COP21 Paris climate summit: UN climate talks approve draft text for a deal December 5, 2015 Delegates at a UN climate conference in Paris today cleared a key hurdle to the formation of an international climate deal. Ministers worked through the night to sign off the draft text, which creates a common basis from which they will now try to resolve hundreds of points of disagreement. Laurence Tubiana, French climate envoy, told the [...]
Syria crisis: RAF jets hit oilfield In second round of air strikes December 5, 2015 UK jets carried out the second wave of airstrikes Syria yesterday night, in a bid to destroy Islamic State (Isis) controlled oil fields, which the British government says are being used to fund terror attacks on the West. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) said that two Tornado jets, and for the first time, two Typhoons carried out eight attacks [...]
Will Ukip break up? These bookmakers think Ukip could disband and Nigel Farage could step down December 4, 2015 The UK Independence Party has been left reeling in the aftermath of the Oldham West and Royton by-election, in which it launched a mammoth campaign, but only garnered 23 per cent of the vote. And after mere hours of the result, one bookmaker has shifted their odds on the chance of Ukip disbanding altogether. Star [...]
MPs’ expenses scandal: Parliamentary expenses watchdog Ipsa passes on the names of two MPs to police December 4, 2015 The UK parliamentary expenses watchdog has passed on cases of expenses abuse by MPs to the police. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) gave the names of three people, including two MPs, the Metropolitan Police confirmed. Read more: Here's where MPs earn the most Ipsa said: "Three cases have been forwarded to the Metropolitan Police for [...]
Syria crisis: German parliament votes for military strikes against Isis December 4, 2015 The German parliament has voted in favour of sending military support to the US-led coalition targeting the Islamic State (Isis) in Syria. The vote will result in Germany's biggest current military operation overseas, costing €134m (£97m) for the one year mandate. However, the Bundestag did not vote for a combative role, but one that will [...]
Oldham West and Royton by-election 2015 result: Labour candidate Jim McMahon wins leaving Ukip’s John Bickley in second and Nigel Farage complaining of electoral fraud December 4, 2015 Labour candidate Jim McMahon won the Oldham West and Royton by-election last night with a majority of more than 10,000 votes. In Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s first electoral test since taking the reins of the party, McMahon took 62 per cent of the vote, leading Corbyn to hail the result as a “vote of confidence”. McMahon [...]
Oldham West and Royton by-election 2015 result: Labour’s Jim McMahon wins and Jeremy Corbyn hails victory a ‘vote of confidence’ December 4, 2015 Labour has secured a victory in the by-election for Oldham West and Royton. The party's candidate, Jim McMahon, came in first place with a majority of 62 per cent – this was a bigger win for Labour than at the General Election in May The victory amounted to 10,835 more votes than Ukip candidate John [...]
Free-market think tank Institute of Economic Affairs slams NHS satisfaction, patient outcomes and funding structure December 4, 2015 A leading think tank is attacking the National Health Service (NHS) with a new paper arguing the service is failing current and future patients. Kristian Niemietz, head of health and welfare at the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), said the NHS is a “demographic timebomb” with an unsustainable funding structure that leads to poor health [...]
It is “very possible” airstrikes in Syria could lay the foundation for ground troops, says Foreign Affairs Select Committee chair Crispin Blunt December 3, 2015 It is “very possible” that the House of Commons vote in favour of extending air strikes against the Islamic State (Isis) in Syria could pave the way for the involvement of UK ground troops, the chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee has said. Speaking to City A.M., Crispin Blunt said that while air strikes will [...]
London mayoral election 2016: New YouGov poll shows Sadiq Khan has a six-point lead over Zac Goldsmith December 3, 2015 Labour candidate for mayor of London Sadiq Khan now has a six-point lead over Conservative rival Zac Goldsmith, according to a new poll out today. A YouGov survey of more than 1,000 Londoners found 53 per cent of likely voters favoured Khan, compared to 47 per cent backing Goldsmith. The poll found that Khan has a particularly strong lead (57 [...]