Business calls for clarity and collaboration after MAC report January 28, 2020 Businesses have called on the government for clarity and collaboration in building the UK’s new immigration system, after an influential report was published this morning. The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) this morning recommended a two-pronged approach combining the Australian-style points system so beloved of Brexiters alongside a salary threshold. However the MAC argued that the [...]
Huawei gets government’s go ahead for limited involvement in UK 5G January 28, 2020 Chinese tech firm Huawei has been given the go-ahead for limited involvement in the UK’s 5G infrastructure, the government has confirmed. The full details of the decision, which was agreed at a meeting of the National Security Council this morning, are expected to be laid out by culture secretary Baroness Nicky Morgan in the House [...]
Combine points and salary threshold in new immigration system, MAC report suggests January 28, 2020 Downing Street should introduce a points-based system for skilled workers already with a job offer, when drawing up its post-Brexit immigration system, an influential new report has recommended. The Migration Advisory Committee’s long-awaited review, which the government is expected to lean heavily ahead of bringing forward its immigration bill in March, said the current Tier [...]
DEBATE: Does it make sense to ban Huawei from access to the UK 5G network? January 28, 2020 Does it make sense to ban Huawei from access to the UK 5G network? Matt Kilcoyne, deputy director of the Adam Smith Institute, says YES. Chinese state-owned enterprises are accused by our Five Eyes intelligence partners in Australia and the US of keeping extensive databases on foreign individuals. That’s everything from who you’ve rung, when [...]
It’s not just Whitehall that needs a Dominic Cummings January 28, 2020 The topic of Whitehall reform has never exactly been sexy. No list of “Moments that Made the Modern World” would ever include, let alone kick off with, the publication of the Northcote-Trevelyan Report in 1854. Even many who work in Westminster would be unable to pick the cabinet secretary out of a line-up, even though [...]
We’ve got online shopping and internet banking, now it’s time for digital voting January 28, 2020 On 12 December, 24m of us trudged to polling stations — many braving wind and rain. Another eight million cast postal votes or had proxies. But about 20m UK adults did not vote at all. Some probably really did not want to, but for many others, it was just too inconvenient. A General Election costs [...]
From climate change to the Iran crisis, we need to bring back the experts January 28, 2020 The EU Referendum set in motion a debate the nation had rarely seen before. Among the first casualties of the divisive and brutal campaign were the “experts”. As Michael Gove famously said, the country had had enough of experts getting it wrong. The public rejected advice from academics, business leaders and prominent politicians, and voted [...]
With 100 days to go, can Sadiq Khan lose the 2020 London mayoral election? January 28, 2020 Even Sadiq Khan’s biggest critics would acknowledge his skill in working a crowd. The mayor of London glides from person to person, selfie to selfie, handshake to handshake. At a time when politicians are not exactly enjoying public favour, he seems to have plenty of Londoners firmly on his side. The response toward Khan by [...]
Business blocked from immigration discussions after MAC report, Downing Street suggests January 28, 2020 The government has signalled there will be no more formal consultation with business groups on immigration policy as it begins drawing up a new system for the post-Brexit regime. Instead, ministers will rely on a long-awaited report from the independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) which will be unveiled in Westminster this morning. It is understood [...]
FBI got ‘zero cooperation’ from Prince Andrew on Jeffrey Epstein probe January 27, 2020 The FBI and US federal prosecutors have reportedly sought to interview Prince Andrew about his links to Jeffrey Epstein, but have not yet received a response. The US Attorney for the Southern District of New York revealed the prince’s lack of cooperation during a press conference about victims of human and sex trafficking. In response [...]