Nine out of ten French voters think former presidential favourite Fillon is dishonest March 17, 2017 French Presidential wannabe François Fillon is more distrusted by voters than ever, a new poll has shown, after the right-wing candidate was put under formal investigation over claims he created three fake parliamentary aide jobs for family members. The poll, released this morning by Odoxa for FranceInfo, revealed nine out of 10 French see the former favourite as “not honest”, while [...]
US makes formal apology to UK about GCHQ claims March 17, 2017 The US has apologised to Britain after White House claims that GCHQ had helped former President Barack Obama spy on Donald Trump, according to reports. Trump's press secretary, Sean Spicer, made the claims at a press conference last night, apparently referring to a report on Fox News. Spicer told reporters that British agents had [...]
Independent Scotland might have to ditch the pound, SNP’s Alex Salmond admits March 17, 2017 Former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond has said Scotland could ditch the pound if it wins independence in a new referendum. The Scottish National Party (SNP) previously said it would continue to use sterling, but Salmond told the Financial Times he could change his view to reduce reliance on the rest of the UK for [...]
GCHQ vehemently denies wire-tapping US President Donald Trump March 17, 2017 Britain’s cyber spy agency has fiercely denied allegations it put the communications of US President Donald Trump under surveillance. White House press secretary Sean Spicer cited a report by a pundit on Fox News that the UK’s Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) had spied on Trump after he was elected. In a strongly worded statement GCHQ [...]
Editor’s Notes: Only a lack of ambition can hold Britain back, says the Legatum Institute’s researcher tasked with finding the upside of the Brexit vote March 17, 2017 Britain faces an enormous challenge in the wake of Brexit, but the prize is more than worth the fight. That’s according to one experienced former trade negotiator who now finds himself at the heart of the UK’s trade debate. Shanker Singham is director of economic policy and prosperity studies at the Legatum Institute in London. He’s [...]
Forget independence: The SNP should fix Scotland’s failing public services March 17, 2017 Ideas are powerful things. Many of us choose to engage in the battle of ideas on a weekly, often daily basis – through our hobbies, political affiliations, and reading material. Some of us even do it for a living. It’s hard to deny that the prospect of change can be rather captivating. But every once [...]
A €50bn Brexit bill? Britain shouldn’t be quibbling over coughing up to the EU March 17, 2017 One of the more unfortunate aspects of the run-up to the UK-EU negotiations on a withdrawal treaty to allow a separation of Britain from Europe is the excessive focus on payment questions. Boris Johnson, in urging Theresa May to resist paying any substantial Brexit bill, made the fanciful analogy with Margaret Thatcher’s famous settlement at [...]
As Toyota says it’ll invest £240m in its UK plant, has the threat of Brexit to carmakers been overplayed? March 17, 2017 Daniel Mahoney, deputy director at the Centre for Policy Studies, says Yes. The prospect of a 10 per cent tariff on UK car exports to the EU is unnerving for the automotive industry. However, developments since the EU referendum are reason to remain positive. Both Nissan and now Toyota have announced major investments in the [...]
Plans for £4bn restoration of parliament need further challenging and testing before green light is given, says Treasury Committee March 17, 2017 It would be "imprudent" for MPs to commit to the restoration of parliament that could cost up to £4bn, without more work being carried out into "the hugely expensive project", the Treasury Select Committee warned today. The Committee has launched an inquiry into the project which will cost between £3.5bn and £4bn, if carried out over [...]
The White House is now suggesting Britain’s GCHQ spied on Donald Trump March 16, 2017 The White House press secretary has now suggested British agents could have helped former President Barack Obama spy on Donald Trump. Sean Spicer echoed a claim originally made by an analyst on Fox News that GCHQ spied on Trump Tower during the US election. "He's able to get it and there's no American fingerprints on it," [...]