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Dowden will appear on Sophy Ridge and Laura Kuenssberg shows, as Tories consider controversial plan to politicise civil service
Good morning, and welcome to our rolling live political coverage for Sunday. The main attraction first thing will be newly appointed deputy PM Oliver Dowden facing Sophy Ridge on Sky News at 8.30am, followed by Laura Kuenssberg at 9am. The latter has been bumped to BBC Two this morning because lots of people are running around London. Jonathan Ashworth, Labour’s shadow work and pensions Secretary, and Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats are also on media duties this morning.
Here are the headlines:
Radical plans to bring in more “politicisation” of Whitehall by allowing ministers greater powers to appoint their own civil servants – including some with overt political affiliations – are being considered by the government’s own adviser on the civil service.
The leader of the Royal College of Nursing has said a legal attempt by the health secretary to block next weekend’s strike in England is “frightening for democracy and very frightening for trade unionism”.
Polling stations in England will have extra staff to help voters on 4 May as the government introduces its new rules on photographic ID, the Electoral Commission has said.
Boris Johnson fell out with his former chief adviser Dominic Cummings after growing tired of being treated like a “young and inexperienced king” who needed to be kept in order, Michael Gove has revealed in a book.
If you are in the UK, your phone is going to go off at 3pm in a national emergency alarm test of a system that has been years in the making. Here is how to switch it off.
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