Rent checks risk “everyday racism” warns Labour shadow home secretary Andy Burnham of Right to Rent scheme in Theresa May’s Immigration Bill October 11, 2015 Shadow home secretary Andy Burnham has slammed new rules forcing landlords to check the immigration status of tenants, saying it would risk causing " everyday racism". The pilot Right to Rent scheme places responsibility for the background checks on to landlords, with the threat of fines and even jail if they fail to do so. Burnham, [...]
EU referendum: Three ex-PMs Tony Blair, John Major and Gordon Brown band together to fight for pro-Europe “In” vote with Britain Stronger in Europe campaign group October 11, 2015 Three former Prime Ministers have joined forces to fight for the UK's membership of the European Union, according to reports. Sir John Major, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown will support the campaign to keep the UK part of the European Union, which is expected to be called Britain Stronger in Europe. Former Marks & Spencer [...]
EU referendum: Downing street denies scaling back on renegotiating terms of EU membership October 11, 2015 Number 10 has denied reports that the government is backing down on some key tenants of its attempted EU renegotiation. Reports over the weekend suggested Prime Minister David Cameron had watered down his demands, including restricting benefits to EU migrants, the Guardian reported. Read more: Treasury Select Committee to review UK's EU membership Downing street said [...]
EU referendum: Former executive chairman of Marks & Spencer and Conservative peer Lord Rose to lead pro-EU campaign October 10, 2015 Former chief executive of Marks & Spencer Lord Stuart Rose is to lead a campaign for the United Kingdom to stay in the European Union. The Conservative peer and businessman has been announced as chairman of an "In" campaign group, warning that leaving the union would be a "leap into the unknown". Read more: Vote Leave [...]
Brexit: The EU is a science powerhouse – leaving it will put us behind the US in innovation October 9, 2015 From today onwards, when you hear “EU”, you should think “science and innovation”. The EU has more scientific output than the US, it’s better networked, and its output is growing faster. In the UK, we are huge beneficiaries of being in the EU. Although our own successive governments have dithered on backing science, the EU [...]
Former foreign secretary Lord Owen warns Brexit looms if Cameron fails to get EU change October 9, 2015 Former foreign secretary Lord David Owen has warned that unless Prime Minister David Cameron secures treaty change within the European Union, UK voters will vote to leave the EU. “If the British government reach an agreement in principle before the end of 2017, but do not achieve real and specific treaty changes prior to a [...]
Labour’s London mayoral candidate Sadiq Khan brands student visa rules ‘silly’ October 9, 2015 Labour's London mayoral candidate Sadiq Khan has called the government’s immigration policies for students “silly”, just days after home secretary Theresa May took a hard line against visas for postgraduates. In a speech at the Institute of Directors (IoD) yesterday, Khan said: “As mayor, I’ll stand up to the silly visa restrictions this government has placed [...]
Andrew Tyrie ramping up efforts to block George Osborne’s proposed new bank tax October 8, 2015 The chairman of an influential parliamentary committee is doubling down today on his efforts to block a new tax on banks. Andrew Tyrie, who chairs the Treasury Select Committee, has written to Andrew Bailey, deputy governor for prudential regulation at the Bank of England, about the effect of the so-called bank tax surcharge. The new tax, [...]
Party conferences: Conservative brand wins the conference battle against Liberal Democrats and Labour October 8, 2015 As we get to the end of the party conference season it’s been fascinating to see how the political landscape has been reinforced by the way that the main parties have presented themselves, and their brands at the events. But the parties have not all been as successful as each other. Here's how they got [...]
Labour pile pressure on Conservatives to halt donations from Lycamobile October 8, 2015 Labour has formally written to the Conservatives to raise concerns over donations made to the Tories by Lycamobile after it was alleged the company had been involved in suspicious financial activities. Jonathan Ashworth, a Labour MP for Leicester South, wrote to Lord Feldman, the Conservative chairman, to request clarification on whether "checks have been carried in relation to [...]