Stamp duty is making the housing crisis even worse May 8, 2019 There is no silver bullet to fixing the nation’s housing crisis, short of the obvious but politically challenging solution of building a lot more houses. Nonetheless, certain taxes and regulations make an already flawed market even more distorted and act as additional barriers to those seeking to buy and sell homes. And in the case [...]
Treasury Committee chair Morgan criticises government over economic crime reforms May 8, 2019 The chair of the Treasury Committee Nicky Morgan MP criticised the government today for failing to create a register of politically exposed persons to help fight economic crime. Morgan was commenting on the government’s response today to the Committee’s recent report on economic crime. “It is disappointing that the government has chosen not to endorse [...]
Government’s digital identification system Verify is ‘failing users’ May 8, 2019 The government’s flagship digital identification programme is failing users and has not delivered value for money, according to a damning new report. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has slammed the Verify programme, which it said has been hampered by a catalogue of problems and has failed to deliver the benefits originally promised. Read more: "Grave [...]
European elections will definitely go ahead, government confirms May 7, 2019 European parliament elections in the UK will definitely go ahead the government has confirmed as it announced there is not enough time to deliver Brexit before May 23. David Lidington, the de facto Deputy Prime Minster, made the announcement on Tuesday afternoon, less than an hour before talks between the government and Labour over breaking the [...]
Theresa May to meet Tory committee chair amid calls to name departure date May 7, 2019 Theresa May is due to meet the chair of the Tories influential backbench committee today as she comes under renewed pressure to name her departure date. The Prime Minister will meet Sir Graham Brady to discuss her future after a number of local Tory associations confirmed they will hold a vote of no confidence in [...]
This series of UK politics feels suspiciously like daytime TV May 7, 2019 Last week’s local elections were a democratic amuse bouche. A mere mouthful of popular sentiment, sending a message to the political elite that an offering meant to delight the taste buds has fallen as flat as a soggy souffle. Like a daytime TV rerun of MasterChef, it involved lots of familiar names and tried but [...]
The British aversion to foreign languages isn’t charming – it’s a diplomatic travesty May 7, 2019 Avez-VOUS bien fermé votre porte à clé ce matin? How many Londoners would immediately understand this sentence on their morning commutes? I would wager not many. Certainly, if the English equivalent were written in Der Spiegel, la Repubblica, or Aftonbladet, the majority of German, Italian, or Swedish readers would have no problem telling you what [...]
Fix Brexit, unlock investment – and maybe we can all work a little less May 7, 2019 Did you enjoy your day off yesterday? Nice, wasn’t it, coming so soon after the extended Easter break? Plus there’s another bank holiday in just three weeks from now. Happy days. Square Mile workaholics aside, most of us would prefer to have a little more leisure and a little less time in the office – and [...]
Cross-party Brexit talks to continue despite anger over Theresa May’s customs union plan May 6, 2019 Cross-party Brexit talks are set to enter a crucial phase tomorrow despite growing mistrust and a potential revolt from Conservative MPs. The Prime Minister will resume discussions with Labour today but is set to face anger on all sides over her last-ditch plan to win over Jeremy Corbyn with a temporary customs union. Read more: [...]
May calls on Labour to ‘put differences aside’ to clinch cross-party Brexit deal May 5, 2019 Theresa May has urged opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn to help her “break the deadlock” on Brexit by putting their disagreements to one side. Read more: Brexit bites: Tories and Labour suffer local election backlash Britain was supposed to leave the EU on 29 March, but the deadline has now been extended to 31 October after [...]