Are hardcore Remainers deluding themselves that the government’s Brexit strategy is in crisis? January 5, 2017 Tim Worstall, senior fellow at the Adam Smith Institute, and author of Chasing Rainbows: Economic Myths, Environmental Facts, says Yes. To claim that anyone’s Brexit strategy is in crisis is to misunderstand what a strategy is. It is the goal that you have decided to reach. Britain’s strategy in World War II was the unconditional [...]
MPs and peers are calling for a new, regional visa system January 5, 2017 A cross-party group of 24 MPs and peers is demanding the government investigates a new, regionally-led immigration system for the UK. The panel of MPs, which is led by Labour’s Chuka Umunna, argues that regions and cities should gain control of their own visa rules. This would mimic a system already in place in Canada, [...]
Ex-migration chief recruited to crack down on workplace exploitation January 5, 2017 The former chair of one of an independent migration watchdog has been recruited to lead a government crackdown on exploitation of workers. Sir David Metcalf has sat on the Migration Advisory Committee since its creation in 2007, and will now serve as the first director of labour market enforcement. Metcalf, who was also a founding member [...]
Treasury committee chair calls into question the government’s HS2 figures January 4, 2017 The reliability of the HS2 passenger demand figures have been called into question by the chairman of the treasury select committee. Andrew Tyrie, who has previously questioned the economic justification for HS2, has taken aim at government numbers in letter to transport secretary Chris Grayling. Read more: New franchise will combine HS2 with Inter City [...]
The UK’s former ambassador to Russia has been appointed to replace Sir Ivan Rogers January 4, 2017 Theresa May has found a new ambassador to the EU less than 48 hours after Sir Ivan Rogers resigned from the role. The UK's former ambassador to Russia Sir Tim Barrow will take on the job following Rogers' departure. Barrow served as ambassador to Russia between 2011 and 2015, having previously also served as the UK's [...]
Hammond becomes latest minister to visit Gulf in UK’s Middle East charm offensive January 4, 2017 Chancellor Philip Hammond has become the latest government minister to visit the Middle East as part of the UK's ongoing charm offensive aimed at Gulf states. Hammond will visit Kuwait, UAE and Qatar, following in the footsteps of a several senior figures in Prime Minister Theresa May's regime. May, herself, visited Bahrain in early December [...]
Former EU ambassador Sir Ivan Rogers “couldn’t be trusted” by ministers says Iain Duncan Smith January 4, 2017 Senior Conservative Iain Duncan Smith has branded Britain's former ambassador to the EU "untrustworthy", a day after his sensational resignation. Sir Ivan Rogers quit yesterday, writing an email to staff which accused the government of “muddled thinking” on Brexit. Speaking on the Today programme this morning, Duncan Smith linked that leaked email to previous reports of Rogers warning [...]
Meet the Anglophile who could soon be Trump’s man in Brussels January 4, 2017 This week, Dr Ted Malloch faces an Apprentice-style grilling at Trump Towers in New York to see if he will be hired as Donald Trump’s US ambassador to the EU. Like the President-Elect, he is in tune with the peaceful revolution of 2016 and argues that the liberal elite in Europe need to wake up [...]
Sadiq Khan’s fares “freeze” fails commuters – and will still hit Tube investment hard January 4, 2017 New Year's resolutions are like the mayor of London’s election promises – often made with good intentions but almost always broken a few months down the line. As we ring in 2017, commuters here in the capital will be seeing the cost of their travelcards go up by 1.9 per cent – the result of [...]
With the Fabian Society predicting Labour could win just 140 seats at the next election, is the party in terminal decline? January 4, 2017 Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary, University of London, says Yes. Businesses and political parties both operate in markets where competition can be cut-throat, where mistakes can be costly, where leadership and branding matter, and where, ultimately, the customer is king. Yet there’s one big difference: businesses – even firms so familiar we [...]