Labour’s executive shifts blame for election loss away from Corbyn January 29, 2020 Labour’s executive team has sought to blame Brexit and “four years of unrelenting attacks” on Jeremy Corbyn for the party’s worst performance in 80 years, a leaked document reveals. A report written by election co-ordinators Andrew Gwynne and Ian Lavery and circulated at a meeting of the National Executive Committee, said it would be “unrealistic” [...]
Mike Pompeo jets in to UK as US raises Huawei concerns January 29, 2020 US secretary of state Mike Pempeo will arrive in the UK for talks with the government today over its decision to let Chinese telecoms giant Huawei build parts of its 5G network against American advice. The talks are also expected to cover the death of Harry Dunn, another source of tension in the “special relationship” [...]
Has the business world found its purpose? Trust, but verify January 29, 2020 Last week’s Davos carnival was an orgy of virtue signalling. A group of senior executives flew in on private jets to talk about how to tackle climate change. Leaders of companies that have been highly active in lobbying for corporate tax breaks signed a letter calling for higher taxes on the rich if we are [...]
Want to level up the UK? Look at disparity within the regions, not just between them January 29, 2020 It is a truth which has rapidly become universally acknowledged (to borrow Jane Austen’s famous phrase) that the government must deliver for its new supporters in the regions. This is a massive challenge. The gap in income per head, for example, between London and other areas of the country is obviously large. But the firm [...]
Friday marks the end of the beginning of the Brexit battle January 29, 2020 One of Winston Churchill’s many gifts was his ability to summon the force of his rhetoric as a means of divining the feeling of the British nation. His passionate invocations in the dark days of the summer of 1940, when the UK stood alone against the Nazi menace, were masterpieces of fighting spirit, helping to [...]
UK’s botched £46m Brexit ad campaign ‘had little impact’ January 28, 2020 Boris Johnson’s aborted ad campaign urging people and businesses to prepare for Brexit did not have a “significant” impact, according to the public spending watchdog. The government originally pledged £100m for its ‘Get Ready for Brexit’ campaign, promising an advertising blitz across billboards, TV and radio ahead of the 31 October deadline. But the campaign [...]
London to see biggest hit from new immigration system January 28, 2020 London is expected to see the biggest impact from proposed changes to the UK’s immigration system, the influential MAC report has warned. Published this morning, the Migration Advisory Committee has set out a twin-pronged approach for the government to build its post-Brexit framework, deploying a combination of an Australian-style points-based system with a salary threshold [...]
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 [...]