti-Brexit Liberal Democrats. Phillip Lee sat on the opposition benches on Tuesday as Prime Minister Boris Johnson stood to deliver a statement in the House of Commons. The move increases pressure on Johnson, whose majority was already looking shaky, but does not automatically trigger an election because that would require a separate vote.

ProPublica reports the Republican National Committee (RNC) has set yet another fundraising record, while the Democratic National Committee (DNC) registered its lowest figure in April during a midterm election cycle since 2006. In the same month, the report reveals the DNC had expenditures totaling $8.3 million and finished up with $8.7 million in cash. The party currently owes $5.3 million.

In a shocking move, the leader of Britain's Europhile and socially liberal party, the LibDems, have announced he'll step down. The reason? 'Christian Tim Farron stepped down amid speculation Lib Dem heavyweight Sir Vince Cable will lead the party. 'Mr Farron said it has felt "impossible" to be Lib Dem leader "living as a faithful Christian" and said he wants "to remain faithful to Christ". 'His resignation will trigger a leadership election next month when Parliament breaks for the summer recess.' Farron was criticized during the election campaign in Britain because he appeared to believe that practicing homosexuality was a...

More than 80 MPs are plotting to stage a Parliamentary vote calling for a second Brexit referendum. In a move that prompted anger from Conservative ministers a coalition of MPs led by Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrat leader, said that they now intend to force a vote calling for another referendum of the terms of Britain’s exit from the EU. Theresa May’s Government is appealing a High Court ruling which stated that she must get Parliament’s approval before triggering Article 50, which formally begins the Brexit negotiations with Brussels. If she loses the appeal, Europhile backbenchers have vowed to lay...

Jeremy Corbyn: 9/11 Was 'Manipulated' In comments that will raise questions about his suitability to lead the Labour Party, Mr Corbyn appeared to blame George Bush and Tony Blair for using the September 11 attacks in New York to allow them to go to war By Peter Dominiczak 25 Sep 2015 Jeremy Corbyn has claimed that 9/11 was "manipulated" to make it look like Osama Bin Laden was responsible to allow the West to go to war in Afghanistan.

Possession of all drugs, including heroin and cocaine, would be decriminalized under radical plans tabled by the Liberal Democrats today. The party’s push, led by ex-police chief Brian Paddick, will attempt to ambush a Government Bill to ban the sale of legal highs when it is debated by the Lords. Under their proposals, nobody would be arrested or prosecuted for possession of drugs—even the hardest Class A substances. Instead, police “may” ask the offender to attend a drug awareness course or treatment program. […] Kathy Gyngell, of the Centre for Policy Studies, described the latest plan to decriminalize heroin as...

Nigel Farage tonight claimed victory in the European elections, becoming the first 'insurgent party' to top a national vote. With results still being declared, Mr Farage broke cover to predict he will humiliate the Westminster parties, pushing Labour and the Tories into second and third. Support for Ukip has surged by more than 12 per cent, outstripping a more modest boost in votes for Labour, while the Lib Dems faced near-wipeout, with some calling for Nick Clegg to resign. Mr Farage said: 'Ukip is going to win this election and yes that will be an earthquake because never before in...

Parents who dress their daughters in pink and force them to play with dolls are holding back the economy, a Government minister has said. Jenny Willott, the Consumer Affairs minister, said that women were being forced into professions that paid less well because of gender stereotyping when they were young children. Girls were often guided into low paying occupations like nursing because of the types of toys they were given to play with. This led to an over-representation of women among nurses—and of men among engineers and physicists. …

Britain deserves a “more accountable, more decisive” Government than the coalition that would do more to cut tax, go further on welfare reform and reform human rights law, David Cameron has said. The Prime Minister said he “very passionately” wants to lead a single party administration after the election, complaining that the Liberal Democrats have held the Conservatives back in a series of key areas. He hinted that he would ultimately like to cut the top rate of income tax to 40 percent—a move said to have been vetoed by the Lib Dems, who wanted it reduced from 50p to...

A FORMER child protection officer claimed last night a Special Branch detective held a gun to his head to stop him investigating a VIP paedophile ring. Chris Fay said he was pinned to a wall and throttled before being given a chilling warning to “back away” from allegations surrounding the notorious Elm Guest House in Barnes, south-west London. Young boys in care were allegedly taken there in the Eighties to be abused by high-profile MPs and other powerful establishment figures. Mr Fay, who worked for the now-defunct National Association of Young People In Care, accused the Metropolitan Police of acting...

