EU referendum: A second referendum would be extremely difficult, legal expert warns February 22, 2016 Prime Minister David Cameron may well be in dispute with Mayor of London Boris Johnson over the idea that a "leave" vote in the upcoming referendum on Britain's relationship with the European Union could lead to a second referendum, but would it be possible anyway? Well, constitutional expert Dr Alan Renwick said that it would be [...]
London mayoral election 2016: Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith earned more than £10m in the last five years, paid almost £700k in taxes last year alone February 22, 2016 Conservative mayoral candidate Zac Goldsmith has today published new details about his tax returns for the last five years, after facing tough questions on his previous "non dom" status. According to a letter released by Goldsmith's campaign from PwC (see below), Goldsmith paid £692,870 in income and capital gains taxes last year, and another £4,573.32 in National Insurance [...]
EU referendum: Business should act now to prepare for Brexit before the 23 June referendum February 22, 2016 Recent reports have suggested that, astonishingly, only a minority of big listed companies in the UK have made serious preparations for the possibility that the UK may leave the EU. At the same time, it appears that the PRA has not seen fit to ask the big banks whether they have done contingency planning. This [...]
EU referendum: Prime Minister David Cameron rejects suggestions from mayor of London Boris Johnson and others that there could be two referendums February 22, 2016 Prime Minister David Cameron has rejected suggestions that a "leave" vote in the forthcoming referendum on Britain's relationship with the European Union would lead to a second referendum, in an attack on London mayor Boris Johnson and other eurosceptics. Speaking in the House of Commons this afternoon, Cameron said that campaigning for the UK to leave [...]
London mayoral election 2016: Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith’s belief in Brexit on EU referendum proves he champions what’s right – not just what’s political February 22, 2016 Neither the former or current Mayors of London could be described as party poodles. London has a history of rewarding straight talking, independent minded candidates and Zac Goldsmith has those attributes in spades. Of course as a fellow Tory I’d be supporting him in his bid to be the Mayor of London, but at a [...]
EU referendum: Citi says Brexit is 10 per cent more likely after mayor of London Boris Johnson backed Brexit February 22, 2016 Has London mayor Boris Johnson boosted the likelihood that Britain will leave the European Union? Analysts at the US investment bank Citi think so. In a note sent to clients today, Michael Saunders, head of European economics at Citi, and Tina Fordham, the bank's chief global political analyst, said they estimated the chances of the UK leaving [...]
EU referendum: Leaving the EU is a “big gamble” for the UK’s security, warns defence secretary Michael Fallon ahead of Cameron’s House of Commons statement February 22, 2016 If the UK votes to leave the EU it will be a "big gamble" for the UK's security, defence secretary Michael Fallon has warned. Speaking to the BBC, Fallon claimed that the "collective weight" of partnerships, including the EU, makes it easier to deal with global threats. "At the moment our defence and security rests [...]
Treasury Select Committee raises red flags after emails reveal Treasury meddling with Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) February 22, 2016 An influential group of MPs have today raised red flags over the independence of the government’s statistics watchdog, after multiple emails revealed that Treasury officials requested changes to descriptive text accompanying official forecasts. The Treasury Select Committee said in a new report out today that the emails “raise concerns about the terms of engagement” between the Office [...]
EU referendum: Mayor of London Boris Johnson faces tough questions from London Assembly over his decision to back Brexit February 22, 2016 London mayor Boris Johnson came under fire at Mayor's Question Time this morning at City Hall, as members of the London Assembly slammed his decision to campaign for Britain to leave the European Union. Assembly members used a session set up to scrutinise Johnson's final budget as mayor to question him on his backing of Brexit, instead. Len Duvall, [...]
EU referendum and Brexit explained: Who is “in” and who is “out”, the main issues including immigration and trade, when the vote is scheduled and why it’s important February 22, 2016 To Brexit or not to Brexit? That is the question. But what is a Brexit and why should you care about it? Here's everything you need to know about the EU referendum. What is Brexit? Brexit refers to Britain's exit from the European Union. It's not the only portmanteau of this kind, with Grexit having preceded [...]