Britain lost faith in its politicians – and then it voted for Brexit February 27, 2019 What do Bill Clinton, the Beano, and moat cleaning have in common? Answer: they all contributed to Brexit. We are about to reach the tenth anniversary of the MPs’ expenses scandal, the fifteenth anniversary of the launch of the TaxPayers’ Alliance (which I co-founded in 2004), and in 30 days’ time we should be leaving [...]
DEBATE: Is Labour’s sudden support for second referendum a good political move? February 27, 2019 Is Labour’s sudden support for second referendum a good political move? Finn McRedmond, staff writer at Reaction, says YES. It is no secret that Jeremy Corbyn is a longstanding eurosceptic. It is also no secret that vast swathes of Labour’s support base are Remainers. So the challenge facing the Labour leadership is this: how do we [...]
If we’re going to get serious climate action, we need to talk honestly about the economic costs February 27, 2019 Sydney University’s Centre for Complex Systems does innovative work on a broad range of topics. But spending the last couple of weeks there has also given me a wider perspective on some familiar themes. Climate change is, quite literally, a hot topic in Australian politics. The country melted in 45-degree record temperatures in January, and [...]
ONS denied promotion to woman because of her gender, tribunal finds February 26, 2019 Managers tasked with ending sex discrimination at the UK’s statistics body have failed to recognise that male economists are being favoured above women, an employment tribunal has found. The tribunal awarded £19,000 in damages to a former employee at the Office for National Statistics (ONS), finding she had been overlooked for promotion in favour of [...]
Theresa May to give parliament a vote on no-deal Brexit as delay to Article 50 appears on horizon February 26, 2019 Prime Minister Theresa May today conceded the possibility of delaying Brexit if parliament rejects her deal for a second time. Addressing the Commons, May said that if MPs reject her withdrawal agreement on 12 March, a vote will take place the following day on whether the UK leaves the EU with or without a deal. [...]
Sterling rallies as Theresa May prepares to rule out no-deal Brexit February 26, 2019 The Prime Minister is reportedly set to rule out a no-deal Brexit in order to fend off a mass cabinet revolt against her that could see 15 ministers resign, it is reported. Sterling rose to a four-week high against the dollar of $1.319, and a 21-month high of €1.162 against the euro as markets reacted to developments [...]
There’s no time to spare, Brexit is causing real-world problems for business today February 26, 2019 Another day, another delay. With just 31 days ahead of the UK’s scheduled departure from the EU, Westminster still seems to be arguing with itself. The timetable may work for politics, but it doesn’t work for the economy. Out in the real world, the consequences of uncertainty and the prospect of a messy and disorderly [...]
Bronek Masojada: The Hiscox CEO who’s got the City covered February 25, 2019 Hiscox chief executive Bronek Masojada is no stranger to the City of London Corporation. Nearly 10 years ago, his insurance house sued the body over the demolition of a building near its office, which would later be cleared to make way for the “Helter Skelter” skyscraper at 22 Bishopsgate. Now, after pursuing the organisation from [...]
Labour will back second referendum on Brexit, Jeremy Corbyn announces February 25, 2019 Labour will back moves for another referendum on Brexit, Jeremy Corbyn has announced. In a statement released just 30 minutes before he was due to meet with his MPs, the Labour leader said his party would either put forward or support an amendment backing another public vote. Corbyn has been under pressure to adopt such [...]
Theresa May keeps delaying the Brexit vote, but the clock is ticking for business to prepare for a no-deal outcome February 25, 2019 On her way to an EU-Arab League summit over the weekend, Theresa May announced that she would not provide British parliamentarians with a meaningful vote on an altered Brexit deal until perhaps 12 March. Politicians wanted that opportunity this week, but instead, the embattled leader has once again sought to delay proceedings as she struggles [...]