EU referendum: Downing Street refuses to deny it contacted British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) over John Longworth as Grassroots Out files FOI March 7, 2016 Downing Street refused to deny this morning that Number 10 officials contacted the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) over former director general John Longworth's euroscepticism. "Of course Number 10 talks to business organisations regularly. But if you are referring to Mr Longworth’s decision to step down, that is entirely a matter for the BCC," the Prime [...]
Green Investment Bank needs safeguards on green mandate before privatisation, says Mary Creagh, chair of the environmental audit committee March 7, 2016 Tough safeguards to make sure that the Green Investment Bank continues to invest in low-carbon projects are needed before it is transferred to private ownership, the head of a parliamentary select committee has said. Chair of the environmental audit committee Mary Creagh said she welcomed "the secretary of state’s pledge to protect the bank’s green [...]
EU referendum: Remain may be in better position than polls suggest as they will almost definitely change before EU referendum March 7, 2016 Recent polling has put the Remain camp slightly ahead of the Leave camp, after having struggled in late February when voters didn't appear to respond well to Prime Minister David Cameron's EU demands. Recent polling by YouGov now puts Remain on 40 per cent of the vote, compared to 37 per cent who want to [...]
US Presidential Election 2016: Bernie Sanders beats Hillary Clinton in Maine as the race comes closer March 7, 2016 Senator Bernie Sanders has overcome Hillary Clinton in the Maine caucuses, as the race between the two candidates becomes tighter. In the latest contest for the Democrat nomination, with 91 per cent of the vote counted, Sanders looks to have won 64 per cent of the vote to Clinton's 36 per cent. The victory comes after Sanders won [...]
EU migrant crisis: EU and Turkish leaders meet in Brussels for summit to tackle migrant crisis as Prime Minister David Cameron announces UK military will join Nato in Aegean Sea March 7, 2016 Turkish and European Union leaders have met in Brussels in an attempt to tackle the migrant crisis. Last year, more than a million entered the EU by boat, mostly travelling from Turkey to Greece, with 13,000 people currently stuck on Greece's border with Macedonia. The EU has pledged €3bn (£2.3bn) to Turkey in return for housing [...]
EU referendum: Mayor of London Boris Johnson says suspension of British Chambers of Commerce director general is “scandalous” March 6, 2016 Pressure is mounting on the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) over the suspension of the business group’s director general John Longworth. Longworth was suspended following an emergency meeting of the BCC board on Friday, after he backed Britain leaving the European Union. “With the reforms that we have received so far, the UK would be [...]
EU referendum: London mayor Boris Johnson turns his back on the City of London after dismissing Goldman Sachs and HSBC on Brexit March 6, 2016 Boris Johnson turned his back on the City this weekend in a bout of banker bashing that marked a sharp departure for the London mayor who has previously championed the Square Mile. Johnson, who came out in favour of Britain leaving the European Union last month, said earlier today that investment banking bosses should be [...]
Budget 2016: Chancellor George Osborne considering raising 40p threshold and slashing top rate from 45p to 40p March 6, 2016 Chancellor George Osborne could hand middle and higher income earners a big tax break next week by increasing the threshold for paying the higher rate of tax. Osborne is reportedly considering increasing the amount people have to earn before they start paying the higher 40p tax rate to £43,000 from the current threshold of £42,385 [...]
EU referendum: Brexit would be “poison”, says German finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble March 6, 2016 The United Kingdom voting to leave the European Union would be "poison" for the UK, European and global economy, the German finance minister has warned. If the UK votes for Brexit, Wolfgang Schäuble said, "we would have years of the most difficult negotiations, which would be difficult for the EU as well. For years we would have [...]
EU referendum: Remain retakes the lead in referendum campaign, according to new poll March 6, 2016 When Prime Minister David Cameron returned from Brussels having secured agreement on his reforms, the odds looked to be stacking up against him on whether or not he would be able to convince the British public to remain in the EU. A number of ministers came out in support of Brexit, many MPs slated his reforms [...]