Philip Hammond: Government is blocking Brexit to ‘create a narrative’ October 29, 2019 Philip Hammond has claimed the government is blocking Brexit in order to “create a narrative” about an obstructive parliament. The former chancellor, who was sacked last month after going against Boris Johnson on a vote which effectively blocked a no deal, was scathing of the Prime Minister’s tactics. He told the BBC’s Today programme: “It [...]
DEBATE: Has the People’s Vote campaign blown its chance of a second referendum? October 29, 2019 Has the People’s Vote campaign blown its chance of a second referendum? Olivia Utley, deputy editor at TheArticle, says YES. So, the People’s Vote campaign has imploded. Why? Infighting has a lot to do with it. Political activism only works when the public can’t see what’s going on behind the scenes – and yesterday, the [...]
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is fuelling the toxic media discourse she so despises October 29, 2019 At a US congressional hearing last week, representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – the leading light of the 2018 Democratic intake – confronted Facebook’s chief executive Mark Zuckerberg. Zuckerberg was supposedly attending the hearing to discuss libra, Facebook’s nascent digital currency, now facing considerable legislative pressure. In five blistering minutes, Ocasio-Cortez widened her aim, taking him to [...]
UK spending rules should focus on investments rather than debt, economists say October 29, 2019 The UK needs new rules on taxing and spending in order to adequately tackle the major economic challenges the country looks set to face over the next decade, a new report has said. Read more: Hey, big spender: IFS boss Paul Johnson on the end of economic orthodoxy Rather than simply focusing on public debt [...]
Government backs MPs’ criticism of workplace ‘cover-up culture’ via non-disclosure agreements October 29, 2019 The practice of using non-disclosure agreements to cover up mistreatment at work has come a step closer to being abolished. The government has thrown its weight behind a parliamentary report which was highly critical of the practice, in which NDAs are routinely used by companies to cover up unlawful discrimination and sexual harassment at work. [...]
Government faces calls for reform as data shows dominance of Big Four audit firms October 29, 2019 Data published yesterday by the audit watchdog showed that the Big Four accounting firms increased their market share of the UK audit market in 2018. The lack of competition in the sector has come under the microscope following scandals such as the failures of outsourcer Carillion and department store BHS which both received clean bills [...]
PM Boris Johnson goes fourth – with pre-Brexit date sewn into election October 28, 2019 The Prime Minister will today seek an election for the fourth time in two months – this time with a pre-Brexit date sewn in. Yesterday the EU finally granted a three-month extension to the Brexit process, pushing back the deadline until 31 January, or earlier if a deal is signed off by parliament in time. [...]
Labour to abstain on third election vote as govt poised to back SNP/Lib Dem route October 28, 2019 Labour is expected to abstain on tonight’s vote – the third time the government will have sought an election since Boris Johnson became Prime Minister. Jeremy Corbyn has repeatedly said he will seek an election once a no deal Brexit is “off the table”. However it is thought Labour MPs are concerned about current polling, [...]
Deputy mayor set to step down after Westminster call up October 28, 2019 London’s deputy mayor for housing will resign after being selected for a safe Labour seat. James Murray beat out deputy mayor for business Rajesh Agrawal and Ealing North councillor Aysha Raza to be the Labour candidate in Ealing North at the next general election. Read more: ‘Unhappy’ deputy mayors look for Westminster move Current Ealing North [...]
People’s Vote staff walk out over ‘boardroom coup’ October 28, 2019 Staff at People’s Vote headquarters have staged a mass walkout after two senior figures were sacked in a “boardroom coup”. Campaign director James McGrory and head of communications Tom Baldwin were asked to leave their positions by People’s Vote powerbroker and Open Britain chairman Roland Rudd last night. Read more: People’s Vote power struggle: Two [...]