The Conservative party conference was more SOS than Dancing Queen October 4, 2018 You have to hand it to Theresa May: after last year’s conference fiasco, it took guts to go onstage yesterday jiving to Abba’s Dancing Queen. In the end, her speech wasn’t bad. She has never been the kind of messiah-type figure who can bewitch a hall with her “authenticity” like Jeremy Corbyn, nor a charisma-soaked [...]
Greg Clark’s flawed and feeble remedy will fail to stamp out the late payment problem October 4, 2018 Brexit confusion, in-fighting, and leadership peacocking have marred both the Labour and Conservative Party conferences this year, but business secretary Greg Clark provided a glimmer of hope for SMEs this week. Large companies could be forced to nominate a board member to ensure that invoices are paid properly as part of a planned crackdown on [...]
Theresa May and Boris Johnson were both in the shadow of Jeremy Corbyn at the Conservative conference October 3, 2018 Inevitably, Theresa May's speech was always going to be judged alongside her disastrous efforts this time last year. Twelve months ago she lost her voice and the stage fell apart, but even from that low bar her address in Birmingham was a successful outing for the PM. She also survived the alternative leader speech given by Boris [...]
DEBATE: Can traditional small-state conservatives justify imposing a new digital tax? October 3, 2018 Debate: Can traditional small-state conservatives justify imposing a new digital tax? YES, says Waqar Riaz, head of data-driven marketing at Cheil Europe. Few can argue with the idea that big business should pay its fair share towards public services like the NHS or education. Yet, as business has become increasingly global in nature, legislation has failed to [...]
Here’s how business groups have reacted to Theresa May’s conference speech October 3, 2018 Prime Minister Theresa May used her conference speech today to attack Labour’s plans on the economy and slap down her Conservative party rivals – saying austerity was “over” and promising to fix the “broken” housing market. Business groups have been keenly awaiting May’s speech, as she fights off rebellions from her own MPs and attempts [...]
Putin calls Novichok attack victim Skripal a ‘scumbag’ October 3, 2018 President Vladmir Putin has labelled ex-spy Sergei Skripal, who nearly died after being poisoned with Novichok in an international incident earlier this year, a “scumbag” and traitor. “Imagine: suddenly someone goes and betrays your country. What do you think about him? Anyone here from any country? He’s just a scumbag, and that’s it,” Putin said [...]
Theresa May declares ‘austerity is over’ as she lifts cap on how much councils can borrow for housebuilding October 3, 2018 Theresa May declared the end of austerity is in sight as she unveiled plans to let councils borrow more cash to tackle the housing crisis. In her speech to the Conservative conference on Wednesday, the Prime Minister hinted at a financial boost for the UK's public services after Brexit, in a bid to show the [...]
Tory mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey slammed for ‘disappointing’ comments on multiculturalism October 3, 2018 A 2005 pamphlet written by the Tory pick for London mayor Shaun Bailey has emerged in which he said multiculturalism "robs Britain of its community". In the pamphlet, written for the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) thinktank, Bailey argues that accommodating Muslims and Hindus would turn Britain into a "crime-riddled cess pool". Bailey, who grew up in a [...]
May’s Day: Prime Minister to fight back in key conference speech October 3, 2018 Theresa May will attempt take back control of the Conservative conference today with a keynote speech attacking Labour and talking up the UK's post-Brexit future. After three days of her party conference being dominated by the twin spectres of Brexit and Jeremy Corbyn, the Prime Minister will try to convince Tory members to back her [...]
Bereft of new ideas, Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party is dead set on sticking its head in the sand October 3, 2018 One of the most dispiriting aspects of the Labour Party conference, which ended last week, is how deeply conservative the political left has become. Its remedies for Britain’s problems look to the past and not the future. Far from embracing new technology, the left is hostile to it. This was not always the case. Labour [...]