David Cameron says he will stop the welfare merry-go-round June 22, 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron has vowed to end what he called the “ridiculous merry-go-round” of taxing low earners only to give them generous welfare handouts. Speaking at a school in Cheshire, the Prime Minister said yesterday: “We need to move from a low wage, high tax, high welfare society to a higher wage, lower tax, [...]
David Cameron pledges tax credit reform as part of government’s drive to cut £12bn from welfare budget June 22, 2015 Tax credits are under fire as part of the government’s pledge to eliminate £12bn from the welfare budget, with David Cameron insisting Britain must not continue with the current “merry-go-round” system. The speech, in Cheshire, will attack the system introduced by Tony Blair’s Labour government, whereby low paid workers will have money taken in tax [...]
EU ministers agree to extend economic sanctions against Russia until January 2016 June 22, 2015 The European Union has decided to extend economic sanctions against Russia for another six months, imposed due to the country’s involvement in the conflict in Ukraine. Meeting in Luxembourg, EU foreign ministers are upholding economic sanctions to make Russia comply with the Minsk ceasefire accord, which was signed with Ukraine in February. #EU extended economic [...]
Boris Johnson says City will thrive even if there’s a Brexit June 22, 2015 Boris Johnson has poured cold water on fears over the potentially damaging impact of a Brexit on the City, also saying that London will continue to thrive as long as it invests in infrastructure. The incumbent London mayor shrugged off some business leaders' concerns that exiting the European Union would be harmful to Britain, saying [...]
Can mayoral hopeful Tessa Jowell build One London and win back City Hall for Labour? June 21, 2015 When asked what sets her apart from the other candidates competing for the Labour party’s nomination for mayor of London, Dame Tessa Jowell says, without missing a beat, “I’m the candidate who can win.” The 67-year-old former culture secretary and Olympics minister told City A.M. last week that she has the experience, policies and [...]
Ukip could face £20,000 fine over General Election funding debts June 21, 2015 Ukip is struggling to fill a £500,000 black hole in its finances, after overspending during the General Election. According to The Independent on Sunday, a source said the party had “lost control” of its finances during the election. It must balance its election books by 6 July or face a possible reprimand under the Political [...]
Grexit: Tsipras puts deal proposals to Merkel, Hollande and Juncker to avoid default deadline June 21, 2015 The Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has presented new proposals to European leaders for a deal on debt repayments to avoid the country defaulting. Tsipras put the proposals to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in a phone call this afternoon, ahead of emergency talks due to [...]
Michael Fallon: UK will commit 1,000 troops to Nato rapid response force for further three years June 21, 2015 The defence secretary Michael Fallon has promised to commit UK troops to Nato's rapid response force for a further three years to fight threats from Russia and elsewhere Ahead of a meeting of Nato defence ministers due to be held in Brussels this week, Fallon promised support of 1,000 troops every year to Nato's new task [...]
George Osborne and Iain Duncan Smith promise £12bn cuts to welfare budget June 21, 2015 The government has promised to slash the welfare bill by £12bn each year, the day after tens of thousands of people took to the streets of London to protest against austerity. Chancellor George Osborne and work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith said the cuts would reform "the damaging culture of welfare dependency" and ensure [...]
Labour leadership race: Candidates heckled in second hustings event June 20, 2015 The candidates in the race to become Labour leader have clashed in a debate over the direction the party should take in the future. Liz Kendall, Andy Burnham and Yvette Cooper were all heckled by the audience – comprised of potential Labour voters – as they talked about Trident and welfare. They were all greeted [...]