Government publishes Lord Strathclyde review following House of Lords vote on tax credit cuts December 17, 2015 The House of Commons should be given the final say on all secondary legislation, a leading peer has recommended. In a highly-anticipated report published today, Lord Strathclyde recommended creating a new procedure allowing the House of Lords to ask the House of Commons to "think again" on certain pieces of legislation, but giving the final say to the elected House of Commons. In [...]
EU referendum: British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and Confederation of British Industry (CBI) put pressure on David Cameron ahead of EU summit December 17, 2015 Britain's biggest business groups are putting pressure on Prime Minister David Cameron today as he heads to Brussels for a two-day meeting of European Union leaders. British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) director-general John Longworth said the summit “may prove a tipping point” in Cameron’s efforts to secure EU reforms. “Many business leaders are judging the [...]
Top MPs ask for assurance on the sale of Northern Rock assets December 16, 2015 A group of senior MPs has asked for more details on what the sale of assets of Northern Rock mean to those with mortgages from the failed bank. A US private equity group, Cerberus Capital Management, bought the government’s £13bn portfolio of Northern Rock mortgages in November. Andrew Tyrie MP, chairman of the Treasury Select [...]
London airport expansion: 50+ business leaders including Michael Spencer, Sir Martin Sorrell and Martin Gilbert tell David Cameron to “get a grip” December 16, 2015 More than 50 business leaders, including dozens of chairmen and chief executives of blue-chips, will hit out at the government tomorrow over its failure to make a decision on airport expansion. In an open letter to be sent to Prime Minister David Cameron, ICAP chief executive Michael Spencer, WPP chief executive Sir Martin Sorrell and Aberdeen [...]
Andrew Tyrie warns Lord Strathclyde over House of Lords vote on tax credit cuts December 16, 2015 An influential group of MPs has issued a stark warning to peers not to interfere in tax and spend policies. In a letter to Lord Strathclyde on behalf of the Treasury committee, committee chair Andrew Tyrie said that the “exclusive authority of the House of Commons in matters of taxation and expenditure” must be protected. “Only [...]
Conservative MPs live longer (unless you’re leader) but all politicians live longer than the rest of us December 16, 2015 How tough is the rough and tumble of political life? Not that bad, really. It turns out the long hours, highly demanding work load and high-vis jacket wearing doesn't take as much of a toll as you might think. MPs are likely to live longer than the rest of us, eking out an extra four years on [...]
Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz and others: Who said what in the Republican debate? December 16, 2015 Nine candidates took part in the Republican debate yesterday in Las Vegas, including frontrunner Donald Trump and his rival Jeb bush, and senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz. Terrorism and national security were big topics dominating the discussion, while a series of jabs were made at Trump by the other participants. Here's who said what [...]
Bank of England warns EU bonus cap has increased risk of instability in the financial sector December 16, 2015 The EU bonus cap has increased the risk of instability in the financial sector, Bank of England researchers said yesterday. Chancellor George Osborne is being urged to press the EU on removing rules capping bankers’ bonuses after the Bank called the policy “counterproductive”. The Bank said that the cap, which restricts bonuses to 100 per cent of [...]
EU referendum: New Open Europe poll shows David Cameron’s renegotiation efforts will have “huge impact” on Brexit vote December 16, 2015 A new poll out today shows that Prime Minister David Cameron’s renegotiation efforts with the European Union could have a “huge impact” on the EU referendum, putting fresh pressure on Cameron just one day before he heads to Brussels to make his case to EU leaders. The ComRes poll, conducted for the think tank Open Europe, [...]
EU referendum odds: Chances of Britain leaving Europe have never been higher as bookie’s Brexit odds slashed December 15, 2015 The chances of Britain leaving the EU have never been higher as bookies slashed the odds on a Brexit. Ladbrokes odds on Britain making an exit after a referendum, expected to take place next year, were cut from 7/2 from 11/8 within the past three months. The chances of Britain leaving Europe now stand at an [...]