Queen’s Speech 2015: Everything we know so far including the EU referendum, devolution, Human Rights Act, income tax, housing and Scotland May 26, 2015 The Queen's Speech will unveil the Conservative government's policy agenda on Wednesday and having shed its coalition partner at the General Election, some pretty major shifts in policy are expected. Here are some of the top pledges expected to feature in the state opening of parliament tomorrow. EU referendum bill Having committed to holding an [...]
John Healey joins crowded deputy Labour leader race May 26, 2015 John Healey, the former Labour housing minister and shadow health secretary, has announced he is running to be deputy leader of the party. He is a late entrant to the race, becoming the seventh candidate for the position, and has already backed Yvette Cooper for the position of Labour leader. Healey, MP for Wentworth and [...]
Putin praises David Cameron for 7 May win but talk on Ukraine crisis remains icy May 25, 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron received a rare phone call yesterday when Russian president Vladimir Putin rang Number 10 to congratulate Cameron on the Conservatives’ success at the General Election. According to Downing Street, the two leaders spoke about Syria and the Ukraine during the 30-minute phone call. A Number 10 spokesperson said that Cameron and [...]
Q&A: Who will vote in an in/out EU referendum? May 25, 2015 Q Who will be able to vote in an in/out referendum on Britain’s EU membership? A The Prime Minister is proposing that the electorate which is able to vote in General Elections, rather than local or European parliament elections, will be allowed to cast ballots in the EU referendum. Q What is the difference [...]
Survation finds minority voters backed Tories in record numbers May 25, 2015 The Conservatives won over an unprecedented number of ethnic minority voters in the General Election, according to a new survey from Survation. In a poll conducted for the non-partisan British Future think tank, Survation found that while Labour remains dominant among minority voters with 52 per cent of the vote share, the gap between the [...]
EU referendum: Over one million migrants will be barred from voting May 25, 2015 Over 1m European migrants living in Britain will not be able to vote in the EU referendum, unless they qualify to vote in General Elections David Cameron has decided. The prime minister’s move will placate some Eurosceptics on the right of the Conservative party, who were afraid voting restrictions would follow the looser rules of [...]
The SNP wants 16 year olds to vote in EU referendum, says party’s Westminster leader Angus Robertson May 24, 2015 Young people aged 16 and 17 years old should be given the chance to vote in a EU referendum, according to the SNP. Angus Robertson, the party’s leader in Westminster, wrote in the Guardian that the SNP would fight for an amendment to the EU referendum bill allowing youngsters the same chance to vote as [...]
Ireland votes Yes to gay marriage May 24, 2015 Ireland has become the first country to vote for the legalisation of same-sex marriage. The Yes vote in the Republic won handily, garnering 62 per cent of the support. This is a socially significant step for Ireland; the Catholic church has held great sway there, and its line of the referendum was, predictably, that its [...]
Labour has performed a U-turn on the EU membership referendum, as Cameron prepares legislation May 24, 2015 Labour has performed a balletic U-turn this morning, abandoning its opposition to EU membership referendum. Harriet Harman, the acting leader of the party, has given David Cameron a boost by saying her party will vote in favour of the Conservative’s bill, which would see a vote on the UK’s EU membership before the end of [...]
David Cameron refuses to be drawn on timeline for an EU referendum during negotiations in Riga May 22, 2015 Talks in Riga over the UK's position in Europe were merely "scratching the surface", David Cameron said today, and refused to be drawn on the timing of an EU referendum. Read more: Spencer – EU referendum must not be rushed "I will not give time lines and deadlines and a running commentary on the referendum plans," [...]