The anonymous Trump letter isn’t treason, but such public provocation is unproductive September 7, 2018 Treason? Question mark or not, the US President’s response to the anonymous opinion article in the New York Times, supposedly from someone working in his administration, has dramatically overstepped the mark. Any reasonable person recognises that the accusations against Donald Trump in the piece do not amount to “the crime of betraying one’s country” – [...]
Is there any justification for keeping Help to Buy? September 7, 2018 Is there any justification for keeping Help to Buy? David Campbell, group sales and marketing director at Telford Homes, says YES. Help to Buy is a wonderful policy that has enabled around 246,000 people to get onto the property ladder – 81 per cent of whom were first-time buyers. Many of these buyers would not have [...]
Editor’s notes: Jeff Bezos should look closer to home for ideas on where to spend his fortune, new peer Bethell is a Lord to applaud, and the Economist shows how to stand up to social media bullies September 7, 2018 Amazon has joined Apple in the ranks of $1 trillion companies based on market capitalisation. Shortly before his company hit this massive (but meaningless) valuation, founder Jeff Bezos was pondering how to spend his vast wealth. Bezos is estimated to be sitting on a $130bn (£100bn) fortune – and earlier this summer he was asked [...]
Why is Boris Johnson taking his punishment beating from Downing Street rather than trumpeting an alternative Brexit plan? September 6, 2018 At the start of this week Boris Johnson was slapped down by Number 10 for failing to come up with an alternative Brexit plan, with officials saying his anti-Chequers newspaper column “offered no new ideas to respond to”. Just as he did during the fallout from a previous column about the burqa, he has taken [...]
Exclusive: ERG pulls back from publishing Brexit plans September 6, 2018 The pro-Brexit group of MPs the European Research Group has decided to pull back from publishing the first of its series of alternative proposals this weekend, City A.M. has learned. It had been widely reported that the ERG's alternative to Theresa May's Chequers proposal was to be drip fed throughout the month, starting on Sunday, [...]
EU Commission stresses ‘positive elements’ to Chequers proposal following claims that Michel Barnier had said it was ‘dead’ September 6, 2018 The European Commission has played down reports that Michel Barnier said the Chequers plans were “dead”, arguing that the EU's chief negotiator had found "positive elements" to the proposals. Yesterday Labour MP Stephen Kinnock revealed that during private talks Barnier had declared the proposals "dead in the water", claiming he had made it "crystal clear that Chequers is [...]
Operation Yellowhammer: Photo of secret Treasury document reveals no deal contingency planning September 6, 2018 A secret Treasury document detailing the government's no deal contingency planning, under the code name Operation Yellowhammer, warns of the importance in maintaining confidence "particularly… for financial services". The document, which was snapped by political photographer Steve Back being carried by City minister John Glen into a Whitehall meeting this morning, included a series of discussion points for [...]
Gloves are Boff: Conservative mayoral candidate Andrew Boff throws down gauntlet to rivals Shaun Bailey and Joy Morrissey on crime September 6, 2018 One of the three Conservative candidates for London mayor is to challenge his opponents to a live debate on crime, claiming they do not have "a consistent policy on this essential issue". Andrew Boff, who is currently a Conservative member of the London Assembly, is throwing the gauntlet down to rivals Joy Morrissey and Shaun [...]
Treason? Trump demands NYT hand over author of critical article September 6, 2018 US President Donald Trump has demanded the New York Times turn over an anonymous White House official who penned an article claiming staffers were behind a "quiet resistance" to his "detrimental" actions. In a series of late-night tweets the President blasted the "failing" newspaper, accused it of "treason" and called for the individual to be [...]
DEBATE: Should mobile phones be banned in schools to help children concentrate? September 6, 2018 Should mobile phones be banned in schools to help children concentrate? Jenny Afia, privacy lawyer and partner at Schillings and a member of the Children’s Commissioner’s Digital Task Force, says YES. Bravo to France for banning mobile phones in schools. We face a public health crisis in the UK with children glued to their screens, causing [...]