EU migrant crisis: Leaders pledge to protect external borders and an extra €1bn to countries in the Middle East September 24, 2015 Leaders meeting in Brussels pledged late on Wednesday to give an extra €1bn (£700m) of aid to the Middle East to help stem the flow of migrants into Europe, while also agreeing on the need to strengthen EU external borders. The aid will be given to countries around Syria, including Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey, who [...]
EU referendum: Even people leaning towards Brexit are still unconvinced September 23, 2015 Nearly half of British voters could still be persuaded to change their minds before the EU referendum, according to a new poll out today. Thirty-one per cent of voters polled by YouGov this summer said that they would "definitely" vote for the UK to stay in the EU, while 23 per cent said that they [...]
Say what? Liberal Democrat councillor Jennifer Churchill defects to Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour saying Tim Farron “worse than Clegg” September 23, 2015 While Tim Farron, the new Liberal Democrat leader, has been openly claiming that Labour MPs are calling him up and wanting to defect from Jeremy Corbyn's left-leaning leadership, a member of the Lib Dems has packed her bags and left him. Teddington councillor Jennifer Churchill announced her departure from the party for Labour today, saying [...]
EU referendum: Cameron will have “lost his marbles” if he forces pro-EU line on cabinet, says senior Conservative MP Crispin Blunt September 23, 2015 A senior Conservative MP has warned that David Cameron would have "lost his marbles" if he does not let ministers campaign with their conscience. Foreign Affairs Select Committee chairman Crispin Blunt said Prime Minister must not restrict ministers from campaigning for Brexit, despite Cameron's personal belief that the UK should stay in the European Union. Speaking [...]
EU migrant crisis: European ministers approve relocation plan for 120,000 migrants September 23, 2015 European home affairs ministers have agreed to relocate 120,000 refugees from Greece, Italy and other member states affected by the refugee crisis, despite objections from a number of member states. Ministers met an emergency meeting today to discuss the plan after it was approved by European Parliament last week. The scheme had attracted criticism from [...]
Facebook will be able to tell us who the most “disliked” politician is September 23, 2015 The people of the United Kingdom are often scornful of its leaders, yet all there is to determine how much the public really dislike a politician is their judgement and approval ratings. Until now. Facebook’s acceptance that there will, after all, be a “dislike” button next to its “like” button will have a quaint added [...]
EU migrant crisis: Leaders including David Cameron to approve controversial binding quota plan in Brussels September 23, 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron is to meet his counterparts in Brussels later today to approve a plan to relocate 120,000 migrants across the continent that was agreed by interior ministers yesterday. In a rare turn of events, European Union ministers yesterday voted in a plan to set binding quotas on EU countries to accept migrants, having [...]
Sadiq Khan: Can a Labour mayor make City Hall pro-business? Labour mayoral candidate on what separates him from Jeremy Corbyn September 23, 2015 Sitting in a cafe around the corner from the Labour party’s headquarters in Westminster, Sadiq Khan says that he and the new Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, are not always in agreement. “Ken Livingstone as the Labour mayor often disagreed with the Labour leadership, Boris Johnson as the Conservative mayor often disagreed with the Conservative [...]
Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton puts Keystone XL oil pipeline and pharmaceutical industry in the firing line September 22, 2015 Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton finally announced last night that she opposed the Keystone XL oil pipeline, which is to transport Canadian oil to refineries on the Gulf of Mexico via Nebraska. She said in a meeting in Iowa that it was “a distraction from the important work we have to do to combat climate change”. [...]
MPs should be banned from all paid advisory work, claims Transparency International UK September 22, 2015 MPs should be banned from doing all paid advisory and consultancy work relating to parliamentary business, according to Transparency International UK, which claims current rules are "not fit for purpose". The anti-corruption group said there was a “significant risk of conflicts of interest” in the current status quo, estimating that £3.4m was paid to 73 [...]