Ukip’s Bill Etheridge drops out of leadership race October 25, 2016 West Midlands MEP Bill Etheridge has pulled out of the race to become leader of Ukip and given his backing to one of his rivals, Paul Nuttall. Etheridge said that Nuttall, the deputy leader, was the only candidate "who can effectively unite our party". "I believe Paul is the right man to bring unity to our party and lead [...]
Labour fined £20k by Electoral Commission for incomplete election spending returns October 25, 2016 The Electoral Commission has fined the Labour Party £20,000 for breaking campaign spending rules during the 2015 General Election and failing to report a number of items to them. In a report published this morning, it said that the return was "incomplete" and was missing 74 payments which totalled £123,748 along with 33 separate invoices [...]
What the rise of populism means for your investments October 25, 2016 "Fruitcakes, loonies and closet racists” was how David Cameron described members of Ukip in 2006. A decade later, Ukip has achieved its principal ambition of a Brexit vote and Cameron is no longer a politician. The growth in support for populist political movements across Europe and other developed economies has been rapid. Founded just six [...]
We’ll never have a better health system unless we’re brutally honest about the NHS’s failings October 24, 2016 It was heart-rending to witness. Back in January, sitting at my grandmother’s hospital bedside, a new patient entered the ward. Her name was Anita Richardson, a 42 year-old grandmother from Rochester. Visibly frail and frightened, Anita and her family explained how she’d been visiting her GP frequently over the previous 10 months, complaining of shoulder then back [...]
As Wallonia blocks the EU’s trade deal with Canada, should Britain be concerned about its own prospects in Brexit talks? October 24, 2016 Denis MacShane, the UK’s former minister of Europe, author of Brexit: How Britain Left Europe, and senior adviser at Avisa Partners, Brussels, says Yes. Europe (including the UK) has 7 per cent of the world’s population, but 30 per cent of its trade and 30 per cent of its foreign direct investment. In 1950, global trade amounted to [...]
Theresa May has offered MPs a series of debates on Brexit in the run up to the activation of Article 50 October 24, 2016 Prime Minister Theresa May has offered MPs a series of debates ahead of the formal launch of Brexit talks, but stopped short of including any guarantee of a binding vote. May has vowed to activate Article 50 in 2017, and no later than March, and today she said MPs would be given government time in the House [...]
Nicola Sturgeon has hit out after “frustrating” Downing Street summit on the UK’s Brexit plans October 24, 2016 Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon has blasted Theresa May's approach to Brexit after attending a Downing Street summit for the leaders of devolved authorities. Sturgeon called for a flexible Brexit deal earlier today, but left the first Joint Ministerial Council meeting for more than two years claiming she had learned little. After two hours of [...]
No deal: Belgium shuts down EU-Canada trade agreement over Wallonia concerns October 24, 2016 A landmark EU-Canada trade pact was thrown into chaos last night after Belgium failed to strike a deal with its rogue Wallonia region, prompting one of the country’s leading politicians to brand it a “laughing stock”. The impasse left the EU scrambling to save the ambitious trade agreement which had been seven years in the making. Last [...]
The weirdest things and most unlikely people Donald Trump has insulted on Twitter October 24, 2016 Today the New York Times took two WHOLE pages to print 281 people, places and things Donald Trump has insulted on Twitter. The full list is quite something. As the race enters its final few weeks, many have suggested that the polls are closer than they seem. If true, that means there are sure to [...]
Theresa May is set to shatter Nicola Sturgeon’s hopes of a Flexit deal that could protect Scottish Single Market access October 24, 2016 Theresa May is set to spurn a call from Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon for a flexible Brexit deal to protect Scottish Single Market access. May met with Sturgeon, alongside Welsh first minister Carwyn Jones and Northern Irish leaders Arlene Foster and Martin McGuinness this morning at Downing Street in the first session of the Joint Ministerial Committee for [...]