PMQs today: Jeremy Corbyn skips asking about Syria, focuses on climate and women’s safety November 25, 2015 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn used his six questions at today's Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) to probe Prime Minister David Cameron on the government's policies surrounding climate change and violence against women, rather than ask about proposals for further military action against the so-called Islamic State (IS) in Syria ahead of an expected parliamentary vote on the issue [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: Chancellor George Osborne banks on UK housebuilding boom as experts warn of looming £30bn black hole November 25, 2015 Chancellor George Osborne will vow to double the national housing budget when he presents his five-year spending plan later today, despite new warnings that the Treasury is facing a £30bn “black hole” in its finances. In a statement to parliament combining the Spending Review and the Autumn Statement, Osborne will say that public finances “come down [...]
Turkey shoots down Russian plane: Investors seek safety after Vladimir Putin’s strong remarks November 25, 2015 Vladimir Putin’s strong worded remarks following the downing of a Russian jet along the Turkish-Syrian border saw investors turn to safe havens and caused market jitters yesterday. The Russian President called Turkey’s actions a "stab in the back" and accused the country of being an "accomplice of terrorists". Putin, whose country has close economic ties [...]
SNP MP Natalie McGarry withdraws from her party’s whip amid campaign funding probe November 24, 2015 An SNP member of parliament has withdrawn from her party's SNP whip amid a police investigation over campaign funding. Natalie McGarry, the MP for Glasgow East, said this afternoon that her decision was taken "in the best interests of the party", but she maintained she had done "nothing wrong". McGarry is being investigated as part of a [...]
EU referendum: Leave.EU founder Arron Banks tells Vote Leave’s Matthew Elliott he wants a merger November 24, 2015 The millionaire founder of an anti-EU organisation has made a direct appeal to a rival campaign, saying that a merger would be in their best interests. The Leave.EU campaign said earlier today that its founder, Ukip donor Arron Banks, had sent a letter to Matthew Elliott, the campaign director of Vote Leave, another Eurosceptic group, [...]
EU migrant crisis: Sweden tightens generous asylum rules to “EU minimum” to force EU action on refugee crisis November 24, 2015 Sweden will tighten its asylum rules dramatically in a bid to force other EU countries to do more to tackle the continuing refugee crisis. The Scandinavian country has previously accepted more refugees per capita than any other EU country, but will now be curbing the number of asylum seekers reaching the country by doing no [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: Bookies odds on George Osborne talking security and defence climb budget agenda… and a dash of pink with tie colour November 24, 2015 Matters of security and defence have taken over the chancellor's Autumn Statement after the events of Paris sparked a renewed focus on Britain's ability to fight the threat of Islamic State (IS). The words on George Osborne's lips will include "Trident" and "defence of the realm" in the most defence-heavy budget speech in recent years, according to Ladbrokes. [...]
Business committee chair Iain Wright MP accuses Uber of being a “seedy backstreet minicab firm” November 24, 2015 An influential MP has accused Uber of being a "seedy backstreet minicab firm". Iain Wright, a Labour MP who chairs the business, innovation and skills committee, made the comments during an evidence session at the House of Commons this morning. Wright took issue with a previous Uber promotion in France offering passengers the chance to book a minicab with a "hot [...]
Autumn Statement 2015: Where will chancellor George Osborne make budget cuts and find savings in his Comprehensive Spending Review? November 24, 2015 A combination of manifesto commitments, pressure from backbenchers and budget decisions have left George Osborne in a peculiar and difficult situation: he is going to have to find the vast majority of his savings from a very small number of places. Ring-fencing has been widespread: the Institute of Economic Affairs estimates that more than 70 per cent of government [...]
Government bonds, the Swiss franc, the Japanese yen: Safe havens gain after Turkey downs Russia jet November 24, 2015 Investors piled into low-risk assets such as government debt and traditionally safe haven currencies following the downing of a Russian military aircraft by Turkish warplanes earlier today. It's still unclear exactly how significant the incident could be, although Russian President Vladimir Putin has condemned it as a "stab in the back", claiming it showed Turkey's support for terrorists. Turkey, a Nato member, claims [...]