London mayoral election 2016: Labour candidate Sadiq Khan says he is embarrassed by Labour’s failures with British businesses February 4, 2016 Labour mayoral candidate Sadiq Khan has admitted he is embarrassed by his party's failure to win the backing of British businesses. "It's a huge embarrassment," Khan told City A.M. in an interview yesterday, pointing to an incident last year when former shadow chancellor Ed Balls was unable to name a single Labour supporter from the [...]
EU referendum: It is not surprising that Home Secretary Theresa May gave Prime Minister David Cameron her backing on EU reform February 3, 2016 Should European leaders agree the draft agreement on EU reform published by Donald Tusk yesterday, I believe it will make our membership of the European Union work even better for Britain. I am encouraged that even those traditionally more sceptical about the EU such as Theresa May see the draft as “a basis for a [...]
US Presidential Election: Republican candidate Rand Paul suspends 2016 White House bid February 3, 2016 Republican candidate Rand Paul has officially suspended his campaign to become the next President of the United States, according to reports. The Kentucky senator finished in fifth place in the Iowa caucuses, just two days ago, with just 4.5 per cent of the vote. Read more: Sarah Palin throws her support behind Donald Trump "It's been [...]
EU referendum: US President Barack Obama told Prime Minister David Cameron he supports the UK remaining in the EU February 3, 2016 Prime Minister David Cameron may have faced criticism from all sides in the House of Commons today over his efforts to reform Britain's relationship with the European Union, but at least he has the backing of one high-profile politician: US President Barack Obama. According to a White House statement last night, the Prime Minister updated [...]
EU referendum: David Cameron pressed from every side of the House of Commons over EU reforms during Prime Minister’s Questions February 3, 2016 Prime Minister David Cameron was met with acrimony on every side of the House of Commons today as he was quizzed on his European Union reform agenda. Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions, Cameron came under pressure from backbench Conservative MPs, as well as Labour MPs and the Scottish National Party. John Mann, a Labour MP who [...]
EU referendum: Institute of Economic Affairs say staying in the EU would cost Britain at least £9,265 per household each year February 3, 2016 Remaining in the European Union could cost the United Kingdom at least 13 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) each year, a leading free market think tank has claimed. In a new report out today by Cardiff Business School professor Patrick Minford, the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) said shifts in EU trade policy, [...]
EU referendum: David Cameron’s EU reform gamble ahead of in/out referendum divides City opinion February 2, 2016 A draft deal to reform Britain’s relationship with the European Union has fiercely divided the Square Mile, prompting cheers from big business groups and drawing sharp criticisms from sceptical economists and industry leaders. European Council President Donald Tusk tabled a tentative agreement yesterday for a “new settlement” for the UK in the EU, and in [...]
New TNS poll shows voters more than three times as likely to be confident in David Cameron than Jeremy Corbyn February 2, 2016 Yet another poll out today shows that voters have more confidence in Prime Minister David Cameron's leadership than that of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. TNS polled more than 1,000 British adults, finding nearly one in three people think Cameron is the UK's "strongest party leader", with more than half saying he will still be Prime [...]
EU referendum betting odds: Ladbrokes thinks a lot of David Cameron’s renegotiation skills – it’s just slashed the odds of the UK staying in the EU February 2, 2016 Ladbrokes seems to be pretty impressed at the text of Donald Tusk's letter to European heads of state, suggesting a renegotiated relationship for the UK. Today it said that since David Cameron started his negotiation process, the odds of Britain voting to stay in the EU have fallen from 4/7 to 1/3, while the chance [...]
From the British Chambers of Commerce to Nigel Farage: Here’s how everyone is reacting to Donald Tusk’s draft EU package February 2, 2016 European Commission president Donald Tusk has unveiled a draft agreement on the new, improved relationship between the UK and the European Union. The agreement includes four "central baskets", including points on economic governance, competitiveness, sovereignty and social benefits and free movement (the full text is available here). But how have the worlds of business and [...]