The best and worst ads of 2019 December 16, 2019 It has been a year of highs and lows for adland. PRs, creative agencies, and brands will be examining their advertising efforts this month, and while some will be pleased with their work, others will be looking to improve next year. To help with this process, I asked members of the marketing industry and other [...]
‘You can’t make s*** up about me’: Emily Thornberry launches legal action against ex-Labour MP Caroline Flint December 16, 2019 Labour plunged into internal fighting today following the party’s heavy election defeat after shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry filed legal action against former MP Caroline Flint. Flint, who lost her her Don Valley seat on Thursday after holding it for 22 years, claimed yesterday that Thornberry had called her constituents “stupid” for voting to leave [...]
Watch the weird moment John Bercow cries ‘Order!’ in Italian on talk show December 16, 2019 Former speaker John Bercow is apparently so famous for his interjections of “Order!” that he is now bellowing the word in foreign languages. The House of Commons’ ex-speaker, who left the role after 10 years in the run up to the General Election, has found new fame in a video of him shouting what has [...]
Former trade bosses question Boris Johnson’s 2020 EU deal claims December 16, 2019 Four former trade and business secretaries have criticised Boris Johnson’s claims that he can strike a comprehensive trade deal with the European Union by the end of 2020. In interviews with City A.M., Sir Vince Cable, Lord Michael Heseltine, Lord Peter Mandelson and Lord John Hutton – all ex-presidents of the Board of Trade – [...]
A deal by (next) Christmas? Ex-trade bosses weigh up PM’s claims December 16, 2019 No delays, no excuses. That was the mantra of Boris Johnson’s hugely successful election campaign. At its heart was an ambitious commitment to get a trade deal with the European Union wrapped up by the end of the transition period – 31 December 2020. The private view of Brussels bosses is not optimistic. “Eleven months [...]
Boris Johnson prepares mini-cabinet reshuffle as new Tory MPs arrive December 16, 2019 Prime Minister Boris Johnson will welcome his new tranche of Conservative MPs when they arrive in Westminster later today before the first day of the new parliament. Johnson, whose decision to call a snap election paid off in resounding fashion last week when voters returned him to Downing Street with what he called a “stonking” [...]
This iteration of Labour has no chance of ever winning an election again December 16, 2019 “‘Winning’ is the small bit that matters to political elites who want to keep power themselves.” These words, tweeted in July 2016 by Corbynista activist Jon Lansman, summarise with chilling clarity the state in which Labour now finds itself. Still reeling from its worst election result since 1935, the buoyancy of the Labour campaign has [...]
DEBATE: Will the next election be about something other than Brexit? December 16, 2019 Will the next election be about something other than Brexit? John Oxley, a Conservative commentator, says YES. The Conservatives fought this election to effect Brexit. With a majority as strong as this, they will achieve that next month and not fight an election for five years — unless they sense victory in an earlier poll. [...]
City of London grandees celebrate Conservative majority December 15, 2019 City heavyweights have lined up to express bullish excitement about the Square Mile’s prospects after the Conservatives’ landslide election win. Boris Johnson’s self-proclaimed “stonking” majority means the UKwill leave the EU by 31 January, which pundits say will provide desperately needed clarity for the financial sector. Read more: UK stocks surge after Conservative win ends [...]
Labour’s period of reflection quickly turns into heated leadership race December 15, 2019 Labour’s post-election period of reflection has already turned into a factional race to succeed Jeremy Corbyn as MPs came out swinging yesterday. The party looks set for a factional showdown as those on the Corbynite left face off against Labour moderates. Read more: John McDonnell apologises for loss before blaming the media for result Both [...]