EU referendum: Former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis says Mayor of London Boris Johnson is right about lack of democracy in the EU March 3, 2016 Mayor of London Boris Johnson is right in stating the European Union has a democratic deficit, former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis has said. While Varoufakis wants the UK to stay in the EU, he said that when Johnson declared support for Brexit "he said, quite correctly, that Brussels is suffering from a serious lack [...]
US Presidential Election 2016: Does the Super Tuesday rally show Hillary Clinton trumping Donald at the polls? March 3, 2016 It’s been a wild start to 2016 for US stock markets, plunging for the first six weeks of the year then turning around in mid-February and kicking off March with a big breakout rally. The high volatility that started the year has been attributed to a number of factors, one of which may be uncertainty [...]
US Presidential Election 2016: Establishment Republicans turn on Donald Trump in effort to sway voters March 3, 2016 Donald Trump has taken the US by storm. Rolling ahead of a once-crowded Republican pack, he is now almost certain to win the nomination. But while he has the support of many voters, the Republican establishment doesn't want that. House speaker Paul Ryan and South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham have already spoken out against him, and former Presidential [...]
EU referendum: Labour MP John Mann states UK paid out £647m for health costs to European countries last year with just £49m received back March 2, 2016 The UK paid out more than £647m to European countries for the health costs last year, receiving just £49m in return, according to Labour MP John Mann. The discrepancy was revealed in a department for health response to Mann, who sits on the Treasury Select Committee. Read more: Former Tory chancellor Norman Lamont backs Brexit Notably, Mann said [...]
Super Tuesday 2016 results: Donald Trump’s meteoric rise to Republican front-runner should surprise no-one March 2, 2016 Even close observers of politics are flummoxed, astounded and surprised by the meteoric rise of Donald Trump – they shouldn’t be. Many will be thinking that a real estate mogul, part-time reality TV star, and self-proclaimed non-politician has no business running for the most powerful elected office in the world, but is that really the [...]
Trade Union Bill: House of Lords select committee waters down the government’s proposals that would impact the Labour party’s funding March 2, 2016 While the Trade Union Bill is still making its way through the House of Lords, a cross-party report from a Lords select committee has suggested watering down the government's proposals. The report by the House of Lords Select Committee on Trade Union Political Funds and Political Party Funding accepted that the bill would result in reducing [...]
EU referendum: Boris Johnson has 21 point lead over George Osborne in race to replace David Cameron as Tory party leader after he backs Brexit March 2, 2016 London mayor Boris Johnson has a double-digit lead over chancellor George Osborne in the race to be the next Tory leader, according to new poll figures out today. YouGov surveyed more than 1,000 Conservative party members for the Times newspaper, finding 43 per cent of members backed Boris to be the next Tory leader, compared [...]
US Presidential Election 2016: As Donald Trump sweeps up most states, who is Super Tuesday’s big loser? The Republican party March 2, 2016 Super Tuesday was the night when the Republican party, and its chances of regaining the White House in November, imploded. The headlines this morning will be satisfying to both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, although neither sealed the nomination. But the GOP's establishment will be close to desperation, bereft of any alternative – given the [...]
UK house prices: Stamp duty changes should be linked to carbon emissions – Think tank PolicyExchange March 2, 2016 A leading think tank has called for homebuyers who choose properties that perform poorly on energy efficiency to pay more stamp duty. Under the proposal by London-based Policy Exchange, a £220,000 house with a poor energy efficiency rating would see stamp duty rise 30 per cent from £1,900 to £2,470. However, those buying an energy efficient home of the same value [...]
EU referendum: Former Conservative chancellor Norman Lamont backs Brexit arguing EU needs an agreement as much as UK does March 2, 2016 Former Conservative chancellor Norman Lamont has put his two cents into the EU referendum debate, backing Brexit and labelling the impending EU referendum a "once-in-a-generation opportunity". The Conservative peer – coincidentally Prime Minister David Cameron's old boss – said Britain must take control of immigration and that Downing Street's warnings about the alternatives to membership [...]