Downing Street says Theresa May won’t be publishing her tax return this year March 6, 2017 Prime Minister Theresa May has “no plans” to publish her tax return, Downing Street said today, despite the former home secretary previously doing so as part of her leadership campaign. May published a summary of her earnings last July as she battled it out to become Tory leader and Prime Minister, but Number 10 has [...]
Theresa May warns peers against encouraging a bad Brexit deal with amendments to the Article 50 Bill March 6, 2017 Prime Minister Theresa May has issued peers with a fresh warning against a Brexit rebellion, with officials today claiming the House of Lords could encourage Brussels to offer a bad deal on Brexit. Peers return tomorrow to debates on the Article 50 Bill, with speculation rife that they will impose a second amendment to the legislation, this time [...]
Ever the pragmatist, chancellor Philip Hammond is right to be bullish on Brexit March 6, 2017 Philip Hammond isn’t known as Westminster’s most exciting MP. He lacks the bombast of a Boris Johnson or the polished ambition of a George Osborne. And yet, he has emerged as one of the most respected figures of the post-referendum government, with many City figures viewing him as “the grownup in the room”. Having backed [...]
Italy’s dying elite is dragging the Eurozone ever closer towards the abyss March 6, 2017 Venice – The great German novelist Thomas Mann once rightly described this bejewelled city as one of “flattering and suspect beauty, half fairy tale and half tourist trap”. The same can be said for the country of Italy as a whole, where things are rarely as they seem. For the problem with political soap operas [...]
There’s no need for Treasury giveaways to help the just about managing March 6, 2017 On the steps of Downing Street, Theresa May outlined the core of her political strategy: “If you are just about managing, I want to address you directly”. The just about managing – the so-called JAMs – saw their cost of living significantly squeezed in the aftermath of the financial crisis, and it is indeed vital that [...]
Is Nicola Sturgeon’s brinkmanship over a second Scottish independence referendum going to backfire? March 6, 2017 Alex Deane, a City of London common councilman, says Yes. Nicola Sturgeon’s referendum demands remind me of nothing so much as Homer Simpson, accustomed to getting his way by challenging anyone and everyone to a duel. The problem is that eventually someone may call your bluff. When the referendum demands come to a head, either [...]
Hammond vows to fight back against bad Brexit deal as he plots vision for Britain’s high-tech future March 6, 2017 Ahead of his first full Budget, chancellor Philip Hammond has vowed the government would fight back against a Brexit deal that doesn't deliver for Britain, insisting the country will not be left licking its wounds after negotiations. Hammond warned the European Union of the UK's "fighting spirit" and said the country will not "slink off as [...]
The real Brexit dividend will be fresh support for Britain’s enterprise economy March 6, 2017 Imagine the UK became the best place in which to do busines in the developed world. A truly enterprise economy, generating wealth and taxes, what could top that? Certainly not membership of the EU. Suddenly it has become an imperative to turn that into reality and to stop relying on the EU, a "crutch" reached [...]
Questions raised after Jeremy Corbyn’s tax return fails to include income as leader of the opposition March 6, 2017 Embattled Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn appeared to make another gaffe last night, publishing a tax return that does not include his salary as head of the opposition. "I have made it clear that I think it is right for party leaders to be open and transparent about their tax affairs," Corbyn said. However, the document does [...]
Former national intelligence director James Clapper says no order existed to tap Trump’s phones March 5, 2017 A former US national intelligence director has slammed Donald Trump's claims the Obama administration ordered a wiretap of phones at now-President's election campaign headquarters at Trump Tower in New York. James Clapper, who stood down from his role at the end of President Obama's tenure, told NBC: "There was no such wiretap activity mounted against the President-elect at the [...]