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 [...]
Banks, law firms and accountants to be ranked on social mobility success October 24, 2016 Top City employers will be ranked on their progress in boosting social mobility and recruiting candidates from disadvantaged backgrounds, in a new government-backed scheme. The Social Mobility Commission, a government body, and the Social Mobility Foundation, a charity, have teamed up to produce a new index of the country's biggest employers to assess their efforts [...]
Treasury names Katharine Braddick as replacement for Charles Roxburgh as financial services head October 24, 2016 Katharine Braddick has been appointed as the new director general for financial services, the Treasury has announced. She replaces Charles Roxburgh, who was appointed as the second permanent secretary to the Treasury in June. Braddick, who was formerly the director for international and EU financial services, joined the department from the Bank of England in 2014. Read [...]
MPs will this week grill Rolls-Royce and Aston Martin as part of an industrial strategy probe October 24, 2016 Businesses including Rolls-Royce and Aston Martin will be invited to give evidence to MPs in Coventry later this week as part of a probe into the government's industrial strategy. MPs on parliament's Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee will take evidence at the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) in the East Midlands city on Thursday. Witnesses [...]