BBC gender pay gap row: The 45 top women demanding equality in open letter to boss Tony Hall July 23, 2017 Some of the most famous faces and voices at the BBC have called on the broadcaster's top boss to address the gender pay gap revealed after salaries of the highest earnings were published last week. In an open letter signed by the likes of presenters Clare Balding and Alex Jones and Newsnight hosts Emily Maitlis [...]
Don’t be a Maybot – answer the question July 21, 2017 Does it drive you mad when people don’t answer your questions directly? The Prime Minister is the indisputable master of the genre. A few months ago, she told the BBC that the UK needed “strong and stable leadership” when asked about Harry Potter’s mugwumps. More recently, when asked by Channel 4 if the critics who [...]
Editor’s Notes: If politicians want to win back trust they should start by ditching the lies, plus: Downing Street’s new BBC hire, measuring GDP and innovative Estonia July 7, 2017 This afternoon I’m hosting a discussion on the theme of experts and how to earn trust in a post-truth world. On the panel will be Andy Haldane of the Bank of England, Hetan Shah of the Royal Statistical Society and Julia Grant of Pro Bono Economics. Our host is the consultancy giant FTI, which has [...]
Queen’s speech: Here’s the full text, featuring a flurry of Brexit bills June 21, 2017 The much-anticipated Queen's speech for 2017 has been delivered, outlining Theresa May's plans and her pledge to win "the trust and confidence" of the British people. Below is the full text of the speech. The Queen's speech 2017 My Lords and Members of the House of Commons. My government’s priority is to secure the best [...]
General Election 2017: YouGov figures put young vote at less than 60 per cent June 14, 2017 New figures analysing the ages of voters in last week’s General Electionhave suggested that turnout among those aged 18-24 was less than 60 per cent. Twitter reports in the aftermath of the election claimed that a greater than expected number of young people voted in the General Election last Thursday, with some sources hailing numbers [...]
Jeremy Corbyn can’t rewrite his reprehensible IRA history May 31, 2017 This election campaign should have been a non-stop humiliation for the Labour party. Instead, we have witnessed an uncertain Theresa May make a mess of her campaign, whileJeremy Corbyn has proven to be a cannier politician than expected. There is so much mud to throw at him that he should have drowned in it long [...]
Editor’s Notes: Tory immigration policy will harm the City and our economy, Corbyn’s deleted Chavez past and City AM founders included in Change Makers series May 26, 2017 Back when George Osborne was chancellor and Theresa May was home secretary, the pair would argue over the wisdom of seeking dramatic reductions in net migration. May was obsessed with the idea, and clearly still is, whereas Osborne was instinctively more comfortable with the view that immigration was nothing to worry about and the benefits [...]
Party donors: Here are the biggest names bank-rolling the Conservative campaign May 18, 2017 As the Conservatives launched their policies today, the money behind the Tory manifesto was revealed. The Electoral Commission has published the names of party donors who have given more than £7,500 to a party between 3 May and 9 May, giving an insight into who wants Prime Minister Theresa May back in Number 10. Read [...]
When you answer a question, don’t stick to the script May 4, 2017 BBC: "Do you know what a mugwump is?" PM: "What I recognise is that what we need in this country is strong and stable leadership." How I wish that Jeremy Paxman had handled this interview, which was broadcast by BBC Radio Derby last week. Would Paxman have launched a full offensive and asked May the [...]
May: Trump was being a “gentleman” when he held my hand March 20, 2017 Prime Minister Theresa May has insisted that US President Donald Trump was "being a gentleman" when he was pictured holding her hand as the two walked outside the White House earlier this year. May was the first state leader to visit Trump after his inauguration, and an interview with American Vogue has seen the Prime Minister [...]