Fancy a four-day work week? Look to the private sector, not misguided politicians November 15, 2019 Labour’s promise of a four-day work week was put through the wringer this week, when questions surfaced over whether the policy would apply to NHS employees. The shadow health secretary said it wouldn’t, the shadow chancellor promised it would, and suddenly people were wondering how the NHS would cope if it were to lose twenty [...]
British business needs more than a Brexit resolution November 15, 2019 With the election campaign now in full swing, the familiar ideological battle lines are being drawn: the size of the state, the NHS, and, of course, Brexit. The impact of Brexit uncertainty on enterprise has been discussed ad nauseam — but sadly, this hasn’t made it any less real. Numerous missed Brexit “deadlines” and ongoing [...]
DEBATE: Is the UK going to require higher taxes in the future? November 15, 2019 Whoever wins this election, is the UK going to require higher taxes in the future? Adam Corlett, senior economic analyst at the Resolution Foundation and author of its report “The shifting shape of UK tax”, says YES. Tax is set to be a major battleground at the election. Labour has been upfront about its plans [...]
Number with wages set by Whitehall could treble after election November 15, 2019 The proportion of workers paid the minimum wage would treble under Labour’s plans and double under the Tories, a report has found, causing a dramatic increase in the number whose pay is set directly by Whitehall. The Conservatives have pledged to raise the so-called national living wage to around £10.50 by 2024 and extend it [...]
City reacts with shock to Labour’s plans to part-nationalise BT November 14, 2019 The City reacted with shock tonight to Labour’s plans to part-nationalise FTSE 100 giant BT and promise free full-fibre broadband for every UK household. Labour unveiled the new £20bn policy late last night and said it would pay for its plan by levying a tax on tech giants such as Amazon, Google and Facebook. Chief [...]
Sadiq Khan set to build ‘just half of annual housing target’ November 14, 2019 Sadiq Khan is on track to build just half the amount of promised new housing this year, after the latest figures show he has built fewer than 5,000, with six months left to hit a 17,000 target. Figures released today show 2,202 Greater London Authority-funded houses were started between July and September, compared to 2,672 [...]
General Election 2019: Priti Patel hammers Labour over immigration as party splits on free movement November 14, 2019 Home secretary Priti Patel has said immigration would be cut “overall” under a Conservative government – and raised alarm bells over Labour’s shifting position on freedom of movement. Patel said plans to bring in an Australian-style points based immigration system for EU and non-EU migrants would reduce the numbers coming to the UK. The home secretary [...]
General Election: Labour has ‘close to zero’ chance of majority, says pollster John Curtice November 14, 2019 Labour has “close to zero” chance of securing a majority this election, according to one of the country’s foremost polling experts. Sir John Curtice today said the most likely outcome was either an outright Conservative victory or a hung parliament. But he noted that could still result in a Remain-led coalition and second referendum. Read [...]
Rory Stewart launches London mayor election campaign with ideas roadshow November 14, 2019 Rory Stewart today revealed he will rely on the general public to form much of his policy platform for his mayor of London campaign. His London Speaks initiative will see Stewart and campaigners collect ideas from people throughout London on how they would improve the capital. Read more: Rory Stewart falls behind in the race [...]
General Election: Film star Eddie Marsan calls Jeremy Corbyn ‘either an antisemite or ignorant’ November 14, 2019 Happy-Go-Lucky actor Eddie Marsan has attacked Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn as “either an antisemite, or ignorant” at a Liberal Democrats event today. The actor, who has campaigned against anti-Jewish racism, told supporters and journalists that despite voting for Labour since the 1980s he would back the Lib Dems in 2019. Read more: Nigel Farage’s Brexit [...]