Get your Eurovision goggles, it’s time for yet another election May 10, 2019 Two years and 11 months since Britain voted to leave the EU, the country is voting again, on how we’d like to be represented in it while we struggle to work out what leaving actually means. Yes, we found out this week that the Euros are definitely on, despite the best efforts of an embattled [...]
Wanted: A new national statistician to restore the public’s faith in data May 10, 2019 The government has failed to find a new national statistician to oversee the UK’s numbers. And it’s not hard to see why – although the salary of £160k sounds attractive, data nerds can command much more in the private sector, without the additional headache of being in the public spotlight. The job of overseeing the UK’s [...]
Attempts to tackle the ‘problem’ of high pay will end up making everything worse May 10, 2019 The more we learn about what other people earn, the more concern there is about it. Specifically, a political debate is raging over dramatic increases in the pay of chief executives of listed companies. Deemed “unfair” in the widening inequality discussion, pressure is growing from activists and politicians to fix this so-called problem. The latest [...]
US-China trade war: China threatens retaliation as Trump rolls out $200bn tariff hike May 10, 2019 China has warned it will strike back at the US after President Donald Trump’s tariff hike on Chinese goods came into force today. China’s commerce ministry said it “deeply regrets” the move, which sees tariffs raised to 25 per cent on goods worth $200bn (£154bn), and said it would take necessary countermeasures. Read more: US-China [...]
Follow the money: Brexiter Tories stuff their war chests ahead of leadership election May 10, 2019 The one thing that is always guaranteed to raise eyebrows in British politics – not least since the scandal that rocked this country exactly ten years ago – is MPs’ finances. Amid a greater focus on transparency, Commons members must declare money they earn outside of their salary as an elected representative. For some, this could be [...]
Bank of England experts to be sent to emerging economies to promote regulation May 9, 2019 Experts from the Bank of England will be sent to 30 countries to help improve financial regulations for emerging economies, the government has announced. International Development Secretary Rory Stewart unveiled the plan in his first speech since taking on the job last week. The government will pump £6.1million into the scheme following pilots last April [...]
Jeremy Corbyn: Second referendum could heal the UK May 9, 2019 A second referendum on Brexit could provide a “healing process” for the UK, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn claimed as he launched his party’s European election campaign. Speaking in Kent, Corbyn said a confirmatory vote on any deal agreed with Brussels could help bring the Brexit process to a “conclusion”. Labour’s official party policy is to [...]
Esther McVey reveals she will stand in the next Tory leadership contest May 9, 2019 Another Conservative MP has joined the race to become the next Prime Minister, with former work and pensions secretary Esther McVey announcing she will stand in the race to succeed Theresa May. McVey, who lost her Wirral West seat in 2015 before being elected as MP for Tatton two years later, revealed this morning that [...]
We must not attempt to bring the failed Iran Deal back to life May 9, 2019 The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed in a fanfare of publicity in 2015 between Iran and six countries, was hailed at the time as the way to curtail Iran’s nuclear ambitions. In exchange for suspending its nuclear programme, Iran would secure massive sanctions relief. The world would be free from the menace of [...]
The City powers the UK economy – it must not fall into Labour’s hands May 8, 2019 Despite the best efforts of a few valiant voices, the City (and its interests) received a shameful lack of attention during the Brexit debate and has been largely left to fend for itself ever since. Read more: What the next Bank of England governor’s CV looks like However, the race to succeed Mark Carney at [...]