It may have taken two-and-half-years and one last-minute ditched attempt, but on Tuesday MPs were finally given the chance to cast their meaningful vote on Theresa May’s Brexit deal – and the build-up was everywhere.
From footage of protesters on Westminster’s College Green, to excitable newspaper front pages and rolling TV news coverage, it was impossible to escape Brexit.
But the vote on May’s proposal to leave the EU wasn’t the only news of the day yesterday – far from it.
Here’s a round up of all the stories you might have missed on Tuesday while constantly refreshing Twitter for Brexit updates....
The Best Piers Morgan Can Be
While MPs got all het up in Westminster, men on the internet got equally hot and bothered after shaving brand Gillette suggested they might be anything other than perfect.
Gillette’s ‘Me Too’ advert, which calls on men to hold each other accountable with its refreshed slogan ‘The best men can be’, sparked rage among men’s rights activists who accused it of ‘man-hating’.
Meanwhile, ‘Good Morning Britain’ host Piers Morgan almost combusted with eagerness to add his two-pennies worth.
“I’ve used @Gillette razors my entire adult life but this absurd virtue-signalling PC guff may drive me away to a company less eager to fuel the current pathetic global on masculinity,” Morgan furiously typed on Twitter.
“Let boys be damn boys,” he wrote. “Let men be damn men.”
It’s almost as if they might have missed the point of the ad…
Hillsborough Trial
A trial on Tuesday heard how the “extraordinarily bad” failings of match Hillsborough commander David Duckenfield caused the deaths of 96 “wholly innocent” Liverpool supporters.
Former South Yorkshire Police chief superintendent Duckenfield – who is on trial accused of the gross negligence manslaughter of 95 football fans – failed to trigger emergency measures to free trapped supporters as the disaster unfolded, Preston Crown Court was told.
Prosecuting QC Richard Matthews told jurors: “It is the prosecution’s case that David Duckenfield’s failures to discharge this personal responsibility were extraordinarily bad and contributed substantially to the deaths of each of those 96 people who so tragically and unnecessarily lost their lives.”
The 74-year-old, who is on trial alongside former Sheffield Wednesday club secretary Graham Mackrell, denies the charges.
M&S Loses Some Of Its Spark
The already-struggling high street received a fresh blow on Tuesday after retail giant Marks & Spencer revealed plans for another wave of closures.
Under plans to shut down more than 100 of its stores by 2022, M&S yesterday earmarked the next 17 branches set to shut their doors for good including stores in Hull, Boston, Felixstowe and Rotherham.
The plans will affect 1,045 staff, it emerged.
The news comes just weeks after department store chain Debenhams reportedly revised the number of stores it could close in 2019 from 60 to 90, after dire Christmas trading saw sales plummet by 5.7%.
Luxury Nairobi Hotel Targeted In ‘Suspected Terror Attack’
Fifteen people died and guests and workers at a luxury hotel complex in Kenya were forced to run for their lives after it was attacked by suspected militants on Tuesday afternoon.
Gunfire and blasts were heard at the upscale hotel and office complex in the capital city of Nairobi, with Kenyan police calling the incident a “suspected terror attack”.
Eye-witnesses told the BBC that armed officers had escorted a number of people away from the scene of the attack, many of whom were covered in blood.
Somalia-based extremist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack, telling news outlet Al Jazeera: “We are currently conducting an operation in Nairobi.”
Ronald McDonald Comes To Donald Trump’s Rescue
Donald Trump – just the man you need to provide a healthy dose of ridiculousness when the situation in Westminster leaves you feeling blue.
After the US President’s $5.7bn demand to build a wall on the border with Mexico led to a government shutdown and left him without his usual catering staff, Trump was faced with a dilemma – what should he feed the college American football champions invited to the White House for dinner?
Should the billionaire use some of the cash hanging around in his personal coffers to hire a chef? Should he and Melania roll up their sleeves and rustle up some delicious grub for the deserving football players? Should he take them out for dinner?
Nah. Instead, Trump decided to order “great American food” from fast-food outlets McDonald’s and Wendy’s.
“We have pizzas, we have 300 hamburgers, many, many french fries, all of our favourite foods,” the commander in chief told reporters.
Probably not *quite* the feast the Clemson Tigers were expecting when they received their invite…
Meanwhile At The DWP...
Changes to the disability benefits system ministers said would save the government 20% has actually cost an extra £2bn, according to the Treasury’s spending watchdog.
The government estimated it would save around £2bn by 2018 by replacing the disability living allowance with personal independence payments in 2013.
But figures released by the Office for Budget Responsibility on Tuesday revealed the Department for Work and Pensions had drastically underestimated the cost of rolling out the new system, with an over-spend of between £1.5bn and £2bn calculated.