Hammond guarantees £4.5bn EU funding for farmers and scientists until 2020 August 13, 2016 Chancellor Philip Hammond has today pledged to match EU funding for British firms in the first guarantee of its kind since the UK voted to leave the bloc in June's historic referendum. Hammond has agreed that all UK projects that win funds under the various EU development programmes will be "fully funded, even when these projects continue beyond the departure from [...]
Liam Fox’s new government department just issued – and then deleted – a confusing statement on business and Brexit August 12, 2016 The newly established Department for International Trade has muddied the waters on Brexit by issuing, and then deleting, a statement on the process of leaving the EU. The statement, a cached version of which can still be found here, admits the UK could be left operating on World Trade Organisation rules after quitting the EU, [...]
Labour has won a court victory defending its right to bar some members from voting in its leadership election August 12, 2016 The Labour party has won a court victory over its right to set a "freeze date" barring new members from voting in its leadership election. Five members took Labour to court over their right to vote after the party ruled that only those who were members before 12 January this year. Labour's ruling committee proposed [...]
The government will publish the final apprenticeship levy details just six months before it launches August 12, 2016 Businesses are to be given just six months to prepare for the launch of the apprenticeship levy, according to documents released today. In a summer consultation, the government has laid out the arithmetic behind plans allowing businesses to deduct the training of their own apprentices from the levy, which is set at 0.5 per cent [...]
66 days of Labour: All these major historical events were quicker than Labour’s leadership election? August 12, 2016 Labour may have won a court battle to prevent 130,000 new members from voting in its leadership election, but the battle between Owen Smith and Jeremy Corbyn will still rage for a healthy 66 days. Had the party lost in the court of appeal today, Smith would have pushed for an extension to the Labour contest, delaying [...]
A new campaign website promoted by Jeremy Corbyn claims Labour and Tories “were neck and neck” in polls prior to the rebellion by party MPs… August 12, 2016 A new website promoted by Jeremy Corbyn's camp in an attempt to dispel myths about the Labour leader appears to be blaming the party's rebels for its poor performance in polls. CorbynFacts.com, revealed by the Labour leader's official campaign yesterday and launched during last night's Labour's second leadership hustings, prominently features the claim that Labour and [...]
Immigration supporters must face facts: The public has no confidence in the system August 12, 2016 How would I sum up the job of the new home secretary Amber Rudd when she thinks about immigration in a post-Brexit world? “Immigration might be good for your GDP, but it doesn’t help mine.” A friend made the point when he visited London a few weeks ago. He isn’t racist, he has nothing against [...]
Australia moves to block Chinese investment in energy grid August 11, 2016 Australia's government is taking steps to stop two Chinese firms from taking a controlling stake in its largest energy network, citing national security concerns. It puts Australia in a similar position to the UK, where the politicians must balance security concerns related to China's involvement in Hinkley against the importance of a good relationship with the world's second [...]
Theresa May given overwhelming support for leader of the UK in latest poll August 11, 2016 An overwhelming plurality of people back Theresa May for Prime Minister over Jeremy Corbyn, according to the latest poll. A TNS BMRB poll found 44 per cent of people think May is a better leader for Britain than her Labour counterpart, who garnered just 16 per cent of support. The poll gives the Conservatives a [...]
Chinese firm linked to Hinkley Point accused of nuclear espionage August 11, 2016 The Chinese firm which has been lined up to invest in the Hinkley Point C power plant is facing a nuclear espionage charge in the United States. China General Nuclear Power (CGN) allegedly conspired to steal American energy industry secrets to fast track the development and production of Chinese reactor technology. Read more: Is May set to abandon [...]