London mayoral election 2016: Is Boris Johnson helping Zac Goldsmith win support over rival Sadiq Khan? April 15, 2016 "We’ve done incredibly well under Boris." "London’s the most important city in the world and I think Boris Johnson can take credit for that." "Boris has shown how to bang the drum across the world." Love him or loathe him, it’s hard to say Boris Johnson hasn’t had an impact. Yet, the above quotes are all from [...]
US Presidential Election 2016: Would Donald Trump be able to make any changes anyway? April 15, 2016 Imagining Donald Trump walking into the White House is difficult, even at this stage. Yet, he looks set to win the Republican nomination, has the support of wide cross sections of society and is reaching voters that other candidates simply don’t seem able to. That seems unexplainable to many, given his tough stance on immigration [...]
EU referendum: Official campaign begins ahead of vote on 23 June April 15, 2016 The starting gun has been fired in the battle to win hearts and minds ahead of the EU referendum on 23 June, as the official campaign begins. Earlier this week Britain Stronger in Europe and Vote Leave were chosen as the designated campaigning groups ahead of the vote by the Electoral Commission, with both now [...]
Corbyn the Musical review: An alluring portrayal of Labour’s leader if at times predictable April 15, 2016 A drains and manhole covers enthusiast, the imagined life of a future Jeremy Corbyn takes a sudden turn when he’s elected Prime Minister and confronted with a nuclear threat posed by his onetime admirer Vladimir Putin. Why is Putin outraged? That would be telling. But luckily for Corbyn, he’s got Diane Abbott by his side, as he reminisces over their [...]
EU referendum: Former Labour chancellor Alistair Darling condemns Brexit campaign for turning “blind eye to credible warnings of economic disaster” April 15, 2016 There is "nothing patriotic" about backing a Brexit and "turning a blind eye to credible warnings of economic disaster", Alistair Darling will say today. The former Labour chancellor will also warn "dark clouds are gathering on our horizon" and compare uncertainty around the EU referendum with the period before the 2008 financial crisis. Read more: Bank [...]
MPs slam HM Revenue & Customs for not doing enough to tackle tax fraud April 15, 2016 A report released today has criticised the UK's tax authority for not making headway in the battle against tax fraud. The report by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said there had been limited progress made in reducing the losses from tax fraud, which costs HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) around £16bn per year in uncollected taxes. The PAC [...]
Jeremy Corbyn ahead of George Osborne on best Prime Minister, according to poll April 14, 2016 Jeremy Corbyn is doing well in the eyes of the public of late, now seen as a better potential Prime Minister than George Osborne and closing the lead held by David Cameron. A new poll shows that Corbyn has a 13 point lead over Osborne, while has closed the gap with Cameron from 24 points [...]
The Green Deal cost taxpayers £17,000 per household April 14, 2016 The government's abandoned flagship energy-saving programme cost the taxpayer £17,000 per each home that was improved, a watchdog has said. The National Audit Office (NAO) said that "the Green Deal has not achieved value for money". The scheme cost the taxpayer £240m, including grants to stimulate demand, but has generated additional energy savings. "This is because [...]
EU referendum: Jeremy Corbyn outlines pro-EU case but opponents say he’s been gagged April 14, 2016 Jeremy Corbyn has set out his case for why the United Kingdom should vote to remain in the European Union, in his first intervention of the campaign. The Labour leader stressed the "socialist case" for remaining in the 28-member bloc. While acknowledging the shortcomings of the EU, he argued that reform should be made from within, and [...]
EU referendum: Britain Stronger in Europe and Vote Leave given official designation by the Electoral Commission ahead of Grassroots Out April 13, 2016 Britain Stronger in Europe and Vote Leave have been chosen as the official campaign groups by the Electoral Commission ahead of the referendum in June. Both groups will be entitled to broadcast campaign speeches, receive a publicly funded grant of up to £600,000 and send a leaflet to each household. A higher sending limit of £7m is imposed [...]