Theresa May bids to head off Tory rebellion by agreeing to publish some Brexit planning December 6, 2016 Prime Minister Theresa May has responded to the threat of a Brexit rebellion by agreeing to publish a plan on quitting the EU if MPs back her plan to trigger Article 50 before April. A Labour motion due for debate tomorrow had called for May to publish details of her plans on Brexit ahead of [...]
OECD Pisa education report: Reading and science scores climb as maths struggles December 6, 2016 The UK is climbing the world rankings in both reading and science according to the latest Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) international student assessments. The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is undertaken once every three years and tests 15-year-olds' abilities in the core academic disciplines of reading, maths and science. It found the [...]
Wanted: A bold government housing strategy that delivers for the young rather than the old December 6, 2016 If Brexit wasn’t dominating British politics, then one other issue would be: the lack of housing. If you know someone under 30, living in London and able to afford their first home, then your friend belongs to the country’s richest percentile. For most people, even for those on what used to be a decent median income, owning [...]
Donald Trump takes aim at Boeing for expensive Air Force One contract December 6, 2016 President-elect Donald Trump has called for Boeing’s contract to build Air Force One to be cancelled because it’s too costly. The Republican tweeted today that the contract costs were “out of control” at “more than $4bn”. Boeing is building a brand new 747 Air Force One for future presidents, but costs are out of control, [...]
UK tech is putting its top post-Brexit demands to government December 6, 2016 Keeping the country's emerging tech talent in the UK and guaranteeing to fill any startup funding shortfall from Europe are just two of the measures being demanded from government by a group of top entrepreneurs and investors after the vote to leave the EU. Brent Hoberman, the entrepreneur behind Lastminute.com, Made.com and Founders Fund, Betfair founder Edward Wray, [...]
Theresa May wants a red, white and blue Brexit, but her opponents say that’s “jingoistic claptrap” December 6, 2016 Prime Minister Theresa May has vowed to deliver a "red, white and blue" Brexit for the UK, refusing to comment on whether that will include continued contributions to EU budgets, but her opponents say the comments are "jingoistic claptrap". Speaking from Bahrain, May was asked about comments from some of her ministers, which has suggested the [...]
EU negotiator Michel Barnier has given Britain 18 months to reach a Brexit deal December 6, 2016 One of the EU's top officials has warned the the British government it must reach a deal on Brexit within 18 months of activating Article 50. Michel Barnier, who will lead talks with the UK on behalf of the European Commission, said today it was "the sooner the better" for Prime Minister Theresa May to [...]
The Article 50 court case could have been avoided December 6, 2016 To some, the government’s Supreme Court Brexit appeal is an exercise in throwing good money after bad and taxpayers’ funds are being wasted fighting the wrong battle. The government appears to have overlooked that litigation is about identifying all the options available and picking your fights carefully to achieve the best possible outcome. This litigation [...]
English students are trumping their OECD peers in science classes, according to new figures December 6, 2016 New international tests show English students are outperforming many of their peers overseas in science classes. Figures published in the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015 report this morning revealed that England is trumping averages scores for science. School children in England remain at average levels for mathematics, and marginally above average in reading when [...]
Nigel Farage is on the shortlist for Time magazine’s person of the year. No, seriously December 6, 2016 It's not often Beyonce, gymnast Simone Biles, Vladimir Putin and Nigel Farage are all mentioned in the same breath – but last night it was revealed they are among the 11-strong shortlist for Time magazine's person of the year. Yes, in the past it's been won by the likes of Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy and, [...]