Jeremy Corbyn threatens to block firms’ dividend payments unless they pay the living wage January 16, 2016 Jeremy Corbyn is proposing an idea unlikely to win him any friends in the City. The Labour leader is suggesting blocking dividend payments for companies that don’t pay their employees the living wage. In a speech to the Fabian Society today, Corbyn will suggest that pay inequality is “holding back growth”: Of the G7 nations [...]
Fed documents reveal internal unease over quantitative easing January 16, 2016 When the Federal Reserve launched the expansion of its quantitative easing programme in 2010, it was despite several policymakers’ misgivings over what impact this would have on the dollar. Documents freshly released from the Fed’s 2010 meeting reveal internal fears that the programme would be bashed internationally as an attempt to send the dollar lower, [...]
EU migrant crisis: Jean-Claude Juncker European economy would suffer if Schengen collapses January 15, 2016 European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has said that the European economy would suffer if its internal passport-free zone collapsed in the wake of Europe's worst migration crisis since WW2. Speaking at a news conference in Brussels, Juncker said ending the Schengen agreement would make it harder for citizens of EU countries to find employment, and this would lead [...]
No formal role for former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone on Labour defence review January 15, 2016 Unfortunately for former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone, he will not have any formal role on Labour's defence review, according to reports. The defence review is to be led by newly appointed shadow defence secretary Emily Thornberry, and she will have ultimate responsibility for looking into the party's policy on Trident, according to the BBC. Livingstone [...]
Let’s get ready to referendum: Jean-Claude Juncker says there’ll be a deal for UK’s European Union reform demands by next month January 15, 2016 Jean-Claude Juncker has said he expects "a deal" that could resolve the UK's demands for reform of its European Union membership next month, opening the door to an in-out referendum in June. Juncker said on Friday that he was confident a solution would be reached at the European Council summit in Brussels, which is being held in [...]
Oh, BoJo: Emails reveal Mayor of London Boris Johnson to be a diplomatic nightmare on Iraq visit January 15, 2016 Mayor of London Boris Johnson's trip to Iraq last year left the Foreign Office staff picking up a hotel bar tab, officials blocking his request for a visit to the front-line and Johnson driving a sports car out of a showroom, correspondence has revealed. The correspondence, released under freedom of information laws, show the difficulties officials [...]
Scottish National Party looks unstoppable as Holyrood elections loom, with poll predicting more than 30 per cent lead January 15, 2016 If it can keep the momentum going, the Scottish National Party is set to dominate at the Scottish parliamentary elections this summer, according to a new poll. The Survation poll indicates 52 per cent of Scots would vote for the SNP, while Labour languishes behind with just 21 per cent of support. Read more: Scottish National Party's lead [...]
Northern Powerhouse: Policy Exchange says devolved cities need geeks overseeing data analytics offices January 15, 2016 An influential think tank wants to require cities with devolved powers to recruit “geeks” to oversee data analytics programmes, as another leading research group says successful devolution will require more than just new infrastructure projects. In a new paper out today, Policy Exchange said that elected mayors should have to set up data analytics offices [...]
EU referendum: Osborne slammed for lack of contingency plans for Brexit January 14, 2016 The government has come under fire for not making contingency plans for a possible Brexit. The criticism came after chancellor George Osborne told BBC 2 Newsnight that the Treasury is not planning for Brexit. Instead of a plan, he said his department is "100 per cent now focused on achieving the renegotiation… That is where the [...]
US President Barack Obama commits $4bn over 10 years to driverless technology January 14, 2016 US President Barack Obama is committing $4bn (£2.8bn) over 10 years to investment in driverless car technology. The goal of the investment is to "accelerate the development and adoption of safe vehicle automation through real-world pilot projects". Transport Sectretary Anthony Foxx announced at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit yesterday that the US Department of Transportation will remove some of [...]