DEBATE: Has John Bercow done more harm than good as House of Commons speaker? September 11, 2019 Has John Bercow done more harm than good as House of Commons speaker? Lauren McEvatt, managing director at Morpeth Consulting, says YES. John Bercow, with his regular abuses of convention and obvious partisanship, has presided over a gross politicisation of the formerly independent nature of the speaker of the House of Commons. A role which [...]
The anti-Boris establishment has learnt the wrong lesson from the rise of Nazism September 11, 2019 Never ones to shy away from controversy, Britain’s venerable BBC has recently decided to tantalise viewers of its new documentary, Rise of the Nazis, with the suggestion that something similarly awry might be occurring in the UK today. The BBC’s own media centre touts the contemporary relevance of the programme as being “a timely look [...]
Watch out fiscal conservatives – the mood has shifted and the spending taps are on September 11, 2019 The Autumn Spending Review announced by the chancellor Sajid Javid barely raised a ripple last week. Yet the increase planned in 2020/21 for what the Treasury calls “day-to-day departmental spending” is the highest for 15 years, no less than 4.1 per cent in real terms. This spending pays the running costs of public services, the [...]
Government unveils scheme to keep foreign students in Britain September 10, 2019 The government will today reveal new plans allowing international students to stay in the UK for two years after they finish their course. The initiative let graduates work, or look for work, at any skill level. Business groups have been calling for the move as part of a more liberal migration policy. Post-study visas were [...]
Corbyn would ‘turn back the clock decades’ says CBI after Labour announces plans for workers’ rights ministry September 10, 2019 British business leaders yesterday described Labour’s plans for a new ministry of workers’ rights as an attempt to “turn back the clock decades,” as Jeremy Corbyn set out his vision ahead of a potential election. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said that the proposals did not reflect the reality in most UK workplaces. “The [...]
Ireland’s nominee for EU trade portfolio says probability of a Brexit deal rising September 10, 2019 Ireland’s nominee for the EU trade portfolio Phil Hogan said today that the probability of a Brexit deal between the UK and EU is rising. “The penny is finally dropping” with the UK on Brexit, he told the Irish Times. Read more: ERG chair Steve Baker vows to vote against Boris Johnson deal if is [...]
Belfast High Court to rule on no-deal Brexit challenge on Thursday September 10, 2019 The High Court in Belfast will rule on Thursday whether a no-deal Brexit is lawful after a campaigner lodged a case arguing that it would contravene the Good Friday Agreement. Activist Raymond McCord has argued that the case should be referred to the UK’s highest court, the Supreme Court, which will also hear businesswoman Gina [...]
Most likely Brexit outcome? PM Boris’s resignation, says JP Morgan September 10, 2019 Of the three main options facing Boris Johnson, the most likely outcome is that he will resign, leaving a new prime minister to go to the EU and request a Brexit extension, JP Morgan said today. In a research note sent to clients, JP Morgan’s head of UK economics Malcolm Barr outlined the “only options” [...]
Lords approved HS2 Birmingham-Crewe extension before parliament shutdown September 10, 2019 The House of Lords last night approved the High Speed Two (HS2) extension from Birmingham to Crewe before parliament was suspended for five weeks. The controversial railway, which will link London to the north in stages, is currently subject to an independent review chaired by former HS2 chair Douglas Oakervee and critic Lord Berkeley, which [...]
Dominic Cummings lashes out at ‘rich Remainers’ as he sticks to 31 October Brexit deadline September 10, 2019 Boris Johnson’s chief adviser has vowed the UK will quit the EU on 31 October and lambasted media for speaking to “rich Remainers” in London. Dominic Cummings said he was “sure” the UK would leave the bloc on the current Brexit deadline of Halloween. Read more: Boris denied election again as parliament shuts up shop [...]