Health secretary Hancock suggests A&E waiting targets could be scrapped January 15, 2020 Four-hour waiting targets for A&E could be scrapped in England, on the back of the worst figures on record this winter, Matt Hancock hinted this morning. The health secretary said “clinically appropriate” aims and the “right targets” would be a better approach, as he sought to defend the NHS’s failure to meet existing targets in [...]
A tip for Dominic Cummings: Don’t hire anyone who fails to grasp the power of incentives January 15, 2020 The job advert issued by Dominic Cummings for people to work in government has attracted a wide range of comments. One particular focus has been on the sorts of skills he is looking for. Computer science, forecasting, artificial intelligence, causality theory — all these topics excite his interest. Cummings advocates a small selection of scientific [...]
Time to cull the ministers who sit around the cabinet table January 15, 2020 Walter Bagehot, one of the fathers of our modern constitutional structure, believed that the cabinet was the “efficient secret” of the British state. But what if the institution is now too large to run the country efficiently? I agree with the assessment from chief Number 10 aide Dominic Cummings that the cabinet as it stands [...]
DEBATE: Is a new ‘Trump deal’ the answer to the Iran nuclear problem? January 15, 2020 Is a new “Trump deal” the answer to the Iran nuclear problem? YES, says Ben Kelly, a commentator for Reaction. Does anyone genuinely believe that Donald Trump’s objection to the Iran nuclear deal was based on detailed analysis of its contents? No. Trump rejected it as part of his obsession with dismantling Barack Obama’s legacy. [...]
Nickie Aiken: The country must move forward as one January 14, 2020 At times during last month’s General Election, City A.M. readers could be forgiven for thinking it was taking place in a different country. For much of the campaign the focus was far from London, with frontbenchers and their battle buses taking them through the midlands and the north as Labour and Tories fought it out [...]
RCEP or CPTPP: Will Asia finally agree a trade deal? January 14, 2020 It is occasionally worth revisiting where Asia is with its expansive and highly complex trade negotiations, given that one can often get lost in the acronyms and fanfare of the latest set of talks. The first major attempt, an agreement with 11 signatories called the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) or TPP11 — [...]
Harry Dunn death: Chances of extradition are very low, says PM January 14, 2020 Boris Johnson today said that the chances of extradition for the wife of a US intelligence officer accused of killing teenager Harry Dunn are “very low”. Speaking to BBC, the Prime Minister said: “I think the chances of America actually responding by sending Anne Sacoolas to this country are very low. That’s not what they [...]
UK, France and Germany trigger dispute mechanism over Iran nuclear deal January 14, 2020 The UK, France and Germany have triggered a dispute mechanism over the nuclear deal with Iran, amid fears that the country is slipping back towards developing weapons. Iran has suspended all limits on its production of enriched uranium, which can be used to make reactor fuel but also nuclear weapons. City A.M. understands that officials [...]
Boris Johnson calls on public to crowdfund Big Ben Brexit bongs January 14, 2020 Boris Johnson has urged the public to chip in to a crowdfunding campaign so that Big Ben can ring out to celebrate the UK’s departure from the EU. The Prime Minister called on Brits to “bung a bob for a Big Ben bong” after it emerged that the projected costs of the celebratory chimes had [...]
No second Scottish referendum, Boris Johnson tells Nicola Sturgeon January 14, 2020 There will be no second Scottish independence referendum, Boris Johnson has told Nicola Sturgeon, despite the SNP clearing up north of the border during last month’s general election. Sturgeon has been attempting to pile the pressure onto the Prime Minister since claiming 48 seats in the December poll, 8.1 per cent more than in the [...]