Christine Lagarde and Mario Draghi call on politicians to do more to help the losers of globalisation September 13, 2016 Two of the planet’s most important policymakers have criticised the response of governments around the world to growing concerns over globalisation, inequality and technological change. Christine Lagarde, head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Mario Draghi, president of the European Central Bank (ECB) said governments and institutions needed to make sure their policies did [...]
The trouble with statistics: The same flaws afflict economic data as political opinion polls September 13, 2016 Who will win the US presidency? Opinion polls have got a bad name in Britain, at least. During the 2010 general election campaign, many suggested that Gordon Brown could still continue in power in a minority government or coalition. The polling record in the 2015 campaign was even worse. Most polls showed the two main [...]
UK ports form alliance in bid to create “gateway to a global North” September 13, 2016 The North of England's four main ports agreed a new partnership in parliament today, as they said £1bn of government funding could help create a "gateway to a global North". The Northern Ports Association — which will include Liverpool, Hull & Humber, Tees Valley and Tyne — will aim to create jobs, make importing and exporting easier and create prosperity [...]
David Davis puts the government on collision course with the House of Lords over Brexit approval September 13, 2016 Brexit secretary David Davis has put the government on collision course with the House of Lords after slapping down demands from a committee of peers for a parliamentary vote on Brexit. The House of Lords constitutional committee today warned that the government should not trigger Britain's departure from the EU without “explicit parliamentary approval”. The Lords [...]
Former EU president Jose Manuel Barroso turns on Brussels over Goldman Sachs job September 13, 2016 Former European President Jose Manuel Barroso has issued a blistering attack on EU leaders and institutions over their attempts to frustrate his plans to take up a new role with Goldman Sachs. In a strongly worded letter sent to his successor, Jean-Claude Juncker, today, Barroso stated: "It has been claimed that the mere fact of working [...]
The government is set to rule out an ambitious plan to protect Tata’s steel pensioners with legal reforms September 13, 2016 The government is inching away from Tata Steel's preferred plans for dealing with its £15bn pension scheme. The Department for Work and Pensions closed a consultation into the future of the British Steel Pensions Scheme in late June, and both Tata and trustees have been pushing for the scheme to be hived off. The scheme [...]
The UK’s EU referendum was the biggest nationwide vote since John Major was elected in 1992 September 13, 2016 June's Brexit referendum saw a higher turnout than any UK-wide vote for more than 20 years, the Electoral Commission has revealed. The figures confirmed that a massive 72.2 per cent of voters showed up to vote on 23 June, with almost 26.3m votes cast at polling stations. It means the referendum dwarfed every election since John [...]
European Parliament’s Brexit point man Guy Verhofstadt calls for speedy negotiation process September 13, 2016 The man appointed to lead the European Parliament's role in Brexit negotiations with Britain, Guy Verhofstadt, has called for a speedy conclusion to the process. Verhofstadt, an influential MEP who was Prime Minister of Belgium from 1999 to 2008, said on Twitter today that Brexit should be delivered by 2019, when EU politics enters into [...]
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn could see his constituency scrapped under new boundary proposals September 13, 2016 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is facing another blow as he enters his second year as Labour leader, with the Boundary Commission revealed plans to scrap his constituency, even as polls show a yawning divide between his party and the government. Figures from pollster ICM yesterday showed his party trailing the Conservatives by 13 points at [...]
Last ever British EU commissioner pledges allegiance to Brussels September 12, 2016 The man set to become the UK's last ever European commissioner has pledged to work solely for Europe's best interests in a "marathon" hearing before members of the European Parliament. Julian King, currently the UK's ambassador to France, was announced as successor to Lord Jonathan Hill, who resigned straight after the EU referendum, having been in [...]