All children in their first three years of primary school will be given free school meals in a £600 million ($9.5 million) giveaway meant to reduce the cost of living for parents, Nick Clegg has said. The Liberal Democrat leader said that the new policy, which will take effect in September next year, will be worth more than £400 ($636) a year for each child aged five, six or seven. … Mr. Clegg said that the giveaway on school meals was part of the Coalition’s bid to ease the strain on household finances. He told the BBC that all parents...

He is said to move in mysterious ways and, at last, there may be an explanation why. For according to pensions minister Steve Webb, God is a Liberal Democrat. Although the party has been languishing in single figures in the polls, he argues that, in the long term, it has the support of the Almighty. Writing in a new book about the party’s relationship with Christianity, Mr. Webb says it is clear from the Bible that God shares the Lib Dems’ core beliefs. … Despite Mr. Webb’s eye-catching claims, the book is unlikely to feature on Nick Clegg’s reading list,...

Nick Clegg’s party has unveiled proposals to only allow ultra-low carbon vehicles on UK roads by 2040. The controversial measures would mean millions of petrol and diesel cars being forbidden. Only electric vehicles and ultra-efficient hybrid cars would be allowed on UK roads under the Lib Dem plans. However, petrol and diesel vehicles would still be allowed for freight purposes. … The Lib Dems also want to introduce a system of road pricing in congested areas. … As part of the party’s plans to create a “zero-carbon” Britain, the Lib Dems could also embrace nuclear power and shale gas exploration....

Drunks injured in booze-fueled brawls should be charged for their NHS treatment, Nick Clegg said today. The Deputy Prime Minister revealed he backed the idea of imposing levies on people who get “completely blind drunk and get themselves into a scrap”. An estimated two million visits are made to A&E every year for alcohol-related illnesses and injuries. Experts say the cost of alcohol to the NHS exceeds £3 billion ($4.6 billion) per year. … Clegg admitted some town and city centers have become “no-go areas” in on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. He said it was unacceptable for the taxpayer...

The deputy Prime Minister said it risked "undermining public confidence" to let illegal immigrants stay if they have been in the country for more than 10 years. In his first major speech on immigration, he abandoned the controversial proposal, which was championed by the Liberal Democrats at the last election. Mr Clegg previously supported the idea of "earned citizenship" for illegal immigrants. His 2010 general election manifesto stated the Liberal Democrats would allow an amnesty for those who had been in the country a decade, speak English and have a clean record......

A Liberal Democrat MP facing disciplinary action after accusing “the Jews” of atrocities against Palestinians has issued a public apology for causing “unintended offense”. David Ward’s comments—posted on his website ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day—were condemned by party chiefs and sparked a furious backlash. … In a new post on Saturday afternoon he said he “never for a moment intended to criticize or offend the Jewish people as a whole, either as a race or as a people of faith, and apologize sincerely for the unintended offense which my words caused.” …

A Liberal Democrat MP in Britain faces expulsion from the party for saying Jews had not learned from the murder of six million in the Holocaust in their treatment of Palestinian Authority Arabs, the Daily Mail reports. David Ward, MP for Bradford East, wrote on his own website that he was “saddened” that Jews “could within a few years of liberation from the death camps be inflicting atrocities on Palestinians…on a daily basis.” “Having visited Auschwitz twice – once with my family and once with local schools – I am saddened that the Jews, who suffered unbelievable levels of persecution...

Nick Clegg has warned Britain is at risk of leaving the EU if Tories keep trying to “unravel” Europe by clawing back powers. After the Government lost a vote to rebels on the EU budget, the Deputy Prime Minister warned that Britain is in real danger of exiting if Tories keep “stamping their feet” and demanding new rules. He also claimed “a grand, unilateral repatriation of powers might sound appealing, but in reality, it is a false promise wrapped in a Union Jack”. … In a warning to the Tory leadership, Mr. Clegg said there is a “shorter leap” than...

Vince Cable has warned that Europe could be plunged into war if the crisis in the eurozone results in the collapse of the currency. The Liberal Democrat Business Secretary said that the potential consequences of the failure of the Euro were "incalculable" and that there was "no automatic guarantee" that the continent would not disintegrate into conflict. … Speaking at the Cheltenham Literary Festival, Mr. Cable said: "I think we need to take stock that if the eurozone were to unravel in a way that destroyed the European project—and there is a risk that could happen—the consequences would be absolutely...