EU referendum: New Civitas report says Britain does not benefit from being in the European Union trading bloc January 21, 2016 Britain does not benefit from being part of the European Union when it comes to negotiating trade agreements, a leading think tank has said in a new report out today. Civitas said that while it is assumed that the European Union provides “greater bargaining strength” than an independent Britain, new research shows that smaller countries [...]
The General Election cost political parties more than £39m and the Tories spent £3m more than Labour in the most-expensive UK election ever January 20, 2016 Nearly £40m was spent on the 2015 General Election, with the Conservatives out-spending all other political parties, according to new data out today from the Electoral Commission. A total of £39,023,564 was spent by 57 parties and 23 non-party campaigners in the run-up to last May's election, but the bulk of the spending came from the six largest [...]
Beckett report: Labour failed to overcome the “myth” and convince voters it could be trusted on the economy January 20, 2016 The day after her report into Labour's defeat at last year's election was published, Dame Margaret Beckett has said the party has been "honest" in facing up to what went wrong. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Beckett said the single biggest problem Labour faced was that it couldn't overcome the perception it couldn't be trusted on the economy. She said it had Labour failed to [...]
Former shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna slams train group service as a “complete and utter rip off” January 20, 2016 Former shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna got to his feet in the House of Commons last night to lament the cost of travelling on Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), branding the service a "rip off". Speaking the MPs, Umunna said that the cost of travelling on the train to and from "my constituency on Govia Thameslink Railway, which runs [...]
How much does being President of the United States age you? Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W Bush’s aging rates compared January 20, 2016 How much does being leader of the free world age you? Quite a lot, as it turns out. (especially if you get caught fondling the intern) The internet has been buzzing over the difference in Barack Obama’s appearance at his first and last State of the Union speech, a mere seven years apart, with recent [...]
Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin gives US Republican Presidential hopeful Donald Trump official endorsement January 20, 2016 US Presidential hopeful Donald Trump may have alienated many of the world's politicians, but that didn't stop former Alaska governor Sarah Palin endorsing the billionaire, giving him a potential boost. Palin, herself the vice-presidential nominee in 2008, threw her weight behind Trump, giving him his highest profile backer so far, just two weeks away from the Iowa caucuses. Read [...]
London mayoral election 2016: Green Party candidate Sian Berry defends plans to demolish London City Airport January 20, 2016 Sian Berry wants to multiply the number of Londoners walking, cycling and using public transportation – and she has no shortage of suggestions for how to make that happen. The Green Party candidate for mayor of London backs Crossrail, expanding Overground services, building more segregated cycle lanes and extending the so-called Mini-Holland town centre schemes [...]
Fund managers warn over risks of leaving the EU January 19, 2016 A group of finance industry leaders have warned influential MPs that quitting the EU would risk damaging businesses in the UK. Executives from three investment trade associations told the Treasury Select Committee EU leaving the EU would create extra barriers for their businesses. Guy Sears, interim CEO of the Investment Association (IA), said: “There would [...]
Migration Advisory Committee rules: Why making firms pay £1,000 for new hires is anti-business January 19, 2016 After four months of waiting, recommended changes to the immigration rules relating to skilled workers from outside Europe have been announced by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC). Should the changes be written into law, they will apply from 6 April this year. The recommendations are the biggest changes to sponsored employees since 2010, yet businesses hardly have [...]
Scottish independence referendum: Better Together campaign fined by Electoral Commission for failing to provide report on its spending January 19, 2016 Having failed to provide a full and complete report on its spending on the Scottish independence referendum, the Better Together campaign has been slapped with a fine by the Electoral Commission. The watchdog gave the Better Together campaign a £2,000 fine as it didn't provide receipts or invoices for £57,000 of expenditure. Bob Posner, director of party and [...]