Budget 2015: Who’s winning the social media battle March 17, 2015 Tomorrow George Osborne will deliver the final Budget of this Parliament, but the PR war over the coalition government's last set-piece event is already under way. As with almost all Budgets, large chunks have already been trailed and leaked leaving observers wondering whether Osborne will stick to his promise of no more gimmicks or pull [...]
Jean-Claude Juncker rules out major EU reform to prevent Brexit March 17, 2015 EU Commission President Jean-Claude Junker hopes to keep what he calls "down to earth Britain" in the EU but has dashed any hopes of major treaty change. Juncker ruled out a major reform of the European treaties to satisfy British demands for reform. Speaking at a conference he insisted he was "in favour of a [...]
General Election 2015: Ed Miliband stops short of ruling out post-electoral deal with SNP March 16, 2015 Labour leader Ed Miliband has declined to rule out doing a deal with the Scottish National party (SNP) to secure the keys to Downing Street. However, he said there would be no formal coalition between the two parties. Speaking yesterday, Miliband said: “Labour will not go into coalition government with the SNP. There will be [...]
Where has Vladimir Putin been? The theories surrounding the Russian President’s disappearance March 16, 2015 Russian President Vladimir Putin finally made a public appearance this morning, after an 11-day absence. Putin turned up to a scheduled meeting with Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev in St Petersburg – and even took him "for a little drive", according to Atambayev. But the rumour-mill was working in overdrive during Putin's disappearance/ Here are the [...]
Open Europe reveals 100 EU regulations that cost Britain £33bn March 16, 2015 The EU's 100 most draconian regulations are costing Britain over £33bn a year, according new analysis from the think-tank Open Europe. Adding insult to injury, the report reveals the accompanying impact assessment found the costs of a quarter of these regulations outweighed the estimated benefits, but were signed off by the British government all the [...]
The US and Russia still dominate arms exports, but China’s catching up March 16, 2015 The US is still the world's biggest exporter of arms, according to research by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Our western neighbour currently was responsible for 31 per cent of all exports across the world between 2010 and 2014, followed closely by Russia with 27 per cent. All other nations fell a [...]
Iran nuclear programme: Saudi Prince warns that if Iran strikes a deal, his country will want the same March 16, 2015 Prince Trurki al-Faisal of Saudi Arabia says that if the West strikes a nuclear deal with Iran, it is likely that many other countries will demand the same allowances. During an interview with the BBC, he warned that Saudi Arabia was among the nations that would seek the same rights, and that a situation where [...]
Hull City chair Assem Allam wants to stop unions roaring with £1m donation to Labour March 16, 2015 Hull City chairman Assem Allam will donate up to £1m to the Labour party, after having dinner with former Prime Minister Tony Blair. However, it is believed that the businessman will only put up the cash if Ed Miliband is prepared to take on the trade unions. Allam has already donated £200,000 to Labour, [...]
Budget 2015: Six things we expect to see in Wednesday’s announcement from George Osborne March 15, 2015 There will be no giveaways in the 2015 Budget, George Osborne has said. The Budget will be aimed at those who have worked hard all their lives, the chancellor said. But with no giveaways on the menu, what can we expect? Osborne told the BBC there would be “no giveaways, no gimmicks”. “Everything we do [...]
General Election 2015: Tony Blair adds to Labour warchest to help Miliband fight the Unions March 15, 2015 Tony Blair has flung himself back into the political fray, after it was revealed he organised a deal to secure Labour up to £1m of funding if it gets on the wrong side of its Unite donors. Blair set up a dinner at his home last week, at which Hull football club’s chairman, Assem Allam, [...]