Time for Theresa May to get tough on Tory rebels like Anna Soubry February 7, 2018 Theresa May could be forgiven for wondering, how does she solve a problem like Anna Soubry? Sacked from the cabinet when May became Prime Minister following David Cameron’s decision to resign rather than see through the Brexit process (as he had promised), Soubry, the Tory MP for Broxtowe (a Leave-voting constituency), has been nothing but [...]
DEBATE: Should we pay more tax to increase funding for the NHS? February 6, 2018 Should we pay more tax to increase funding for the NHS? Dr Clare Gerada, medical director of the NHS Practitioner Health Programme and former chairwoman of the Royal College of GPs, says YES. The NHS is our most treasured national institution. But it is clear that current funding is not keeping pace with need. Year [...]
Former minister Anna Soubry warns Brexit will split Tory party if Theresa May doesn’t stand up to arch Brexiteers February 6, 2018 Former business minister Anna Soubry has warned that Brexit could end up splitting the Conservative party, unless Theresa May "stands up" to a minority of hard-line Eurosceptics. The backbencher, who has long argued the UK should remain in the Single Market and customs union after Brexit, told the BBC last night the front bench was [...]
Momentum are coming for us like White Walkers, but we’ve got our Muhammad Ali: Tory MPs share their fears on the forthcoming elections February 6, 2018 With just under 90 days to go until local elections in the capital, Conservative Party HQ is going into overdrive to show it can fend off the multiple threats of Brexit tensions, a vulnerable leadership, the fallout from the Grenfell Tower tragedy and the rise of the Corbyn-supporting Momentum campaign group. The Tories face a [...]
Immigration white paper delayed until ‘the time is right’, says minister February 5, 2018 The government has been attacked for shelving its white paper on immigration, just weeks after it put off plans for similar work on financial services. Home Office minister Caroline Nokes today gave no clarification on when a paper would be published, saying only that it would be made public "in the coming months, when the [...]
Government will let homeowners add two storey extensions with planning reforms to ease housing crisis February 4, 2018 The government has said it will loosen planning rules in a bid to ease the housing crisis, with homeowners being given permission to build upwards. "The answer to building new homes isn’t always an empty plot, or developing on a derelict site," said housing secretary Sajid Javid. Read more: These are the UK's 20 least [...]
Editor’s Notes: The City has its Brexit optimists – are they complacent or correct? February 2, 2018 This week I attended a small dinner at which some of the most significant financial institutions in the City were represented. Over the course of the evening, and to my surprise, it became clear that all but one of the 12 guests was an enthusiastic Brexiteer. Many of them worked at companies whose public interventions [...]
Here’s how much Jeremy Corbyn earned last year February 2, 2018 Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell have published their tax returns once again, saying the public won't trust them unless they are open about their tax affairs. Corbyn's take-home pay, which includes his salary, his pay as leader and his pension, came to £136,762. He has no second job, and holds no stocks or shares, and [...]
Lord Hill: Government should prioritise growth over continuity with EU after Brexit – it cannot have both January 30, 2018 Former EU Commissioner Lord Hill has told the government it is "going to have to choose" whether it wants continuity or competitiveness after Brexit – and suggested it should plump for the latter. Hill, who was the commissioner for financial stability, financial services and capital markets union for two years until the referendum, told the [...]
Conservative activists “spitting bullets” over Theresa May’s leadership January 30, 2018 Grassroots Tory activists are "spitting bullets" about Theresa May's handling of the government, the latest faction of the party to rebel over her weak leadership. One MP said May was seen as "speaking from both sides of her mouth", adding that angered party members were starting to "put pressure" on MPs to challenge the Prime [...]