Prime minister David Cameron loses parliamentary vote over EU referendum rules September 10, 2015 Prime minister David Cameron was handed a bruising defeat late last night, as a coalition of Labour, SNP and Eurosceptic Conservatives rejected the government’s latest proposals surrounding the EU referendum. In this government’s first defeat in the House of Commons, 312 MPs voted against the government’s amendment to the EU referendum bill, while 285 MPs [...]
MPs’ expenses: Labour leadership contender Andy Burnham has claimed most out all MPs so far this financial year September 10, 2015 Somewhat fortunately for Andy Burnham, the Labour leadership vote is now closed. Why? Because so far in this financial year he has claimed more expenses than any other MP in Westminster. In total he claimed £18,122.65 since April, according to data released by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. Read more: Can geography tell us if [...]
Scottish independence referendum: The SNP’s lead is narrowing – but it’s still comfortably ahead of Labour – a TNS Scotland poll shows September 10, 2015 The Scottish National Party’s lead is narrowing, according to a new poll from TNS. The poll found that 58 per cent of voters in Scotland would back the SNP in the May 2016 Scottish Parliament elections, down from 62 per cent from last month. Labour, meanwhile, saw a modest increase in support, with 23 per [...]
EU migrant crisis: German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker want “binding” EU quotas for refugees September 9, 2015 The European Commission is planning to impose binding quotas for EU countries to accept a further 160,000 asylum seekers, with President Jean-Claude Juncker warning "the bell tolls". Speaking in the European Parliament this morning, the EC boss said there must be a “swift, determined and comprehensive” response to the refugee crisis, and that it "has [...]
Labour leadership election: Key business policies from Jeremy Corbyn, Andy Burnham, Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall September 9, 2015 With three days until the new Labour leader is announced, we've looked at the business policies from each of the four candidates. Read more: Candidates clash over business as Kendall urges party to back "wealth creation" Jeremy Corbyn Corbyn has argued for a fundamental shift in economic policy. Corbyn is considered the most left-wing candidate [...]
Labour leadership odds 2015: When did it start to look like Jeremy Corbyn might win? September 9, 2015 It feels like the Labour leadership campaign has been going on for eons. But here we are, at the final hurdle. It’s now just three days until the result is announced. During General Election a few months ago, it was said bookies outperformed pollsters when it came to predicting the result – with many polls predicting [...]
Heathrow Airport expansion plans: Just build the third runway says business September 9, 2015 Business leaders are putting more pressure on the government today to move ahead with building a new runway at Heathrow. At an event in Westminster this morning, Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye, Icap group chief executive Michael Spencer and Arora International chief executive Surinder Arora, among others, will call on ministers to make a [...]
Labour leadership election 2015: Jeremy Corbyn to meet former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis at anti-austerity meeting in London September 8, 2015 Anti-austerity fans have something to look forward to next week, when the former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis and Labour leader hopeful Jeremy Corbyn will share a platform to discuss alternatives to spending cuts. The two men will debate "austerity, humanitarian disaster and [the] market meltdown" – though of course, Corbyn may be leader by [...]
Greek General Election: Syriza ahead in latest poll by fine margin September 8, 2015 The latest poll for the upcoming Greek General Election has put Syriza ahead by a fine margin of 0.5 per cent. The poll, published in bankingnews.gr, showed Syriza on track to garner 27 per cent of the vote, with New Democracy, the party previously replaced by Syriza’s governing coalition, close behind on 26.5 per cent. [...]
David Cameron: Government authorised drone strikes on UK citizens September 8, 2015 The government authorised an unprecedented "precision" airstrike to kill British nationals in Syria last month, Prime Minister David Cameron said today. Reyaad Khan, a 21-year-old from Cardiff who was affiliated with Islamic State (IS), was targeted and killed on 21 August by an RAF drone near Raqqah in Syria, Cameron said. British aircraft are understood [...]