EU referendum: EU reform won’t stop migrants coming to the UK, says former European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso February 10, 2016 Migrants bound for the United Kingdom will not be put off by restricting benefits, former European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has said. Plans for an "emergency break" on in-work benefits for migrants are a creative compromise, but will not help reduce migration, he told BBC Newsnight. Barroso's comments come after Prime Minister David Cameron [...]
Liberalising the UK’s migration policy could yield significant benefits for migrants and lead to a “brain gain” in developing countries February 10, 2016 Britain’s immigration debate rarely discusses how migrants themselves are affected by coming to work here. We argue passionately over whether immigration has cost the average worker twenty pounds, or benefited her by forty pounds. But these sums are trivial compared to the benefits of migration to the migrants themselves, and to their home countries. A [...]
US presidential election 2016: Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders win New Hampshire primary February 10, 2016 Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders both took home decisive victories in the New Hampshire primary. Sanders, the socialist senator from Vermont, looks set to beat Democrat rival Hillary Clinton by the widest margin in New Hampshire primary history. Sanders said this showed voters want “real change”. Meanwhile, Trump, the controversial mogul gunning for [...]
EU referendum: 30 more Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs back the pro-EU Stronger In campaign February 10, 2016 The pro-EU Britain Stronger In Europe campaign today revealed the names of 30 more current and former Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs and peers who have have agreed to support their campaign. They include: Conservatives Richard Benyon MP Neil Carmichael MP James Cartlidge MP Flick Drummond MP Dominic Grieve MP Kevin Hollinrake MP Ben Howlett MP former [...]
UK house prices: Why Help to Buy, Starter Homes and other government initiatives won’t boost housebuilding in the UK February 9, 2016 There's nothing like a target to focus the mind. Last year, the newly elected Conservative government set themselves several in an attempt to tackle the housing crisis and get more new homes built over the course of this parliament. The numbers are ambitious. The government says it wants a million new homes built in England [...]
EU referendum: Out campaign groups Leave.EU and Vote Leave finally unite, in support of independent Brexit film February 9, 2016 Tensions may have reached fever pitch last week between Leave.EU and Vote Leave, but the Out campaign groups have now found a common cause to unite around. If leaving the European Union wasn't enough, the groups have now rallied around an independent Brexit film, according to Leave.EU. An independent, crowd-funded initiative to produce a feature-length [...]
Local councils handed power to extend Sunday trading hours in bid to address high street decline February 9, 2016 Local councils will be given the power to extend Sunday trading hours under new rules confirmed today. The government is introducing amendments to the Enterprise Bill – which are expected to be implemented in the Autumn – to devolve powers to local authorities, aimed at helping shops compete better with online retailers. As well as [...]
London mayoral election 2016: Sadiq Khan has danced into the lead over Zac Goldsmith for London mayor, but how important will voter turnout be on 5 May? February 9, 2016 In three months’ time London will have a new mayor, ending the eight year era of Boris. Sadiq Khan may well be in the box seat with both pollsters and bookmakers at present, but the Tooting MP has a delicate dance to perform until voters head to their local polling places on 5 May. Khan’s [...]
A day with Zac Goldsmith: Just one of the prizes up for grabs at the Conservatives’ Black & White ball February 8, 2016 Guests at the Tories' Black & White Ball just can't get enough of hanging out with Conservative MPs it seems. Despite having to fork out at least £5,000 for a standard table for ten, and up to £15,000 for a premium table, one of the guests at the lavish event, held last night at the Brewery in [...]
Media mogul Michael Bloomberg says he is considering running for US President in 2016 White House race February 8, 2016 Michael Bloomberg, former mayor of New York and owner of the global media group that shares his name, has said he is considering entering the race for US President. When asked whether he would pursue a nomination, Bloomberg told the Financial Times he was "looking at all the options". "I find the level of discourse and [...]