Economists are united about Trump’s trade folly May 14, 2019 In George Bernard Shaw’s words, if all the economists were laid end to end, they’d never reach a conclusion. Scour the pool of practitioners of the dismal science, and you will find supporters and detractors for almost every economic theory, from free markets to socialism. The one exception, however, is protectionism. Whether from the left [...]
Brexit talks: Still no progress in discussions between the Conservatives and Labour May 13, 2019 Brexit talks between the Conservative and Labour frontbenches ended in stalemate yet again on Monday despite frantic speculation a crunch vote was set for later this week. Tory MPs were told a three-line whip was in operation for Thursday – meaning an important vote was scheduled – before it was downgraded to a one-line whip. [...]
City of London Corporation to borrow for first time in 30 years as costs of projects bite May 13, 2019 The City of London Corporation is to borrow for the first time in 30 years as a number of projects, including a new centre for music, squeezes its finances. The Corporation could borrow around £1bn over the next three years from its city fund, which meets the costs of its local authorities and police force, [...]
Conservatives sink to fifth in London, shows latest Euro election poll May 13, 2019 The Conservatives have slipped to a humiliating fifth place in London, according to a new opinion poll ahead of the European elections. Read more: Tories fall to fifth place in polls as Brexit party snaps up voters A survey carried out by Yougov shows that just 10 per cent of Londoners are planning to back [...]
Tories fall to fifth place in opinion polls as Nigel Farage’s Brexit party snaps up voters May 13, 2019 The Conservatives have slumped to fifth place in an opinion poll ahead of the European elections later this month. Read more: Cabinet allies begin to abandon May as Tories languish in polls The Tories were placed at just 10 per cent, behind almost every major political party, according to a Yougov poll commissioned by the [...]
Sir Keir Starmer: Labour MPs would reject Brexit deal without second referendum May 13, 2019 Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer has warned up to 150 Labour MPs would reject any Brexit agreement that did not include a second referendum. Starmer said more than two-thirds of Labour MPs could oppose any deal that did not include a public vote, meaning it would be unlikely to pass through Parliament. Read more: [...]
The future of justice depends on fixing the forensic science crisis May 13, 2019 Forensic science is a compelling piece of the puzzle in most crime dramas. We are fascinated by it, and rightly so – what science enables us to detect has transformed how we reconstruct criminal events, whether using digital information like phone data and automated recognition technologies, or detecting DNA traces that often go unnoticed. And [...]
Tariffs are just the first shot in the looming US-China war May 13, 2019 As a friend of mine who works in higher maths put it: “John, if America as an integer is present in every major foreign policy equation, and if after 75 years that integer radically changes, then everything changes”. Donald Trump’s America is that rarest of beasts: the strongest global power distrustful of the very global order [...]
UK voters think the Brexit Party and Change UK will disappear in 10 years May 13, 2019 They may only just be getting started, but the majority of Britons think the newly formed Brexit Party and Change UK will disappear within a decade. A YouGov poll has found that nearly two thirds of those surveyed said they believed Nigel Farage's party would disappear in the next ten years, while 56 per cent [...]
Liz Truss wants to build on Green Belt land to fight of ‘tsunami’ of Farage and Corbyn, as Cabinet minister drops leadership hint May 12, 2019 Senior Cabinet Minister Liz Truss has called for 1m homes to be built on Green Belt land to protect against the Tories being “annihilated by the tsunami of Corbyn and Farage”. The Treasury chief secretary took aim at the policy of protecting the land – a favourite among Conservative grassroots activists – saying: “We need [...]