Migration figures become latest political football in EU referendum May 26, 2016 David Cameron and the Remain camp could probably have done without this morning's immigration statistics – figures that are almost certain to be put centre stage during the last four weeks of the referendum campaign. The numbers, published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), showed net migration was running at 330,000 in 2015, as a record number of [...]
Prime minister David Cameron warns of hit to pensions if Britain backs Brexit May 26, 2016 Prime minister David Cameron has warned retirees face a triple threat to their pension pots if Britain votes to leave the European Union. He said pension funds would shrink due to the economic shock from a leave vote, just as the fallout increased the cost living and changes to visa and residency rules led to a shortage of [...]
More than eight-in-ten local authorities will be in serious financial difficulty in the next three years, chief execs warn May 26, 2016 Local authorities are at risk of failing to deliver essential services in coming years, the government is being warned. PwC’s annual survey of local government leadership has shown that 81 per cent of local authority bosses believe that some will not deliver essential services within the next three years. Almost nine-in-ten – 86 per cent – of council [...]
David Cameron’s former adviser Steve Hilton says we need to rip up the banking system to promote competition May 25, 2016 David Cameron's former adviser Steve Hilton has branded the banking sector a "stitched-up, corrupt cartel" that needs to be completely overhauled. In an interview with City A.M.'s Bespoke magazine, Hilton, who this week declared his support for Vote Leave, labelled the industry chronically uncompetitive, and said that new regulations, such as America’s Dodd-Frank reforms, are making the [...]
Brexit campaigners need to remember, “its the economy, stupid!” May 25, 2016 Less than 30 days to go, and Boris Johnson has been speeding around in a sports car to over engineer a “take back control” metaphor while Nigel has been doing his latest man of the people act outside a pie and mash Café in Essex. Photo opportunities can, of course, make or break any campaign – [...]
Conf-EU-sed? The definitive list of everyone who’s ever expressed an opinion on Brexit – and where they stand May 25, 2016
Calculator: How much does the UK contribute to the EU budget? May 25, 2016 Statisticians have fired another shot in the war with Brexit campaigners over how much the UK contributes to the European Union – with an online calculator. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has this morning published a guide outlining what they feel are responsible estimates of how much the UK pays into the EU, one of the key battlegrounds [...]
Advisers tell MPs that BHS needed to be sold by Arcadia group to give it any chance of surviving as a business May 25, 2016 One of the advisers on the sale of BHS has today told MPs that the company needed to be separated from the Arcadia group for it to have a chance of continuing as a viable business. Speaking in front of the Work and Pensions committee and the Business, Innovation and Skills committee, Mark Byers, partner at [...]
George Osborne rated as a natural leader by just two per cent of the British public, according to survey May 25, 2016 Just two per cent of Britons believe that chancellor George Osborne is a natural leader, and just over one in 10 believe he would be up to succeeding David Cameron as Prime Minister. The public slammed Osborne in a survey by YouGov for the Times, which revealed the chancellor's ratings contrast poorly with that of former London mayor Boris Johnson. [...]
Revealed: The sums behind Khan’s backing of the Garden Bridge May 25, 2016 London Mayor Sadiq Khan has claimed that cancelling a controversial Garden Bridge across the Thames would cost more than completing the project. Speaking at Mayor's Question Time for the first time since his election, Khan said that almost £40m of public funds have already been spent by the Garden Bridge Trust. Of a total of [...]