London mayor Sadiq Khan has confirmed a four per cent increase in the capital’s living wage October 31, 2016 London mayor Sadiq Khan has confirmed that the capital's official living wage is to climb by 35p to £9.75 an hour. The decision means that the London Living Wage has now climbed by 17.5 per cent since 2011, with 60,000 employees benefiting from the scheme. A further 309 firms have signed up to be living [...]
Damian Green tells businesses to “assume nothing” over Nissan October 31, 2016 There's been increasing clamour for the government to show its hand on just what assurances were made to keep Nissan manufacturing in Sunderland. But when asked on whether the UK would remain in the customs union, Damian Green said on BBC Radio 4 that businesses should "assume nothing at the moment, because, I think a lot [...]
Carney “absolutely” best man for the job says Downing St October 31, 2016 Theresa May has publicly backed the governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, saying he is "absolutely" the best man for the job. The prime minister's spokesperson told reporters today that May was "clear in her support" for Carney, and supported him staying in his post. "The PM would certainly be supportive [for him [...]
Post Office strike: 3600 walk out today as further action could cause Christmas post chaos October 31, 2016 Thousands of staff at Post Offices across the UK will walk out today as they strike over jobs, pensions and branch closures. The 24-hour strike will affect 118 of the Crown Post Offices, but 99 per cent of the 11,600 Post Offices will remain open. Up to 3,500 members of the Communication Workers Union and Unite [...]
The Houses of Parliament were evacuated because of a fire alarm October 31, 2016 So close to Guy Fawkes night, it's kind of apt… Hundreds of staff were evacuated from the Houses of Parliament due to a fire alert this morning. Westminster insiders tweeted pictures of staffers shivering in the cold morning after a fire alarm was triggered. However, they were allowed back into the building shortly before 11am, [...]
Controversial former Farage aide Raheem Kassam has withdrawn from Ukip’s leadership race October 31, 2016 The controversial former aide to Nigel Farage has withdrawn from Ukip's leadership race just hours before the final candidates are due to be confirmed. Raheem Kassam was one of the first candidates to enter the race to succeed the party's leader of just 18 days, Diane James. But he has today pulled out of the contest, complaining [...]
Mark Carney has just been accused by Brexiteer Daniel Hannan of behaving like a “rock star banker” October 31, 2016 Conservative MEP for South East England Daniel Hannan has criticised Mark Carney for acting like "a rock star banker" on BBC Radio 4. On the Today programme this morning, Hannan, who has been a long-term supporter of Brexit and a long-term critic of Carney (who warned of the consequences should Britain leave the EU) said: "If you do stay, [...]
Donald Trump is just one point behind Hillary Clinton in newest national poll October 31, 2016 Let it never be said that 2016's US presidential election wasn't interesting. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is apparently closing the gap on Hillary Clinton in the latest national poll. An ABC News/Washington Post poll had the Democratic Presidential candidate just one point ahead of Trump, as the timing of an FBI announcement into emails [...]
Brexit is a chance to reboot Britain’s stagnant productivity performance – as long as we also return monetary policy to normal October 31, 2016 Productivity is the key driver of economic prosperity. From 1945 to 1980 Britain performed poorly on productivity growth, particularly in the 1970s when the UK joined the European Community. The 1980s saw a sharp improvement in UK productivity growth, sustained for much of the 1990s and early 2000s. Alas, the UK’s productivity performance has since [...]
MP Steve Baker: We need a pragmatic approach to leaving the European Union October 31, 2016 The UK will leave the EU. We will be an independent country, passing our own laws and governing ourselves. We will be a Global Britain, always the most passionate, most consistent, most convincing advocate for free trade, promoting peace and prosperity around the world. We will seek a unique, reciprocal UK-EU arrangement of open trade in [...]