Philip Hammond is facing a huge £84bn shortfall in public finances over five years, according to policy experts October 26, 2016 Philip Hammond is facing a yawning £84bn shortfall in public finances over the next five years, according to policy experts. The chancellor is set to make his first Autumn Statement in just under a month, but sums from the Resolution Foundation suggest Treasury coffers are going to be under intense pressure thanks to economic turbulence. The think [...]
It’s official – Zac Goldsmith has stepped down as an MP over Heathrow October 25, 2016 Zac Goldsmith Richmond Park MP and former Conservative London mayor candidate has formally stepped down as an MP over a government decision on runways. The Department for Transport finally came out in favour of a new runway at Heathrow earlier today, and Goldsmith's constituency party had already confirmed that the MP "intended" to resign. He has [...]
Boris Johnson has made a whisky appointment in his search for a new adviser October 25, 2016 Foreign secretary Boris Johnson has found a new foreign affairs adviser in the ranks of the Scotch Whisky Association. SWA chief executive David Frost is leaving the trade body to join the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from 4 November. Frost will join the ranks of FCO spads after just over two and a half years representing [...]
Here are the best responses from MPs to the government’s decision to expand Heathrow October 25, 2016 Foreign secretary Boris Johnson was among the first to come out fighting after the government announced plans for a new runway at Heathrow. Johnson's opposition is well known, but how did many of his peers respond? Cabinet members It's not just Boris who's angry about Heathrow, his fellow cabinet member and south west London MP [...]
Grayling says expanded Heathrow demands better regional connectivity October 25, 2016 Transport secretary Chris Grayling has promised a new runway at Heathrow will generate better air transport links inside the UK. Announcing the government's support for a new runway at the site in the House of Commons, Grayling said the expanded airport will provide six more domestic routes across the UK by 2030, including to Scotland, [...]
Hammond says he will prioritise financial services in the upcoming Brexit talks October 25, 2016 Philip Hammond has again moved to reassure the City that the government will prioritise financial services in the upcoming Brexit discussions with the European Union. The chancellor told MPs in the Commons this morning that he understood the City's need to have continued access to the single market and to hire skilled people to work in [...]
Sadiq Khan is very unhappy indeed about the Heathrow expansion October 25, 2016 Sadiq Khan has slammed the government's decision to give Heathrow the green light to build a third runway, and says he will be involved in fighting it with a legal challenge. The London Mayor tweeted this morning that "Heathrow expansion is the wrong decision for London" and would be "devastating for air quality across London". [...]
Zac Goldsmith intends to resign as Tory MP after annoucement to expand Heathrow October 25, 2016 Zac Goldsmith, the Conservative MP for Richmond Park and North Kingston has said he intends to resign and force a by-election after the government announced it would approve plans for a third runway at Heathrow this morning. The Huffington Post reported that the MP has told his local association that he intends to honour his [...]
Heathrow expansion gets the green light from government October 25, 2016 It has taken much longer than many wanted but the government has confirmed Heathrow's third runway is getting the go-ahead. Transport secretary Chris Grayling said: A new runway at Heathrow will improve connectivity in the UK itself and crucially boost our connections with the rest of the world, supporting exports, trade and job opportunities. This [...]
Airport expansion: What happens next? October 25, 2016 Decision day is here and the government is set to announce its decision on airport expansion in the coming hours, but what happens after that? There have been concerns that more delays are on the cards after Theresa May said the final vote on the government’s preferred option won’t be until the end of 2017/18, but [...]