John McDonnell attacks George Osborne’s economic policy as an “absolute failure” June 1, 2016 The shadow chancellor John McDonnell has launched a stinging attack on George Osborne’s economic policy after the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) slashed its growth forecasts for the UK economy. The OECD said it now expects the UK to grow by 1.7 per cent this year, down from a prediction of 2.1 per cent [...]
Five things we learned from Vice’s Jeremy Corbyn documentary June 1, 2016 Over eight weeks, Vice News profiled Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn – here are the big takeaways from the result. 1. The scale of Corbyn's ambition remains unclear The Labour leader is modest when it comes to his own fame, denying that he is “famous”, but it's not clear whether Corbyn sees himself as a future [...]
What’s the answer to dealing with difficult questions? June 1, 2016 As the debate over whether Britain should leave the EU intensifies we are once again exposed to the interminable dance of politicians being asked questions and subsequently not answering them. Nobody seems to have any idea what will happen. It appears that the Leave Campaign can only repeat horror stories about immigration if we stay, and [...]
Northern Powerhouse is dependent on productivity, not links to other cities, says Centre for Cities report June 1, 2016 Northern cities must become more productive if the government's plan for a Northern Powerhouse is to become a reality, a think tank has warned. A new Centre for Cities report today said that chancellor George Osborne's ambition will only come to fruition if the focus is on boosting productivity in underperforming cities in the north. [...]
EU referendum odds: Bookmakers cut odds on Brexit again as Leave rally continues June 1, 2016 Bookmakers have again shortened their odds on the chances of Brexit. Following a series of polls that indicated Leave gaining ground, William Hill and Betway have become the latest bookmakers to cut their odds on a Brexit vote, following Ladbrokes yesterday. William Hill is now offering 10/3 on a Leave vote, down from 4/1 within [...]
EU referendum: Vote Leave sets out alternative immigration plan on points-based system June 1, 2016 Brexit campaigners have warned on immigration again today, with Vote Leave's top brass announcing that the UK should adopt a points-based immigration system if it leaves the EU. Messrs Johnson and Gove, as well as Priti Patel, unveiled a joint statement that said "such a system can be much less bureaucratic and much simpler than the existing system for [...]
UK steel: Tata Steel sells European business to Greybull Capital June 1, 2016 Tata Steel has sold part of its European steel business to Greybull Capital, a private equity company. Greybull, which specialises in taking on struggling companies, has become the owner of Tata Steel's long products business, including the plants in Scunthorpe and mills on Teesside. Bimlendra Jha, executive chairman of the Long Products Europe business and [...]
Brexit vote too important to be left up to politicians June 1, 2016 Moan all you like about the EU referendum but it's got people talking. From Cornwall to the City and from the Western Isles to Westminster, people are engaged and discussing the issues. People are debating in restaurants and outside pubs and, as is always the case in political campaigns, they're doing so with more nuance and [...]
EU referendum: Britain Stronger in Europe and Vote Leave trade blows over Brexit jobs risk June 1, 2016 If the UK leaves the European Union and the single market, London could miss out on tens of thousands of extra jobs, pro-EU campaigners have claimed, as Remain campaigners today seek to put forward the case for membership from manufacturers. Analysis by the Centre for Economic and Business Research (CEBR) for the official Britain Stronger in [...]
Brexit would lead to a shake up of working time rules, according to one QC June 1, 2016 A Brexit vote would lead to "predictable" changes to the rights of workers, according to a QC, who argues that reforms to working time rules may be the first in line. In an analysis published by the TUC, Ford wrote that following separation from the EU, the UK government would have “pretty much unconstrained freedom” in relation to [...]