Election 2019: Boris Johnson raises red flag over Heathrow and HS2 December 9, 2019 Boris Johnson appeared to raise a red flag over major infrastructure projects including the expansion of Heathrow and HS2. Read more: Former Ofcom boss to advise on Heathrow terminal monopoly probe The Prime Minister, who broke off from campaigning in the north of England to speak to LBC radio, said that while he wasn’t “temperamentally [...]
Election 2019: Labour to ‘get money moving out of Whitehall and the City’ December 9, 2019 Labour’s shadow chancellor John McDonnell will today pledge to “get money moving out of Whitehall and the City”, and start nationalising key utilities, within the first 100 days of a Jeremy Corbyn government. Read more: John McDonnell outlines plans to borrow extra £58bn for Waspi women Speaking from London today, McDonnell will pledge to kick-start [...]
China hopes to secure trade deal with US ‘as soon as possible’ December 9, 2019 China said it hopes to secure a trade deal with the US “as soon as possible”, raising hopes of a breakthrough ahead of a fresh round of intense negotiations this week. Assistant Commerce Minister Ren Hongbin told reporters this morning that Beijing hopes to reach a trade agreement with the US that will satisfy both [...]
The best and worst political adverts of the General Election 2019 campaign December 9, 2019 It is the holiday season, and every day another Christmas advertising campaign drops. But this year, a festive election is happening for the first time in 96 years — and whether we like it or not, it’s hanging over everything. In no particular order, and with a pinch of non-partisan cynicism, here are some honest [...]
The brain-dead era of Angela Merkel is limping to a finish December 9, 2019 The always interesting French President Emmanuel Macron got it precisely wrong in November when he airily derided Nato — the most successful alliance in the history of the world — as experiencing “brain death”. Brazening it out, Macron doubled down, defending his remark at the Nato summit of last week. As I never tire of [...]
General Election 2019: The Tory battle to regain Battersea and Kensington December 8, 2019 A little over a month ago, things looked bleak for the Conservative Party in London. With most of the party’s resources being directed towards Leave-supporting areas in the Midlands and the North, and the Liberal Democrats heavily targeting pro-Remain seats in the capital, it seemed possible that a clutch of west London seats could turn [...]
John McDonnell outlines plans to borrow extra £58bn for Waspi women pledge December 8, 2019 Shadow chancellor John McDonnell has defended the Labour party’s plans to borrow the vast majority of the £58bn of pension compensation it has promised 1950s-born women. Challenged over how Labour would pay for the expensive election pledge on BBC’s Andrew Marr show, McDonnell said: “We will borrow, and I don’t shy away from that, because [...]
John McDonnell concedes antisemitism has hurt Labour’s campaign December 8, 2019 Shadow chancellor John McDonnell has admitted that the accusations of antisemitism engulfing the Labour party have hurt its General Election campaign. “I worry that this has had its effect,” McDonnell told the BBC’s Marr show on the final Sunday before the 12 December polling day. Read more: Boris Johnson says leaked document ‘wrong’ about Irish [...]
Boris Johnson says leaked document ‘wrong’ about Irish Sea customs checks December 8, 2019 Boris Johnson has rejected claims that his Brexit deal would cause new customs checks on goods travelling between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, but conceded they would apply to products bound for the Republic of Ireland. The PM’s Brexit deal would see Northern Ireland remain in the UK’s customs territory but abide by EU rules [...]
General Election: New polling shows anything from huge Conservative majority to a hung parliament December 8, 2019 Four different polls released this weekend all show Boris Johnson’s Conservative party leading Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour party – but the chance of a hung parliament remains on a knife-edge. The polls give the Tories leads between eight and 15 points, just days out from the 12 December General Election. Even if the Conservatives lead Labour [...]