Jeremy Corbyn moots 20:1 pay ratio limit for government contractors January 10, 2017 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has dramatically shifted his proposals for an earnings cap. Speaking in Peterborough today, Corbyn offered two new rules for contractors, alongside proposals for broader reforms. Just hours after setting out his desire for "a maximum earning limit", the Labour leader said he would rather tackle pay ratios in the hopes of raising [...]
Jeremy Corbyn’s salary cap is “bananas” says free marketeers January 10, 2017 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has been blasted by free-market think tanks for his suggestion of a maximum wage in the UK. Corbyn made the suggestion on Radio 4 this morning, although he did not specify what the maximum salary allowed in the UK should be. The Labour leader claimed that income disparity in the UK [...]
Jeremy Corbyn says he’d join Southern rail picket line as next wave of industrial action puts the brakes on services January 10, 2017 Jeremy Corbyn has announced he'd join a Southern rail picket line, saying he felt long-suffering commuters would support his position. Speaking on Radio Four's Today programme, the Labour leader said he would stand in solidarity with those taking industrial action. "Yes I would, because I think Southern rail have behaved in a terrible manner, and [...]
No, Jeremy Corbyn – income disparity is not getting worse in the UK January 10, 2017 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has proposed putting a cap on earnings in the UK, saying that the income disparity in the UK "is getting worse". Speaking on the BBC Today programme, Corbyn said: "I can't put a figure on it and I don't want to at the moment. Read more: Corbyn's only hope of power may be [...]
Why solving the country’s housing crisis means backing – not battering – landlords January 10, 2017 Politics is a strange world, and the year’s events (Trump, Brexit and elsewhere in Europe) are topsy-turvy. But I still find it strange that Britain’s best and most effective form of housing provision, the private rented sector, is coming under such consistent attack. Policies such as changes to the way landlords are taxed, the stamp duty [...]
Should we rule out a trade war between China and the US? January 10, 2017 Andy Rothman, investment strategist at Matthews Asia, says Yes. Donald Trump is very unlikely to implement the 45 per cent across-the-board tariff on imports from China that he proposed in an interview last year. US law permits the President to make only an emergency declaration of 15 per cent tariffs for up to five months, and [...]
Why Trump’s America First policy won’t threaten the Special Relationship January 10, 2017 Donald Trump’s bellicose stance on trade during his presidential campaign focused on putting America first at all costs. He hinted at the unilateral imposition of tariffs on goods, imposing a border tax on imports and even leaving the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Whether he will actually do any of these things following his inauguration later [...]
Theresa May’s “shared society” slogan: Another excuse for more state, less Brexit January 10, 2017 I read Theresa May’s article about the “shared society” – assuming it was she who wrote it, and not her shadowy acolytes – with interest. It is always good to know what underlies our politicians’ thinking. But it is a disappointing read, a virtue-signalling undergraduate essay. It begins with the assertion, shared with most commentators, [...]
HMRC’s plans to shutter offices will now cost £300m more by 2025 January 10, 2017 The taxman's plans to shutter large numbers of local office will now save less than half the amount originally forecast by 2025. HM Revenue and Customs is closing all of its 170 offices in a migration to 17 sites, as well as a London headquarters. The plan had been expected to generate savings of £499 [...]
Former Australian PM backs plan to target Commonwealth nations for trade deals January 10, 2017 A new paper backed by former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott is calling on the UK to quit the EU's customs union and focus on Commonwealth trade after Brexit. The report, authored by Tory Braintree MP James Cleverly, suggests a five step approach to Britain's trade priorities, beginning with the Commonwealth’s open economies. After setting [...]