First Minister’s Questions: Nicola Sturgeon faces questions on poor NHS waiting times June 18, 2015 Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, faced questions on NHS waiting times in today's session of First Minister's Questions. Sturgeon answered questions on A&E waiting times from Labour MSP Iain Gray. Gray said that the SNP missed its four hours target for the 296th week in a row, and asked why things were particularly bad in [...]
End Austerity Now: Far left group Class War organises separate Bank of England demo amid claims that police are banning people from the march June 18, 2015 Far left group Class War is organising a counter-protest against austerity this Saturday (June 20), claiming the main demonstration will fail to bring about any change. The group has called for supporters to meet outside Bank of England at midday – an hour ahead of the time scheduled for the march being organised by [...]
Select committee results announced as Keith Vaz regains Home Affairs chair and Meg Hillier takes public accounts June 18, 2015 The results of the select committee elections have been announced as 26 chairs have been elected to the influential parliamentary positions. No ballot was necessary for 11 committees, where there was just one candidate for each chair. These include the two committees that will be controlled by the SNP, Scottish Affairs and Energy and Climate [...]
Ed Balls is back: Former Labour shadow chancellor heads to Harvard to research global financial stability June 18, 2015 The former shadow chancellor Ed Balls, who famously lost his job as an MP in one of the most spectacular defeats in the shock-filled General Election, has finally resurfaced. Balls hasn't had to stand in the dole queue for too long, bouncing back by lining up a stint at one of the world's top universities. [...]
Labour leadership race: Candidates clash over business as Kendall urges party to back “wealth creation” June 18, 2015 The four candidates in the race to succeed Ed Miliband as leader of the Labour party have clashed over the party's relationship with business in the first televised debate. Andy Burnham, the favourite in the race, said that Labour had to be the party that helped "everyone get on in life". Asked if a budget [...]
Strong jobs report gives George Osborne boost at PMQs June 17, 2015 Chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne took centre stage in the House of Commons yesterday, buoyed by strong new jobs numbers. Standing in for the first time in place of Prime Minister David Cameron at Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs), Osborne welcomed the support of Tory backbenchers citing the latest labour market statistics and singing [...]
Government fails to meet civil service cut pledge: DWP employs more than 81,000 while DCMS has just 570 June 17, 2015 The coalition government failed to meet its pledge to cut the number of civil servants, new figures show. There were 406,140 civil servants employed across government departments in the first quarter of this year – a slight increase on the back end of 2014, and a 15 per cent reduction since 2010, according to [...]
A world at war: Deaths from armed conflict have more than tripled since 2010 June 17, 2015 The number of people who died as a result of armed combat reached 180,000 last year, according to figures from the Institute of Economics and Peace (IEP). This was over 3.5 times higher than the 49,000 who died in 2010, and the economic impact has been huge. Read more: Despite Obama’s silver tongue, the future [...]
End Austerity Now march will completely disrupt parts of the City around Bank and Mansion House, say City of London Police June 17, 2015 A major protest against austerity measures will take over central London this Saturday – and people are being warned to avoid certain parts of the capital as a result. The End Austerity Now march, which is being organised by the People's Assembly Against Austerity and supported by several unions and pressure groups, is expected [...]
Labour deputy leadership race: Tom Watson favourite in a crowded pack June 17, 2015 Five candidates are vying for the role of deputy Labour leader in a crowded race alongside the high-profile leadership battle. Several well-known faces in the party have positioned themselves as candidates to succeed Harriet Harman as the party's deputy leader. Ladbrokes currently has Tom Watson as favourite to become Labour's deputy leader, with odds of 4/5. [...]