Editor’s diary: Adam Smith gets a rebrand for 21st century politics October 14, 2016 We hear a lot about neoliberalism these days. More often than not it’s a phrase thrown around by pro-Corbyn activists as a form of insult that ranks alongside “Blairite”. Indeed, you’ll often hear the two phrases together. Owen Smith, who challenged Corbyn for the leadership on a policy platform of higher taxes, nationalisations and state expenditure [...]
EEF urges government to ensure its industrial strategy helps defence firms October 14, 2016 EEF has called on the government to ensure that its industrial strategy bolsters companies in the defence and security supply chain. It believes that a boost to the capability of, and spin off technologies in, the sectors are vital to the future of high value manufacturing in the UK. "The advantage to the UK economy of maintaining [...]
The IoD has called on Theresa May to scrap the “tens of thousands” target for net migration in an overhaul of policy October 14, 2016 The IoD has called for Theresa May to scrap a “tens of thousands” net migration target, and warned against a dramatic clampdown as the UK withdraws from the EU. May has been clear since the Brexit vote that immigration reform will be a critical part of the government's response. And earlier this month, the government [...]
Higher taxes and more debt are the only alternatives to real state pension reform October 13, 2016 Engineering an exit from the European Union will be the most significant administrative challenge faced by Whitehall since the Second World War. But ministers must resist the temptation to put the public service reform agenda on the backburner. The economic uncertainty created by June’s referendum means that driving efficiency is now more important than ever. [...]
How to cut EU migration without leaving the Single Market October 13, 2016 The Tory MEP Vicky Ford has taken a major step back from the idea of closing frontiers to European citizens which still appears to be the throbbing desire of Tory-Ukip hard Brexiters. In a newspaper interview, she set out ideas for reducing inflows of European workers within EU rules. She cites Liechtenstein, which was allowed [...]
Theresa May is facing a call to disclose exactly what and when she knew about Softbank’s £24bn acquisition of Arm Holdings October 13, 2016 Theresa May is facing a call to disclose exactly what she knew about Softbank's £24bn acquisition of Arm Holdings from the Cambridge MP whose constituency includes the UK headquarters of the tech giant. The £24bn acquisition of Arm in July has been hailed by the government as an expression of confidence in the UK economy in the [...]
The Tories’ bold pitch for Labour voters isn’t all bad for business October 13, 2016 Businesses are often surprised by government announcements, mistaking civilised interactions with ministers and advisers for their real political intentions. Politicians might sympathise with a particular policy, but it will always be overridden by the political imperatives of the day. And so it is that many businesses have been caught off guard by the government’s shift [...]
MPs are staging a vote on stripping Philip Green of his knighthood October 13, 2016 MPs will next week vote on removing the knighthood of former BHS owner Sir Philip Green after two MPs tabled an amendment to a scheduled debate. Work and pensions committee chair Frank Field was among the MPs who succeeded in securing a parliamentary debate on the collapse of BHS for 20 October. And now, Conservative MP [...]
Donald Tusk tells the UK: It’s hard Brexit or no Brexit October 13, 2016 Top EU policymaker Donald Tusk has told the UK there is no possibility of a so-called "soft Brexit". Tusk, president of the European Council, said this afternoon "the only real alternative to a hard Brexit is no Brexit" as he appeared to shut the door on the option of the UK and the EU striking a [...]
London mayor Sadiq Khan has taken an axe to his plan to plant more than 2m trees by 2020 October 13, 2016 London mayor Sadiq Khan has quietly axed his own election pledge of planting 2m trees across the city in his first term in office. Khan made the vow as part of his plans to make London a more environmentally friendly with a package of measures including the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street. However, his deputy mayor for [...]