Lord Aschcroft poll of marginal constituencies shows Labour and Tories neck and neck March 4, 2015 Lord Ashcroft has released his latest round of polls of marginal constituencies that could signal the winner of this year's general election. In total, Lord Ashcroft polled four Conservative-Labour marginals and eight Scottish seats. In two of the marginals, Labour was ahead by one point. In the Colne Valley the Tories were up by one [...]
Plebgate: Andrew Mitchell to pay out £80k in libel damages to police officer March 4, 2015 MP and former chief whip Andrew Mitchell will pay £80,000 in damages to the police officer at the centre of the "plebgate" row. PC Toby Rowland has accepted the libel damages to settle the legal case after the high court ruled last year that Mitchell had called Rowland a pleb while cycling past the officer [...]
Balls joins Ford exec in warning against Brexit March 3, 2015 SHADOW chancellor Ed Balls last night described the prospect of Britain leaving the EU as the greatest threat to London – echoing warnings from some business leaders. “The whole of Britain benefits from London’s growth and dynamism,” Balls told London First, a business group in the capital. “We should have no truck with the argument [...]
Has Ukip just abandoned its immigration cap? Nigel Farage rejects “abitrary targets” March 3, 2015 Ukip leader Nigel Farage has said his party will reject "arbitrary targets" on immigration if it holds the balance of power ahead of a major speech on Wednesday. Farage reiterated Ukip's pledge to end what the party call Britain's "open borders" approach to immigration. In an article for the Daily Telegraph, Farage said Ukip will [...]
Generation Rent: This campaign group wants to convert the Houses of Parliament into flats and move MPs to Hull March 2, 2015 MPs like to go on about the wonders of austerity, but do they really mean it? A campaign group has challenged the nation's lawmakers to put their money where their mouths are – by selling up the Houses of Parliament. According to Generation Rent, which campaigns for better rental homes, the taxpayer would save nearly [...]
Housebuilder shares rise as Conservatives promise 200,000 cheap starter homes for first-time buyers March 2, 2015 Shares in the UK's largest housebuilders bounced this morning, after the Conservatives pledged to make 200,000 "starter homes" available cheap for first-time buyers if they win the election. Shares in Taylor Wimpey rose 1.54 per cent to 147p in early trading, while Barratt rose 0.87 per cent to 520p and Persimmon rose 1.36 per cent [...]
Liberal Democrats call for extra £1bn bank levy to pay off deficit March 1, 2015 Plans to tax Britain’s banks should be lifted with an additional £1bn levy in order to help pay off the deficit, will be announced by the Liberal Democrats today. Danny Alexander, chief secretary to the Treasury, is making a bid to have the proposal included in the chancellor’s Budget later this month. If it is [...]
SNP slams plans for Union Jack branding on taxpayer projects March 1, 2015 A WAR of words between the government and the SNP has broken out over plans to put the Union flag on big infrastructure projects. The plans that will be announced today by chief secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander mirror the EU’s practice of featuring its flag on projects paid for with European grants. The [...]
Election doubt puts renewable firms off the UK March 1, 2015 THE UK’s status as a top destination for renewable energy investors is under threat, according to a new study released today by Ernst and Young. The decline is largely due to a lack of clarity from politicians as to where renewables fit into the country’s energy mix. EY says that the upcoming election in May [...]
Lib Dems pledge to torpedo Labour’s tuition fees policy in any future coalition March 1, 2015 Ed Miliband fails to win an outright majority and finds himself in the position of forming a Labour-Lib Dem coalition, his latest pledge on tuition could be the first policy in jeopardy. Lib Dem Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey said his party would block Labour's plans to cut tuition fees from £9,000 to £6,000 and [...]