Abuse is putting female MPs off standing for re-election November 1, 2019 Two-thirds of female MPs say that slow progress tackling violence against women in politics is impacting their willingness to stand for re-election, according to a survey released as concerns mount over the number of women stepping down at the next election. The research, carried out for the Commons’ Women and Equalities Committee (WEC), surveyed 147 [...]
To speak or not to speak: The battle for free speech November 1, 2019 I remember the excitement of setting up my first Personal Computer and being able to get email. The potential to connect with people from around the world in an instance was inspiring, as was the sense that the Information Superhighway and World Wide Web were going to transform our world forever. I also remember being [...]
Nigel Farage: Brexit Party will contest ‘every seat’ if PM rejects olive branch November 1, 2019 Nigel Farage has offered an olive branch to Boris Johnson by calling for a “leave alliance” with the Brexit Party in return for softening his Brexit position. Farage launched the party’s campaign this morning, where he said the party planned to field candidates in every constituency in England, Wales and Scotland in next month’s general [...]
Brexit Party to run in hundreds of seats in the general election November 1, 2019 Nigel Farage is set to launch an assault on hundreds of seats in a major threat to the Conservatives’ hopes of gaining a majority in next month’s general election. Farage is set to launch the Brexit Party’s election campaign this morning, just a day after it was rumoured the party would only run for about [...]
MP Antoinette Sandbach quits Tories for Liberal Democrats November 1, 2019 Antoinette Sandbach, one of the Conservative MPs who was expelled from the party in September, this morning announced she had joined the Liberal Democrats. The Remain supporter was one of 21 MPs who had the whip removed after voting against Boris Johnson in an attempt to avoid a no-deal Brexit. Read more: The 21 MPs [...]
Downing Street responds to Donald Trump’s Brexit deal criticism November 1, 2019 Number 10 has defended Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal after President Donald Trump threatened it could thwart a trade agreement between the UK and US. Trump warned the US “can’t make a trade deal with the UK” under the terms of the Prime Minister’s EU withdrawal agreement. Read more: Donald Trump slams Jeremy Corbyn and says [...]
Enfranchise the teenager? Votes at 16 is not as mad as you think November 1, 2019 “Votes at 16!” opposition MPs demanded in the debate on whether Britain should have an election. They were denied the chance to vote on this by the deputy speaker, so 16–17 year olds will not be voting on 12 December – a relief, given the gargantuan hurdle of registering 1.4m new voters. But the question [...]
For Generation Insecurity, the British dream has turned sour November 1, 2019 My 14 year old son is in a band. He loves playing to his classmates and studying GCSE music. Bizarrely (for me), he’s quite into Queen and eighties songs, which I joke with him was the same stuff I was listening to when I was his age. Intergenerational humour apart, it got me thinking about [...]
DEBATE: Does the spate of Conservative MP resignations suggest that the party’s ideology is narrowing? November 1, 2019 Does the spate of Conservative MP resignations suggest that the party’s ideology is narrowing? Ben Kelly, a commentator for Reaction, says YES. The Conservative party has been a formidable election-winning machine because of an ability to adapt to its circumstances. This strength comes from its diversity as an alliance of various political factions, united by [...]
MPs slam tumble dryer company Whirlpool over attitude to safety November 1, 2019 MPs today slammed tumble dryer company Whirlpool for its attitude to safety and its use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). A report by the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee declared it “astonishing” that four years on from Whirlpool revealing defects in its tumble-dryers that as many as 800,000 defective machines could still be present [...]