Devolved leadership committee meets for the first time in nearly two years October 23, 2016 Prime Minister Theresa May will meet with the leaders of the devolved parliaments of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland on Monday and spell out her vision for a "grown up" relationship between the administrations. Meeting for the first time since December 2014, May will ask the joint ministerial committee (JMC) to fully commit to working together to enhance [...]
Government ups the ante on “Plug-in Van Grant” by committing addition funds for businesses October 22, 2016 The government is offering UK firms subsidies of up to £20,000 for switching their large trucks to electric vehicles. Business and energy secretary Greg Clark made the announcement during a three day trip to Japan to meet top executives from Nissan, Honda and Toyota – all of which have considerable manufacturing operations in the UK. Read more: Apple's driverless car plans [...]
Labour going backwards in polls under Jeremy Corbyn while Theresa May extends lead October 21, 2016 Labour has fallen back under Jeremy Corbyn while the Tories are streaking into the distance – hard-hitting but unsurprising new research has revealed. Those pesky pollsters at Ipsos Mori have done what pollsters do best – ask people for their opinions – and discovered that despite the Conservatives having been torn apart during the Brexit [...]
SNP MP hits out at government attempts to make “Turing Bill” fail October 21, 2016 The SNP MP behind the so-called "Turing Bill", aiming to overturn 50,000 gay sex convictions, has hit out at government attempts to stop it being passed today. The government said it would not support SNP MP John Nicolson's Sexual Offences (Pardons etc.) bill, which was debated in parliament today. The government put forward an amendment to the Policing and [...]
Theresa May on Brexit: UK is not looking to replicate someone else’s model outside the EU after Brexit October 21, 2016 Prime Minister Theresa May has said the UK is not looking to replicate any other country's relationship with the European Union once it has left the bloc. Speaking after her first EU summit, May said the UK will continue to play a "full and active" role in the EU until after the Brexit process was [...]
The funniest jokes from Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton’s speeches at last night’s Al Smith dinner October 21, 2016 Less than 24 hours after their frosty final debate, the US' two Presidential candidates were at each other’s throats once again – but this time under the guise of comedy. They were taking part in the annual Al Smith dinner, a white tie charity event organised by New York’s Catholic elite where every four years the [...]
Theresa May: The first 100 days October 21, 2016 This week Theresa May marked her 100th day in power. We’ve seen already a very clear departure from the Cameron/Osborne way of government, including on policy and approach. Read more: Theresa May has been confirmed as the UK's Prime Minister May has confidently positioned herself as a Prime Minister that advocates ‘substance over style’. She [...]
Conservative majority slashed in David Cameron’s former seat of Witney as ex-Corrie star Tracy Brabin holds Batley and Spen seat for Labour October 21, 2016 The Tories have held David Cameron's former seat of Witney, although their majority was slashed, while a former Coronation Street actress, Tracy Brabin has held the Batley and Spen seat for Labour. Brabin was running in a by-election triggered by the murder of MP Jo Cox in June. She featured in Coronation Street for eight years [...]
Red tape could stem startup Brexit exodus as tech hits government agenda October 21, 2016 It was just two weeks after the Brexit vote that the city of Berlin sent a billboard van around Shoreditch beckoning London tech firms to move to the German capital. However, firms that took up the offer have found the German city to be lacking London's supportive, tech-friendly environment. From the country that invented the [...]
A former Treasury minister has said that further devolution is “as important as Brexit” to the nation’s future October 21, 2016 A former banker and Treasury minister has claimed that the success of new mayoralties is as important for the country as Theresa May's Brexit talks. Lord Jim O'Neill, who famously coined the “Brics” term for some of the world's largest emerging economies, said that “at least” four further regional mayors should be created. Four mayoral [...]