Labour tells SNP, vote us down if you dare: Ed Balls slams claims of post-General Election deal with Scottish Nationalists April 20, 2015 Shadow chancellor Ed Balls insisted yesterday that the Scottish National Party (SNP) will have no involvement in his first Budget, should Labour be the largest party after May’s election yet fail to have a majority of MPs. Balls said that there would be an “absolute 100 per cent total firewall” between the SNP and a [...]
General Election 2015: Decoded co-CEO Kathryn Parsons wants investment in the knowledge economy April 20, 2015 ELECTION COUNTDOWN: 17 DAYS TO GO Every day until the final week of the election campaign, we ask a business leader to say what policies would entice them to vote for a particular party. KATHRYN PARSONS: CO-CEO, DECODED There was sufficient investment in the knowledge economy. The UK’s digital economy is predicted to [...]
General Election 2015: Labour’s Ed Balls refuses to rule out corporation tax rise April 19, 2015 Ed Balls has refused to rule out a rise in corporation tax if Labour wins the general election in three weeks’ time. The Labour shadow chancellor refused to rule out a further increase in corporation tax to the one per cent already pledged by the party when questioned on Sky News’ Murnaghan show. The current [...]
General Election 2015: One chart showing the most clichéd political party manifestos April 19, 2015 The Conservatives aren't performing spectacularly in the polls, but they're far ahead of rivals in terms of clichés. As we face one of the most unpredictable voting outcomes in living memory, voters can rely on a spew of clichés from the country's top politicians. They're currently busy travelling the length and breadth of Britain, on a quest to meet "hard working families" [...]
Nigel Farage, Nicola Sturgeon, Leanne Wood to appear in BBC election specials after Ed Miliband, David Cameron, and Nick Clegg get Question Time slots April 18, 2015 Nigel Farage is to be served up to a regional audiences as part of a several BBC specials ahead of the General Election. Farage will appear in a programme in England on 30 April, the same day Nicola Sturgeon, the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and Plaid Cymru’s Leanne Wood will appear in [...]
Ed Miliband would reintroduce the 50p tax rate within weeks April 18, 2015 Ed Miliband would reintroduce the 50p tax rate within weeks if he wins the General Election. According to information gained by The Times, in addition to the change to the top income tax rate, Miliband will also demand more powers for Downing Street. These actions are among several included in a list of draft bills [...]
Is Labour weighing up a coalition with the Liberal Democrats? April 18, 2015 Labour party wonks have been scrutinising details of the Liberal Democrat manifesto, looking for common ground on which to broker a deal – if the General Election results in a hung parliament. The belief among some of Ed Miliband’s allies is that there is a significant overlap between the two parties’ policies, which would allow [...]
Would raising the minimum wage really attract too many immigrants, as Nigel Farage suggests? April 17, 2015 The arguments against raising the minimum wage are many and varied – but is Ukip leader Nigel Farage's assertion that an increase might attract Romanian immigrants fair? While businesses argue hiking the minimum wage could raise the unemployment rate and lead to more illegal labour, today Farage suggested it would cause "even more people [to] [...]
General Election 2015: More people watched last night’s Emmerdale than the BBC debate April 17, 2015 Was it the lack of star quality in the form of Prime Minister David Cameron or the lure of the Dingles? We're not sure but either way last night's leaders' debate got a pummelling in the ratings. BBC1's Election Debate – billed as the challengers' contest with no Cameron and no Nick Clegg – was [...]
General Election 2015: Miliband unpaid internship ban previously supported by PwC, KPMG and Axa April 17, 2015 Ed Miliband will promise to ban unpaid internships if he becomes the next prime minister. In a bid to woo young voters in a speech today, the Labour leader will say companies will be banned from offering unpaid work experience for more than four weeks under a Labour government. Miliband will say lengthy unpaid internships [...]