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 [...]
With Article 50 to be triggered next Wednesday, who is the least prepared for the Brexit process: the UK or the EU? March 20, 2017 Peter Wilding, director at British Influence, says the UK. The UK is going for hard Brexit. The holy grail is taking back full control over borders, laws and money while still getting full access to the Single Market. It thinks that the EU has a weak hand. Greed for access to the British market and [...]
Sir Tim Barrow tells MPs Brexit negotiations will be unprecedented but everybody is prepared to get going March 20, 2017 The UK's ambassador to the EU told MPs today Brexit negotiations will be unprecedented, but he is confident everybody is prepared to stick to the two-year Article 50 timetable. Sir Tim Barrow also told the European Scrutiny Committee: The truth is, nobody has done this sort of negotiation before. A lot of the speculation [about how [...]