Divided Britain: Most people still identify as working class and believe social mobility has worsened June 30, 2016 Britain really is the nation of the white van man – at least if you let people describe themselves. Most Britons still identify as working class even though only a quarter of the population are in working class occupations, according to the annual British Social Attitudes Survey. Six in ten respondents to the annual survey described [...]
Michael Gove ditches Boris Johnson and enters the race to succeed David Cameron June 30, 2016 Michael Gove has this morning announced he will stand in the Conservative leadership race to succeed David Cameron as prime minister. Gove, who headed up the Vote Leave campaign, was widely expected to throw his support behind Boris Johnson in a joint bid, but has now sought to distance himself from his colleague. In a statement this [...]
More than 10,000 people have joined the Liberal Democrats since the EU referendum June 30, 2016 At this stage, the Liberal Democrats may be the only party to be doing well out of last week's Brexit vote. More than 10,000 people have signed up to join the Lib Dems since the EU referendum result was announced last Friday, at a rate of more than one per minute. Leader Tim Farron was quick to [...]
Nigel Farage says Britain could continue to contribute to EU budget – but will not compromise on freedom of movement June 30, 2016 Ukip leader Nigel Farage has said Britain will make compromises in order to access the Single Market but will not back down on immigration. Farage made the remarks in an interview with French newspaper Le Figaro following the last week's vote to leave the European Union. He said the UK could continue to contribute to the EU budget [...]
Britain will need an effective opposition June 30, 2016 Given the scale of the change that the British people have voted for, and the chaos it has unleashed across European politics and markets, it may seem strange that the number one story in town has been the circular firing squad that currently passes for Her Majesty's Opposition. Jeremy Corbyn has endured days of high-profile [...]
Trade groups call for taskforce to safeguard UK’s Brexit negotiations June 30, 2016 Business groups are mounting pressure on the government to take action following the UK’s vote to quit the European Union. The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has called for the creation of a business taskforce to “ensure business priority issues form a key part of both domestic policy and EU exit negotiations”. The proposals were [...]
What now? The UK and the EU Single Market June 29, 2016 Now the UK has voted to leave the European Union, the focus on what kind of relationship we should forge with the trading bloc has taken on a new intensity. We are no longer talking hypothetically and the debate over whether we should have “access to” or be “in” the Single Market is more than semantic. [...]
Ten trade unions have hit out at the “deeply regrettable and unnecessary” crisis engulfing Labour, while acknowledging calls for a leadership election June 29, 2016 Ten of the UK's trade unions have slammed the conduct of the party's MPs, acknowledging Labour is heading for a leadership election. The carefully worded statement from the leaders of unions including Unite, Unison and GMB, argue that Corbyn is the democratically-elected leader of the party, chosen under procedures backed by Labour MPs. And while the statement stops short of directly [...]
As Jeremy Corbyn clings onto the Labour leadership, is a split within the party now inevitable? June 29, 2016 Tim Worstall, senior fellow of the Adam Smith Institute, says Yes. Labour has been splitting for all my adult life. A difference has always existed between those who understand that there is a spectrum of possible economic and political models, which must exclude a non-market system, and those who do not. This is what the [...]
The leaders of France and Spain have slammed Scotland’s hopes of negotiating directly with the EU following last week’s Brexit vote June 29, 2016 Scotland's efforts to negotiate its own relationship with the EU have hit a setback after the leaders of France and Spain stressed that Europe should deal solely with the UK. Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon has been in Brussels today, meeting European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and European Parliament president Martin Schulz, and stressing Scotland's desire to [...]