EU referendum: Phone polls back Remain far more than online polls but contain too high a percentage of graduates, says YouGov May 20, 2016 The ability of phone polls to accurately predict the outcome of the EU referendum has been called into question by YouGov, which states they include too high a percentage of graduates. To give some context, there's been wide discrepancies between online and phone polling in the buildup to the vote, with phone polls putting Remain comprehensively ahead but online [...]
EU referendum: Ryanair extends “Fly Home to Vote Remain” sale in response to being accused of breaking election law and anti-bribery rules by Vote Leave May 20, 2016 Ryanair has doubled down on its offer of cheap flights back to the UK in order to encourage people to vote Remain after Vote Leave complained to the police about the campaign. Vote Leave, the designated Out campaign group, said that Ryanair's offer of cheap flights to expats who want to vote to remain in the [...]
EU referendum: Two Britons living abroad lose Court of Appeal battle over right to vote in June May 20, 2016 Two Britons living abroad have lost a Court of Appeal battle over their right to vote in June's EU referendum. The legal challenge, brought by World War Two veteran Harry Shindler and lawyer Jacquelyn MacLennan, was made after the pair lost their application for a judicial review last month. Under the law UK citizens that have lived [...]
Cabinet Office privatisation of Whitehall functions cost £4m more than it saved May 20, 2016 The Cabinet Office's privatisation of a number of Whitehall functions has not delivered value for money, costing £4m per year more than it saved, according to the National Audit Office (NAO). Most departments successfully outsource functions to one of two independent shared service centres, delivering overall savings of £90m to customers in the first two and [...]
Government policies to avoid blackouts will add £100 to UK household bills May 20, 2016 Government schemes to keep the lights on and meet low-carbon targets will add £100 to annual household bills within five years. The capacity market and contracts for difference which help guarantee the UK's energy security will help drive energy subsidies up by 124 per cent by 2020-21. Read more: National Grid warns government over handing blackout responsibilities to energy [...]
EU referendum: Hundreds of celebrities urge public to vote for Remain May 20, 2016 Celebrities including Benedict Cumberbatch, Bill Nighy, Helena Bonham Carter, Jude Law and Keira Knightley have signed an open letter in support of the EU, as we enter the final weeks before the referendum. Hundreds of actors, writers, directors and artists have put pen to paper ahead of the vote, urging the public to vote to remain part [...]
US elections: David Cameron deserved his slapdown – his cosy politics won’t wash with Trump May 20, 2016 Donald Trump’s ability to offend both individuals and mass groups of people should not come as a surprise to anyone anymore. That said, while what he says no longer shocks me (that’s not a challenge, Donald), it often upsets me, and causes me to empathise with the groups targeted. His accusation that Mexican immigrants are rapists [...]
The City is irresistible for scores of firms – and we’ll keep doing business regardless of Brexit May 20, 2016 We hear most days how the City will be ruined if Britain votes for Brexit. It is said that there will be flight of capital to Frankfurt, trade will plummet, and international businesses will lose faith in London’s financial predominance. In the last week, Bank of England governor Mark Carney announced that, in the Bank’s view, a [...]
EU referendum: Why business owes it to its workers to take back the Brexit debate from the political elites May 20, 2016 The most important influence on how Britain will vote on 23 June is unlikely to be President Obama, David Cameron, Jeremy Corbyn, or Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson. The unsung persuader in this vote will be a friend or colleague at work. There are 5.4m businesses in the UK and a total of 31m employees. Each [...]
As the US slaps a 522 per cent tariff on Chinese steel imports, should the world fear a new trade war? May 20, 2016 Eamonn Butler, director of the Adam Smith Institute, says Yes. Things could be much worse than they presently are. In the century to 1950, world tariffs averaged 20 to 50 per cent. Now they average 1 to 3 per cent. But protectionism ain’t dead yet. We’ve seen it aplenty from populist presidential hopefuls Donald Trump [...]