The government’s migration blindspot is a missed opportunity October 3, 2018 If there is one message that has been trumpeted by cabinet ministers, MPs, and members at this week’s Conservative party conference, it is that the Tories are and have always been the party of business. From Philip Hammond’s affirmation that “the Conservative party has business at its core”, to Boris Johnson waxing lyrical about the [...]
May is not a match for Boris – give him a chance to lead October 3, 2018 Boris has spoken, and such was his performance that the moment must come soon where he is given the opportunity to lead the Conservative Party before it faces further humiliation at the hands of the EU leadership, or is ultimately defeated by Jeremy Corbyn and his Momentum mob. Everyone expected Boris Johnson to cover the [...]
Theresa May will freeze fuel duty as Conservatives look to limit cost of living increases on working families October 3, 2018 Fuel duty will be frozen for the ninth year in a row, Prime Minister Theresa May will say in her speech to Conservative party conference in Birmingham today, in a populist pitch to working families. May's speech, in which she'll hope to steal back the lime-light from former foreign secretary Boris Johnson, will also set [...]
‘End Brexit psychodrama’ – Chamber of Commerce chief pleads with the Tories October 2, 2018 The Tories must end their Brexit "pyschodrama" and focus on making the economy "fighting fit", the head of the British Chambers of Commerce has warned. Speaking to City A.M. on the eve of Theresa May's speech to her party conference, BCC director general Adam Marshall pleaded with the government to focus attention on other problems [...]
Airbnb reveals its UK tax bill amid Tory calls for a digital services tax October 2, 2018 Airbnb paid just shy of £600,000 in UK tax last year, City A.M. can reveal, as chancellor Philip Hammond raises calls for a unilateral digital services tax on tech firms. In financial accounts seen by City A.M. and due to be published on Companies House later this week, Airbnb paid just £596,992 in corporate tax in the year [...]
Theresa May claims Boris Johnson will ‘tear up’ Northern Ireland promise October 2, 2018 Theresa May has hit back at Boris Johnson's plan for Brexit, claiming it would "tear up" the UK's pledge to Northern Ireland. In a series of interviews on Tuesday afternoon, May tore into Johnson's Brexit vision as it would see the need for customs checks on goods crossing the UK's border with Ireland. Her comments [...]
Boris Johnson launches no-holds barred attack on Theresa May’s Brexit plan in highly-anticipated conference speech October 2, 2018 Boris Johnson took a hammer to Theresa May's Brexit plan today as he claimed her proposals were "dangerous and unstable". Addressing a packed fringed meeting at the Conservative party conference, the former foreign secretary dubbed the so-called Chequers plan "an outrage" that was "not democracy". Read more: Conservative Party conference app flaw exposes MPs' phone [...]
City watchdog boss rejects calls for financial services deregulation post-Brexit October 2, 2018 The chair of the Financial Conduct Authority today said that the City regulator will not engage in a “race to the bottom” after Brexit in a bid to preserve the UK’s position among global financial centres. Charles Randell said calls for deregulation from some quarters of the financial sector show that “some memories are beginning [...]
Foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt backpedals on ‘Soviet prison’ comments about EU October 2, 2018 Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary, has backtracked on comments he made about the European Union in which he compared the group to the Soviet Union. Hunt provoked condemnation and mockery on Sunday, after he said the EU risked becoming like a Soviet “prison” because of its negotiation stance on Britain’s exit from the EU. Read [...]
Stop seeking refuge in moral indignation – listen to those who dare to disagree October 2, 2018 Support for those that challenge the status quo is rising. For the most recent example, just look at the increase in the share of the vote for the far-right, anti-immigration Sweden Democrats to 17.5 per cent in 2018 from 2.9 per cent in 2006, while that of the two main parties declined. This follows the [...]